Planning a Relaxing Vacation

A common so-called irony in life, is when a personskiers than us, and ran us so ragged we were
finally gets around to taking a much needed vacation,painfully stiff for days. Also, we let loose in the
and falls ill as soon as they are away from work.evenings, and trying to keep up with our friends'
The reason for this situation being common is easilydrinking proved to be a big mistake. My wife and I
explained. Most people, as they are preparing for areturned from our vacation exhausted and ill.
vacation, are in a hectic state; trying to tie up looseThe way to avoid a poor vacation is to plan ahead.
ends at work, getting packed, finding a house and or- Think about what the purpose of the vacation is. If
pet sitter, finding visas or passports, organizing andyour aim is to reduce tension after a busy time at
cleaning the house, getting the yard prepared,work, make sure the destination will give you the
creating "to do" lists for people, the list goes on.peace and calm you need.
When you finally set off on your vacation, your body- Take a vacation before your vacation. Take three
needs a break. Your immune system has beenor four days off work before your vacation begins,
suffering from lack of sleep and excess stress. It's anso that you can get organized, and begin to slow
ideal time for a virus to attack and get a soliddown your pace gradually.
foothold.- Get prepared, well before your vacation. If you will
There's another reason illness attacks during vacation.need any documentation (visa/passport),
Often people choose a trip that is not relaxing forprescriptions, reservations, tickets, etc... get them all
them.in advance. Nothing is more comforting than a sense
Two years ago my wife and I went on a vacationof preparedness.
with friends. We went cross-country skiing at a- Lastly, do not feel like you have to do anything on
resort. The cabin we stayed in was beautiful, weyour vacation. Often there is pressure to go
were surrounded with close friends, and the weathersite-seeing, or participate in social events. If you feel
was nice - Seemed like a recipe for a wonderfullike staying in the room and reading a book, that's
vacation. Unfortunately, our friends were far betterprobably what you should do.