Holiday should reduce stress - not introduce it. Take these steps to get the best out of your days away.

Put your work in order and allow time to decompress before taking off.

Review your vacation goals. What do you really want - time in the back yard to read a book or an exotic getaway on a secluded island?

Be flexible. You may have a mental image about how your time off should go, but chance will intervene. Considere holidays a little more like "adventures."

Leave work at home. Resist calls and emails. Your job now is to relax and have fun.

Plan re-entry. Give yourself a transition day before returning to the job.