Arthur C. BrooksThe Art and Science of Happiness

The 6 primary reasons people travel

15 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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1:07

In this brief presentation, Arthur C. Brooks references a 2015 study of Danish tourists that identified six fundamental motives driving people to take vacations. The motives are: (1) Exploration – a learning‑driven desire to discover new places; (2) Escape – a wish to break away from ordinary life; (3) Family & Friends – a goal of deepening relationships; (4) Prestige – seeking social comparison, status, or envy; (5) Nature – a craving for natural beauty and outdoor experiences; and (6) History & Heritage – a learning‑oriented interest in cultural and historical sites. Brooks emphasizes that recognizing which of these motives (or combination thereof) apply to an individual helps them design vacations that are more satisfying and regenerative. He notes that people need not limit themselves to a single motive; the more clearly they understand their motives, the better they can match travel experiences to personal fulfillment.

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There's a 2015 study of Danish tourists that shows that there's 6 basic motives. And this goes through a large sample of people and asks them why they go on vacation. And knowing what your motive is is gonna be really helpful for building the vacation that best suits your motives. Number 1 is exploration. A lot of people really wanna explore, which is a learning motive. Number 2 is escape, just not ordinary life. Some people wanna get away from ordinary life. Number 3, family and friends, AKA relationship deepening. Very big motive for a lot of people on vacation. Number 4 is prestige, their motive for going on vacation. Is kind of looking cool or looking rich. They want social comparison. They want to do something that other people envy. Number 5, nature, just the beauty of nature. Some people actually know that the more nature that they can actually get into, long hikes, sleeping outside, whatever it happens to be, that they really, really get a lot out of it. And number 6 is history and heritage. That's different than exploration. It's not just seeing new things, but it's a learning motive as well. So how does that map onto your motives? And by the way, you don't have to choose just one, but the more that you know what they are, the more likely you are to choose a vacation that's going to be satisfying to you and regenerative for you. Mm-hmm.