Head home on Sunday afternoon or evening?
An extra hour at your destination earns its place when it improves the day without making the return unnecessarily tiring.
Compare two complete endings
To choose your return, imagine two complete Sundays. In the first, you leave during the afternoon and reach home with time to eat and settle in. In the second, you stay longer but move those activities later. Compare the whole journey to your front door rather than only the train's arrival time.
Include what follows the station: another service, collecting a car or walking home. A seemingly convenient connection may leave a demanding section until the end. Consider how early you need to wake the next day too, without assuming everyone recovers from a late journey in the same way.
Give the additional hours a purpose
Ask what you would do by staying. A meal you want, a visit with suitable opening hours or an extended conversation may justify a later departure. If the only plan is waiting with luggage because you are reluctant to declare the holiday finished, those hours may offer less than you imagine.
Write two small programmes. The first includes breakfast, a short outing and travel; the second adds a specific experience. Compare additional costs and commitments without automatically valuing the longer stay more highly. A shorter but satisfying Sunday may leave a better memory than an afternoon spent repeatedly deciding what to do.
Choose a return that fits your life
If travelling together, discuss tiredness and Monday's requirements before buying tickets. The person who wants to stay can suggest a concrete activity, while someone preferring an earlier departure can explain which part of returning they want to simplify. This need not become a contest about who enjoys travelling more.
Plan a realistic evening meal for your arrival time, checking what will be available. With an evening return, keep the final programme light. With an afternoon departure, enjoy the hours gained at home. Rest after travelling can belong to the weekend without needing to fill that space immediately.
Compare one specific additional experience with the complete journey and evening at home. Let that comparison, rather than the clock alone, decide.
