Needing a vacation after a vacation - Your Life - Brief Article

Americans are wearier after their vacations than before them, a Gallup poll revealed. It found that fewer than one-third took breaks lasting longer than nine days.

About 33% of working adults said they had to put in more hours in the office the week before their vacation, contributing to the finding that 46% of those surveyed felt tired before their vacation began. Moreover, 54% described themselves as tired on returning home, the telephone survey of 1,000 adults found.

Roger J. Cadieux, a professor of psychiatry at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, who helped analyze the data, says good planning could help. If the main goal is recharging batteries, "I'm not going to go to Disney World; I'm going to go to a place in the mountains, a place with a lot of books." His other suggestions include:

* If you have insomnia, see a physician before the trip. "Otherwise, you're just packing that insomnia with you."

* Avoid a blitz of work to clear your desk before you leave (or when you return).

* Don't put off packing until the last minute.

* Bring some items from your bedroom, like a pillow or a clock.

* Don't take work with you--or let it find you. "Some people get FedExed every day."

* Don't do everything in one day that you should do in two.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group