(NAPSI)—For most people, vacations are a luxury that come only once or twice a year. So once you’ve planned, set the date and saved, you want to make sure the memories are going to last.

To help, researchers at the University of Texas and HomeAway, the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace, investigated destination type, cost, technology use and more to determine their effect on the memorability of vacations.

What The Research Shows

After examining the data, they came up with tangible tips to engineer your way to longer-lasting memories:

1. Take your vacation to the top. Research shows mountains are the most memorable destination: Mountain vacations were up to 12 percent more memorable than other types of destinations. Tip: Plan your trip for an unfamiliar setting. Researchers say breaking routine is what makes trips memorable, so if you live in the mountains, beach vacation memories would probably last longer.
2. Don’t stress about vacation costs. Surprisingly, the one thing that didn’t have any bearing on whether a trip was memorable was the price tag. Whether you spend $500 or $5,000, the vacation can be equally memorable. Tip: Don’t wait until you’ve saved for the once-in-a-lifetime, expensive destination. Go on the trip you can afford now.
3. Make it a celebration with family and friends. According to research, people who traveled with a mix of family and friends remembered their vacations at least 20 percent better than people who traveled with just friends or just family. Tip: Celebrate—vacationers who planned a trip around a special celebration saw their emotional memory recall rocketed to 69 percent.
4. Take photos. Being snap happy helps you remember a vacation 40 percent more than if you don’t take photos. Tip: Do take photos with your phone, but bear in mind that those who spent more than two hours using phones and other devices were 26 percent less likely to remember vacation details.
5. Leave the laptop at home. Taking your work with you makes it harder to form clear memories. Tip: If you have to work a little on vacation, keep it under an hour a day. Working more than that while on vacation makes you 43 percent more likely to have trouble remembering the trip.
6. Visualize yourself in blissed-out vacation mode. Vacationers who reported feeling happy and excited before their vacation were 73 percent more likely to recall their vacation memories than those who felt stressed, frustrated or even calm. Tip: To get excited before your travel dates, have a family planning meeting or boast to your co-workers about your plans.

HomeAway, which has more than a million vacation homes for rent around the world, invests in vacation memory research as part of its mission to help families disconnect from everyday life and spend time reconnecting with each other.

Learn More

For further information on the science of vacation memories and tips on how to take a more memorable vacation, visit www.homeaway.com/lp/vacation-equation.