Hello, I'm Lale Arakoglu and welcome to women who travel, a podcast for us are staring down a busy travel period,

and likely getting ready to get together with family or friends for the holidays.

The prospect very possibly has you wincing.

So that's where we've bought in someone who writes about how to be happy

and get the most out of every occasion and every season.

She's Gretchen Rubin, author of Blockbuster Books like Better Than Before,

The Happiness Project and Happier at Home.

I guarantee by the end of this show that if you're a little bit wary about travel

or the stresses that it may bring over the coming weeks, you might just find it a little bit easier.

Many people write about positive psychology, but Gretchen is special because she's bursting with recommendations about good habits and experiencing the life that works best for your personality.

She's preoccupied with helping us be happy, but I had to begin with a big burning question.

I do notice that travel isn't a huge part of what you write about and talk about.

Why do you think that is?

Why does travel not factor into your approach to daily happiness?

Well, you know, that's something I've thought a lot about.

One of the things that I realized after I wrote my book, The Happiness Project, is that everyone's happiness project is different. And, you know, I gave myself sort of 12 themes, one for every month of the year. My themes would not be your themes. And I think for many, many people, travel would be a really big theme. And they would think, like, well, how can I really bring travel into my life?

And how can I make sure that I make time to plan for it and save for it?

Whether it's lots of little trips or one big trip or do I want them to be very adventurous or more luxurious or do I want them to be learning or service-based?

For me, I'm kind of a home buddy.

I like to stay home.

What is it about staying home that brings you joy?

And what do you find in being home that being on the move and traveling,

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