Summer officially begins on Monday, and freed from the cold, New Englanders’ imaginations have already turned to vacation.

Of course, this creates its own pressures. Where to go? When? What to do? Time off is a scarce resource, and as with any scarce resource, we want to spend it wisely.

Partly, these decisions are matters of taste. But there are also, it turns out, answers to be found in behavioral science. Read on to find out how to make the most of your time off this summer.