Winter is almost upon us, Christmas is just around the corner, and if the chilly temperatures and darker evenings are starting to get you down, now is the perfect time to book your next trip overseas and give your happiness levels a boost!

According to a new global study commissioned by Booking.com, it is travel that makes us happier than anything else in life, and as a result, 56 per cent of us would rather spend our hard-earned cash on a holiday abroad, than on possessions, home improvements or material items.

In fact, many the 17,000-people questioned in the survey confirmed that travel brought them more happiness than landmark life events such as their wedding day, landing a dream job, or having a baby, with 72 per cent stating that they get an “immediate high” just from researching their trip online, and a further 56 per cent claiming that they are at their happiest when they finally book their holiday.

Once the holiday is booked, 80 per cent admitted researching their destinations for a quick “pick-me-up” when they’re feeling stressed or down, and a further 52 per cent of said that they would go shopping for their holiday wardrobe, read reviews about their hotel, and look at photos of their chosen resort to boost their mood.

A further 62 per cent of those surveyed said that they felt a surge of happiness when setting their ‘out of office’ and leaving work for the last time before their trip, and a whopping 87 per cent of people said that they felt their happiest on the first day of their holiday.

With some fabulous Cyber Monday holiday deals available, today is quite possibly the best day of the year to book your next trip overseas, so why not treat yourself to a little bit of happiness this grey Monday afternoon… go on, you deserve it!