The secret to happiness is… planning vacations. Seriously — science says so. Dutch researchers discovered that people get a big lift in their happiness levels when they’re planning a vacation. The simple feeling of anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks.¹ (After you come home, however, your vacation bliss wears off very quickly).

What does this mean? If you plan multiple trips throughout the year, you’ll always have something to look forward to. And to make your travel planning easier, remember these tips.

Buy annual AllTrips travel insurance if you have three or more trips planned this year.

We ran the numbers for a hypothetical 40-year-old traveler, based in Virginia, who are planning three trips this year — one for bleisure (business and leisure) and two for pleasure. Her trips cost $500, $4,000 and $5,000, for a combined cost of $9,500. To purchase OneTrip Prime for these three separate trips would cost her $449 in total. Adding rental car insurance for any of those trips would cost an additional $9 per day.

Or, our traveler could buy AllTrips Prime for $249. That plan covers not only the three planned trips but any additional trips she takes in a 12-month span. In most states, our AllTrips plans also include a collision/loss damage waiver for rental cars at no extra cost.

OneTrip Prime and AllTrips Prime do differ in their coverage levels. Emergency medical benefits go up to $20,000 with AllTrips Prime and $50,000 with OneTrip Prime, for example. They both offer $1,000 in baggage loss/damage, but AllTrips Prime caps trip cancellation costs at $2,000.

Long story short, multi-trip travel insurance is often the best choice for people visiting several destinations in a year. However, every traveler should compare quotes for their specific travel plans, and read the plan documents carefully, before buying a plan.

Use Kayak’s price trends feature before booking.

So you know you want to visit your sister in Stockholm this summer — but should you go in June or August? A quick search shows round-trip fares around $758 in June and $618 in August. Perfect. You’ll go in August. But should you buy now, or wait a few weeks to see if the price goes down?

Kayak’s price trend forecast (which you’ll see when comparing airfare prices) can give you some advice, based on its analysis of current and past prices. It may say “Buy now; Prices are unlikely to decrease within 7 days,” or it may advise you to wait. Kayak may even give you a shrug:  “\_(ツ)_/¯ We're still gathering data for this route.”

Ask a travel agent for help planning your trip.

If you’re planning a complicated vacation — e.g. a multi-stop international trip that’s not a pre-planned tour or package — the research can be absolutely exhausting. You go to one site to compare flights, another to read hotel reviews, a third to guide your sightseeing and a fourth to book your transportation between cities. Here’s a better idea: call a trusted travel agent.

Why use a travel agent for international trips? One, they’re likely to have firsthand knowledge of your destination, so they can give you honest and personalized advice on what to do and when to go. Two, they may be able to get you special perks, such as room upgrades or tickets to a sold-out show. And three, they can streamline your trip by booking the most affordable and direct transportation.

Apply for a travel credit card with a big signup bonus.

The practice of travel hacking — signing up for dozens of frequent-flier and travel rewards programs in order to get freebies — isn’t easy. Successful travel hackers are supremely organized and financially disciplined. But if you’re anticipating a big travel year, it may be worth applying for one or two credit cards that give you a substantial bonus for signing up.

Many travel rewards cards give you 50,000 or more bonus points if you hit a minimum spending requirement (usually $3,000-4,000) in the first few months.² If you charge all your trip expenses, you should have no trouble reaching the minimum, and then you can use the points for a free flight or hotel stay.

Only do this if you have good credit (above 700) and you know you’ll be able to pay off your cards each month, Brad Barrett, founder of RichmondSavers.com, tells Allianz Global Assistance. And don’t forget to check the annual fee for a card before you sign up. (Read more about how to score travel rewards.)

Get the TravelSmart app for help in emergencies.

On your tour of China, you assume you can get by speaking English (with a few useful phrases in Mandarin). Then you fall seriously ill in Xian, and you realize how helpless you really are. You don’t know which hospital to go to. You don’t know how to communicate with doctors. You don’t even know the Chinese equivalent of 911.

The free TravelSmart app from Allianz Global Assistance puts all this info at your fingertips. You’ll find simple translations for medical and first aid terms, emergency numbers for every country, and a geo-aware search function that locates your nearest pre-screened medical facilities. If you’re an Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance customer, you can use the app to access our emergency travel assistance hotline from anywhere in the world.

Related Articles

• The 6-Step Plan to Maximizing Your Vacation Time
• 3 Things You Need to Know About Buying an Annual Travel Insurance Policy
• Travel Trends: Why More Shorter Trips Makes an Annual Travel Insurance Plan a Must-Have