How long is the ‘perfect' Ireland vacation? Everyone has an opinion, but the scientific study may surprise you.

Researchers say that the sweet spot is “not too long, where experiences begin to feel normalized, and not too short, where you don't have enough time to disconnect.”

This article is also available as the Traveling in Ireland podcast, episode 292. Use the player below to listen or scroll to continue reading the article and get resource links.

I'm a member of quite a few Ireland vacation advice groups on various websites and one of my biggest pet peeves is when people respond to a question with “That isn't enough time,” or “You should stay longer.”

Not everyone has unlimited time to spend on vacation. We all have a life to live, and vacation is just a part of that.

So let me begin with this statement – however long you have in Ireland is ‘enough time' for your vacation.

Is it enough time to do ‘everything'? No. But you could stay for years and not ‘see it all'. So let's lose the ‘not enough time' mindset before we begin.

My opinion is based on 23 years of travel from North America – US and Canada. If traveling from Australia or New Zealand this might be too short; if traveling from Europe it could be too long.

I think a 10 day vacation is almost ideal.

Day 1 & day 9 are spent traveling.

Days 2 thru 8 are spent exploring, relaxing, and enjoying Ireland.

And day 10 is your day to regroup before returning to your ‘real life'.

If you can stay longer… great! But 10 days offers a full week in Ireland, travel days that don't have to include anything else, and a day to reset before ‘real life' resumes.

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According to the Journal of Happiness Studies eight days in the minimum length a vacation should be. The first few days are spent unwinding and disconnecting, with peak happiness and feelings of personal wellbeing around days 7 and 8.

The study also showed that, by day 11, vacation enjoyment tends to drop and people begin to miss their home and regular routines.

So don't worry if you don't have weeks or months to spend in Ireland – enjoy your vacation fully while you are there, bring home amazing memories, and maybe think about planning a return – according to studies trip anticipation boost happiness.

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