Just one night in a beachside town and it's guaranteed I'll be googling real estate the minute I get home.
But daydreams of moving aren't supported by my income, and several other hurdles. You know, small stuff like leaving behind loved ones and finding new jobs.
I'm not alone in my post-travel fantasies. So I asked two experts if there's any value in imagining a lifestyle other than our own?
Rose-coloured glasses
Social psychologist Lisa Williams is an associate professor at UNSW Sydney.
She says there are psychologists who argue for the benefits of fantasising about a different life, "something researchers would call prospection".
"Martin Seligman, for one, argues that imagining a positive alternate future can provide a source of optimism and resilience — which in turn promotes happiness," Dr Williams says.
And I do feel happy when stumbling across a cute cottage on my feed and picturing my son playing in the garden.
At the same time, my expectations of what it might be like to live there are probably skewed, explains Dr Williams.
"It's likely the case that we have rose-coloured glasses on when we visit someplace new.
"We tend to see the exciting things those places have offer. In contrast, we very intimately know about all the oddities and drawbacks of where we currently live."
We form strong, but overestimated, expectations about how good it would be to move.
Dr Williams says people are pretty "terrible" at predicting how something will make them feel. A process psychologists call affective forecasting.
"Chances are, the places we visit and dream about living have some considerable drawbacks – we just fail to see them."
Don't forget, you were in holiday mode
It's easy to forget when travelling for leisure we are generally in a more relaxed frame of mind, says Bernice Plant, a research fellow with BehaviourWorks Australia at Monash University.
"When you are on holiday it's escapism; you're escaping and leaving the stress of normal life behind," she says.
"You tend to be more relaxed, in a better mood, doing fun stuff."
We can then attribute those nice feelings to a location, rather than the fact we are on holiday, explains Dr Plant.
"These positive experiences and memories you have from you holiday can be quite vivid and accessible in your mind," she says.
"So when you're back home reflecting, it makes it easier for you to imagine all the positive aspects of that location."
Inspiring us to make positive changes at home
Aside from making us happy, there are other potential benefits too.
Dr Plant says it's inspiring to think about a different lifestyle, and that can motivate us to make positive changes in our lives.
Noticing what we enjoyed about our holiday and its location can help us implement some of that at home.
"There might be some gaps between your ideal situation and current situation," Dr Plant says.
"You can reflect on how you might bring some of those elements into current, everyday life."
For example if you enjoyed daily beach walks, is there a more local beach or waterfront you can travel to for a weekly walk?
Dr Williams agrees, saying: "There's a good argument for finding aspects of a desired but unattainable thing that can actually be implemented in your life."
She adds the simple act of being in nature can improve wellbeing.
Dr Plant likes to stay in cabins in more rural areas, and is often inspired to live off-grid.
"When I'm away in those locations, it's really apparent to me how much noise there is in my daily life," she says.
"And so for myself, I try to reduce the noise in other ways."
She adds that researching a move can help us make more informed decisions later in life.
"Knowledge is never wasted … it can help us clarify our preferences and goals."
So maybe one day my family will take the leap and move to some sleepy seaside town.
But for now, I can scroll real estate websites peacefully knowing it's beneficial just to dream.
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