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It's the time that you've 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 you'll return
from your trip more frustrated and agitated than when you left.
At this point, you're stressed out about the cost of the
trip...whether your plane will arrive in time for you to take
your cruise...if you'll have enough clothes for your
journey...how to keep your children in line during the
trip...and 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 doesn't 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 fun--and the sooner you realize that, the
less stress you'll 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 you've saved.
Resist the temptation to charge it all on your credit card.
Otherwise, you'll have to endure a great deal of financial
stress once you return from your trip. Once you've 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 you'll 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 that's relaxing
for you.
Determine in advance exactly how much time you'll 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, don't allot so much
time that you'll become restless. You'll 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 you're 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 you're likely to
encounter.
Be generous with your packing--but not overly generous. In
other words, make sure that you pack everything you're likely to
need, but don't pack non-essentials. You'll 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 don't want to be so weighted down that you can't
move your suitcase. Also, be sure to leave room in your suitcase
for the souvenirs you'll want to buy for your friends and family
members.
A vacation should be the most relaxing event of the year.
That's why it's 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!
About the author:
Christos Varsamis is a Marketing Consultant at
http://www.settinglifegoals.com . Get your Free E-courses "How
to Create Minisites That Make Money in Just 24 Hours + Secrets
of Internet Millionaires" at http://www.cbmallclickbank.com &
http://www.cbmallgr.com
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