Mid-January is a traditionally difficult time of year for people in Scotland as they face long hours of darkness and the excesses of the festive season catching up with them.
For many, looking ahead to a holiday offers a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
The decision on where to go or what to do can be the most challenging part of planning our time off. Research from adventure travel expert Explore has found that 68% of people living in Scotland find choosing a destination the most challenging part of booking a holiday, while 58% say it takes more than 2 weeks of their time to plan their trip from start to finish.
Designed to help solve these problems, the adventure travel specialists launched emotion-tracking software in Edinburgh this week, which will help consumers choose their ideal holiday type – whether that be walking, cycling, cultural trips or wildlife.
The software harnesses a technique known as electroencephalography, or EEG, which tracks people's emotional reactions to visual stimuli.
The program then interprets the subsequent electrical activity from the scalp and measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain.
The technology can then interpret this neurological activity to decide if the subject is finding something pleasurable. Using this technology, Explore want to remove the risk of disappointment for holidaymakers – ultimately safeguarding their choices with this novel approach, reintroducing the fun back into the process of planning a holiday.
Ashley Toft, Managing Director at Explore said: "We all know that the best holidays are those that include truly extraordinary moments; trips that offer once in a lifetime experiences. But there are so many places to go and things to see, how do you navigate those choices and pick the perfect holiday for you. Even more perplexing, how can you predict it's going to tick of all of your boxes, particularly if you have never been before?"
He added, "Our exciting new software taps into your brain and will, quite literally, make a holiday recommendation based on your emotional reactions. In short, you could say we've created the next generation holiday brochure and we can't wait until consumers try it out."
Chartered Clinical Psychologist from the British Psychological Society, Dr Jessamy Hibberd, said: "Peoples emotional responses to experiences and moments in their lives differ greatly, so it's a fascinating proposition – using technology to reveal consumers' strongest emotions to travel stimuli, and therefore the holidays that will fulfil them the most.
"Research shows that doing more of the things you enjoy, particularly if they are meaningful to you will make you feel good, even when life is difficult or you are stuck doing things you don’t enjoy. It’s not just about doing any old thing, because unless the activity is the right thing for you, it won’t have any effect."
Explore currently have over 500 trips available in more than 120 countries, offering once-in-a-lifetime holidays and adventures to some of world's most exotic locations, including Peru, India and Botswana.
To find out more about Explore holidays visit: www.explore.co.uk
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