We are sure with all the ideas we have been giving you, it will not be difficult for you to plan your home exchange vacation this summer. Yet, there is another thing that can be much simpler if you take some preventive measures: getting back to work after the fun is over.

The first steps you should take are related to having everything covered while you are gone: try to leave a short list of pending matters before you leave, organize your desk and clean your workspace, have a co-worker cover urgent matters while you are absent, you can easy them into the tasks they will be covering you by copying them relevant e-mails and sharing any important information they might need. Schedule a short meeting your first day back with this co-worker to catch up. Also, set your out-of-the-office e-mail and voicemail messages (if you set them to last after your return to the office, you will have time to catch up before people start sending you reminders) and inform contacts you will be gone and for how long.

If your vacations involves travelling (which we hope is the case), save one or two days to get settled back home before you have to return to work.

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When you do get back to work, make a list of pending matters and organize them into two categories: cannot wait, can be dealt later. Save the second list for the following week. Then focus on the first list and choose those things that need to be addressed the first day, keep in mind the time you have available and do not overdo, or you will just ruin your “relaxed” state of mind. If you need help with something, ask someone to give you a hand.

During the day, take shot breaks to clear your head. Get up, stretch and take a deep breath. It will take some time, but you will get back on track. Remember to bring back a picture from your vacations or a small souvenir for your desk, those little reminders can help you relax if things get complicated.

Finally, as soon as you get settled back, return to HomeForHome and start planning your next home exchange vacation!

I read somewhere that last year many people did not go on vacation fearing being absent from work could make them eligible for crisis cuts. But, even if you think that is a fair reason not to enjoy that precious relaxing time, there is also a drawback: more stress can lead to less productivity and this may be a stronger reason to make the cut list. From this point of view, vacations seem to be a good choice to stay on top of things. If you want your next home exchange vacation to be as relaxing as it can possibly be, you need to plan and take care of the details, but once you are in you swap destination you can leave your worries behind with any of these ideas for relaxation:

1. Reserve time to get immersed in your hobbies.

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2. Take it easy and slow down.

3. Read a book.

4. Enjoy a meal out.

5. Sleep in.

6. Go to bed really (really) late.

7. Take a walk.

8. Watch your favourite movie again (more than once if you want!).

9. Enjoy your family and friends.

10. Turn the music up.

11. Forget about your laptop and cell-phone (at least for most of the day).

12. Get a massage.

13. Take a nap whenever you feel like it.

14. Take off your watch.

15. Have a late breakfast.

16. Go dancing.

17. Watch the sunset.

18. Make yourself some hot chocolate if it rains.

19. Talk to strangers.

20. Do nothing for a couple of hours.

Do Americans work harder than Europeans? Employment law would definitely suggest that. In France, for example, workers are legally entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave. In Austria 22, with an extra 13 days of paid holidays. Finland boasts 25, with nine days of paid national holiday. Greece has 26, in total.

The USA has a big fat 0.

1/4 of Americans have no paid public leave or annual holiday at all, even though many private companies offer their workers paid holiday.Whether it be because of the legal regulations, or the USA work ethic, “burn out” in the states is a growing problem.

America! Put down your Blackberry! A 50 hour week does not make you more productive. Physically, to recover from burn-out, the body needs at least 2 weeks of relaxation. And that doesn´t mean 2 weeks of tearing around cities, maximising your holiday, slogging your guts out power-holidaying around some new demanding destination.

If you want to relax, let your body recharge, boost your health, and allow your skin to have a silky inner glow, why not take a break in Europe.

It would it be a great opportunity to take some substantial time way from work.And with home exchange it would be a very cheap way of getting away. You would only have to pay for the flights, so you wouldn´t have to worry about it eating into your finances. Plus, it would also be a chance to let some of the finer aspects of the European way of life seep in.

Paris, London, Vienna, and Venice are a few of the many European havens where you will be able to peel the toxic stress away from those wired up minds and bodies.

Here´s a quick three-point guide to banishing stress, European stylee.

1. Make time to eat. Don´t view meal times as an irrelevant inconvenience, that can be doubled up as work time, done on-the-go, or silently crumped in front of the TV, crippled by fatigue after too much work. Take time to plan the meal, buy all the fresh ingredients, and cook together. You can eat late if necessary, but take the time to prepare together, to sit down together and talk, and savour some long fermented juicy wine as you enjoy your meal.

2. Remember that European societies have an incredible sense of history. You don´t need to see five museums in one day on top of three parks, and a trip to the opera. If you can wonder through a rustic French town for example, absorbing the smell of the marble, the cool narrow streets each telling a thousand stories of their own, breathing in the energy of centuries and centuries lost in the past, then your holiday will surely be something invaluable and unforgettable.

3. Take a chance to have a little laugh at our antiquated parliaments. Especially the British one. It may be occassionally put on USA television comedy channels, but believe it or not, it´s our system of government. If you visit London, you could take the opportunity to see the British government in action. It´s a lot of old men. Sat around, sleeping and muttering. It´s a weird system yes, but think of all it´s achieved! Free health care, a totally independent press, a welfare state… You always have to have the appearance of being fired up and go-getting in order to make great things happen.

Vacations aren´t an optional luxury. Most European governments make them totally, unavoidably obligatory. Our bodies need them, and even our productivity at work benefits from taking a couple of weeks break. With home exchange there aren´t even great costs! It´s a win-win situation!