The Power of the ‘Booking Boost’ To Elevate Your Mood

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:15 PM ET, Tue January 28, 2025

In case you missed the memo, today is National Plan for Vacation Day.

And this is important because according to a 2024 report from Expedia, half of Americans do not use all of their vacation days. The top reason for this, cited by Americans, is that life is too busy to plan or go on vacation.

Amid these types of challenges, United Airlines has announced that it is recognizing National Plan for Vacation Day by teaming up with cognitive scientist Dr. Laurie Santos, host of The Happiness Lab podcast. With Santos’ assistance, United analyzed new research examining the clear link between happiness and booking a vacation.

Yes, it seems the mere act of booking a vacation can help elevate your mood.

A survey conducted by United on this topic reveals as much: 70% of Americans say booking a plane ticket brings them happiness. Furthermore, a majority of people surveyed said experiences make them feel happier than material goods.

"Planning a vacation can give you an unexpected happiness bump because experiences matter for our well-being more than we expect," said Dr. Santos. "When you book a vacation, you experience the reward of anticipating a positive experience. The happiness boost we get from travel can last long after you book your ticket - from the moments you happily anticipate your getaway, to taking the fun trip itself, to the times you recall trip high points with friends once you get back home.”

With all of this helpful information in mind, United has announced that customers can receive bonus miles and get their booking boost today if they book a trip from the U.S. to one of 25 international destinations where United is the only U.S. airline providing service.

Here’s a closer look at the newly released research from United and the carrier's booking boost offer.

"Booking Boost" Research

United's survey showed that 68% of people say January is a month where they need something to look forward to, while more than half of Americans report experiencing the winter blues.

The survey also underscored the power of the positive mood-boost that occurs when a flight for vacation is booked, showing people are almost as happy planning their itinerary (73%) and just as happy sharing memories of the trip with others (83%) as they are experiencing the trip itself (82%).

Additional research reviewed by Dr. Santos shows that we get more happiness from travel then buying material things.

It seems the happiness boost from a travel purchase has been shown to be nearly twice as large as the happiness effect from buying clothing, jewelry or home goods and more than four times as large as buying electronic goods.

"A vacation gives you a bigger and more lasting happiness bump because as humans, we are delighted by the novelty of the unknown. The thrill of a new handbag wears off quickly since you get used to them through a trick our mind does called 'hedonic adaptation,' but travel brings new experiences each day that delight and engage us," said Dr. Santos.

"And then we build on that through social connections by traveling with other people and talking about our trip with them later,” Dr. Santos added.

United Airlines Offers Bonus Miles

As mentioned above, United is acknowledging National Plan for Vacation Day by offering bonus miles for trips booked today from the U.S. to one of 25 international destinations that no other U.S. airline serves.

The offer is available for many of the airline's most unique and off-the-beaten path destinations including Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Faro, Portugal and Bilbao, Spain, the carrier said in a statement issued today.

As an example, a MileagePlus member flying round trip from Newark to Palermo in June could earn 13,000 miles, and one flying from Chicago to Faro in June could earn 10,000 miles, as part of the promotion. MileagePlus Premier members can earn even more.

A full list of destinations eligible and terms and conditions for this offer can be found here.