Anticipatory Fun

How do you make a one week vacation experience last for months or even up to a year? Granted, this isn't for everyone. Certainly, not for the last minute planner who gets a thrill of adrenaline from throwing things together quickly. OR the spontaneous type who likes to be free as a bird and live from moment to moment, but for those of you who like to plan...the enjoyment you receive from a cruise is not contained within that one week time frame spent on the ship. Far from it! The good times start the moment you begin planning your next cruise vacation.

What is it about human nature that allows us to receive such pleasure from anticipation? My father and I were discussing this the other day. He was describing how men who like to hunt often receive as much satisfaction from collecting and preparing their gear as they do from the actual expedition. His thoughts were that it was their personality type that attributed to this. They felt a sense of accomplishment from finishing a project that they had planned and organized. Sometimes, he said, they enjoyed the planning stage even more than the expedition itself. Not him, of course. Perhaps, this enjoyment of planning and organizing explains it for some people. However, I dare say, even if for a planner, it would be a rare cruiser who would enjoy the planning stage more than the cruise vacation itself!

I think the anticipatory stage might also bring to life what so many people seek in their lives - hope. Hope for the future...even for that one week vacation. Although, many people find hope in their spiritual lives, even those that are fulfilled spiritually, may just want a dose of hope that represents fun. A fun break away from the day to day routines of life. After all, with everything that goes on in our world today, who can have too much hope? Whatever it is that drives people to enjoy this phase of the vacation. It is a real phase. It brings much enjoyment, and it's a way of extending that vacation in a way - a pre-vacation. So research away. Make your lists. Plan. Plan. Plan. Enjoy your pre-embarkation!