Vacations should reduce -- not induce -- stress. Take these steps to get the best out of your days away.

1. Put your work in order and allow time to decompress before taking off.
   
2. Review your vacation goals. What do you really want -- time in the backyard to read a book or an exotic getaway?
   
3. Be flexible. You may have a mental image about how your time off should go, but chance will intervene. Consider vacations a little more like "adventures."
   
4. Leave your work at work. Resist calls and emails. Your job is to relax and have fun.
   
5. Plan re-entry. Give yourself a transition day before returning to the job.