Its The Time That Youve Been Waiting For All Year Long. You Have An Uninterrupted Two Weeks Away From Work. While It Should Be A Time Of Non-stop Relaxation, The Idea Of Your Vacation Is Already Beginning To Stress You Out. You Wonder If Youll Return From Your Trip More Frustrated And Agitated Than When You Left.At This Point, Youre Stressed Out About The Cost Of The Tripwhether Your Plane Will Arrive In Time For You To Take Your Cruiseif Youll Have Enough Clothes For Your Journeyhow To Keep Your Children In Line During The Tripand Whether You Will Actually Enjoy Yourself. Instead Of Being A Soothing Trip Away From It All, Your Vacation Is Quickly Becoming A Major Stress Event.It Doesnt Have To Be This Way. You Can Enjoy A Vacation That Carries With It A Minimum Amount Of Stress. However, It Will Not Happen Without Some Concerted Effort On Your Part. In Essence, You Must Work To Have Funand The Sooner You Realize That, The Less Stress Youll Encounter.A Relatively Stress-free Vacation Requires A Great Deal Of Advanced Planning. To Begin With, You Should Develop A Budget For Your Vacation, Based Upon How Much Money Youve Saved. Resist The Temptation To Charge It All On Your Credit Card. Otherwise, Youll Have To Endure A Great Deal Of Financial Stress Once You Return From Your Trip. Once Youve Established A Budget, Be Sure To Stick To It. Overspending Will Simply Exacerbate Your Stress.Next, You Should Seriously Consider Booking Your Vacation Through A Travel Agent. The Agent Can Do A Great Deal Of The Planning For You. An Experienced Agent Will Also Know The Pitfalls Youll Want To Avoid. He Or She Is In The Business Of Making Vacationers Happy, So The Agent Will Have Extra Incentive To Make Sure That Your Vacation Goes Well.As You Plan Your Trip With Your Travel Agent, There Are Some Key Questions You Should Ask Yourself. For Instance, Would You Enjoy An Adventure-related Vacation, Such As Riding The Rapids Or Going To A Dude Ranch? Or Are You More Interested In Shopping And Sightseeing? Is Your Idea Of A Relaxing Time A Flight Through The Clouds Or A Cruise Along The Waves? The More Information Your Agent Has About Your Personal Preferences, The Better Able He Or She Will Be To Plan A Vacation Thats Relaxing For You.Determine In Advance Exactly How Much Time Youll Need Off In Order To Ensure That Your Vacation Is A Success. If You Allot Too Little Time, You Could Find Yourself Begging Your Boss For Additional Time As Your Vacation Comes To An End, Causing Both You (and Your Boss) Additional Stress. Also, Dont Allot So Much Time That Youll Become Restless. Youll Want A Vacation That Gives You A Respite From Your Daily Duties, But That Does Not Leave You Feeling Completely Out Of Touch.Be Sure To Find Out From The Travel Agent Just What Kind Of Weather Youre Likely To Encounter On Your Trip. One Of The Most Stressful Aspects Of A Vacation Can Be Finding That You Are Unprepared For The Weather. Find Out Exactly What Kind Of Temperatures You Can Expect, Whether There Is Likely To Be Wind, And How Likely It Is That It Will Rain. In This Way, You Can Prepare Yourself For The Type Of Conditions Youre Likely To Encounter.Be Generous With Your Packingbut Not Overly Generous. In Other Words, Make Sure That You Pack Everything Youre Likely To Need, But Dont Pack Non-essentials. Youll Want To Make Sure That You Have Enough Clothes To Last Your Entire Journey, Since It Might Be Hard For You To Find Laundry Facilities Along The Way. But You Dont Want To Be So Weighted Down That You Cant Move Your Suitcase. Also, Be Sure To Leave Room In Your Suitcase For The Souvenirs Youll Want To Buy For Your Friends And Family Members.A Vacation Should Be The Most Relaxing Event Of The Year. Thats Why Its Important That You Try To Make It As Stress-free As Possible. By Maintaining A Sensible Budget, Doing Some Extensive Planning, And Asking For Help If You Need It, You Should Be In A Position To Reduce Your Stress Level Considerably. Bon Voyage!
