Here’s the scenario: you’re combining two events in one trip–one you’re dreading (e.g. staying with the family), the other you’re looking forward to (e.g. the beach). Which do you do first?
I would’ve gone with the ‘get the bad stuff over with’ logic and ended with the fun. But I would’ve been wrong.
A report in the July/August edition of Psychology Today shows that it’s best to put the good experience first. It says that events at the beginning and end are remembered more than the middle, but the memory of those at the end fades faster than those at the beginning. So the trip that you’ll remember as better in the long run is the one that starts on a high note and ends on a low note.
Now that’s the way to start a vacation.