How Can I Truly Get Away on My Getaway?

Vacation, schmacation. Taking time off sometimes seems like more trouble than it's worth: the frenzied push to get everything done before you go, the zillions of phone calls and e-mail messages to answer when you get back. Maybe that's why, according to the annual Vacation Deprivation Survey conducted by travel Web site Expedia.com, 35 percent of Americans don't take all the vacation days they're entitled to.

But there are ways, experts say, to ease those transitions on both ends and to wring enough satisfaction out of your week off to last you . . . well, for a few days after you get back.

Boulder, Colo., consultant Christine Gust, Baton Rouge-based executive coach Kent Blumberg and Joe Robinson of Santa Monica, Calif., a work/life balance coach and author of "Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life" (Perigree Trade), offer these tips for making a vacation worth taking.

Take Your Time: Blumberg says the first step toward achieving vacation nirvana is, duh, to take the time you're due. And don't view that as shirking work: A good vacation, he says, "means you come back recharged, somehow, at peace or re-energized, with new eyes and ready to rock and roll again."

Go Away: Don't spend your vacation at home. "Get away from your normal space and the people you're normally around," Blumberg advises, even if you just drive somewhere an hour away. Gust adds: "You don't have to go clear around the world to get away and come back tired. You can get the benefits of vacation in a simpler way" by taking a low-key trip.

Plan: Start thinking about your vacation at the beginning of the year, suggests Robinson. Many people end up settling for something less than the trip of their dreams.

But Don't Overplan: On the other hand, Robinson warns, "a carefully scripted vacation full of to-do lists can mirror our working life, so we don't get the payoff we want." Instead, he suggests, come up with a general list of things you want to do while you're away, search the Internet for information about your options, but wait until you arrive at your destination to pull it all together.

Mix It Up:"You need two parts to your vacation to get recuperative benefits," Robinson notes. "You need 'discovery' time, and you need downtime. . . . You need some participatory elements to get the juice out of a vacation. Take a salsa class at the hotel. Comb through local listings to find something to do. Get out of your comfort zone," he recommends. "You can literally put on a new personality, try on a new life."

Avoid the Last-Day Rush: Gust suggests blocking off that last day at work as a wrap-up day. "Don't count on that last day to work on projects that require concentration or creativity," she cautions. She also recommends handing off projects to co-workers a few days ahead of time. Build in some time to explain the work well to a colleague. No matter what, Blumberg says, "you can't finish everything before you go away. My rule is that that last Friday stops at 5 o'clock."

And the First-Day Frenzy: Schedule yourself some fudge time to address the work that's piled up in your absence. Tell people you're not returning until Monday afternoon or even Tuesday, so you'll have some quiet time to return calls and check your calendar. Blumberg's rule of thumb: Book one hour of this free time for every day you've been away.

Manage Your Mail: Make a decision -- and agree to it verbally with your vacation partners -- about when you're going to check your mail (voice and e-) while you're away. "I turn the phone ringer off and check messages once a day," Blumberg says. "And every day I get up earlier than my wife, go to Starbucks for an hour and check my messages. Then I put my computer away" until the next day.

And Those Who Mail You: Whatever schedule you come up with, be sure to let people know, Gust says. When I contacted Blumberg for this article, I immediately received this out-of-office message: "I'm on vacation and checking e-mail only once a day or so. Unless your message sounds urgent, I'll probably delay my response until I return. Have a great week!")

Wean Yourself: Leaving your BlackBerry and laptop at home might not be realistic, Gust says. But you can start training yourself to check messages less frequently in the weeks leading up to your trip. Similarly, Robinson says, you should get in the habit of sharing and delegating tasks well before you go: "Cross-train so other people know how to do your job."

Build In a Bonus: To maintain that vacation glow, Gust advises planning a treat for yourself sometime during your first week back. "Give yourself something to look forward to: a golf game, a massage, something to extend the vacation." ·

If you have other big questions you would like Jennifer Huget to answer, please e-mailhealth@washpost.comand mark the subject line "Big Questions."