There is a lot of pressure for vacations to be perfect. The typical American employee only gets around 10 days of paid time off, so there is inherent desire to spend our limited time wisely. Fruitful vacation days nourish several dimensions of wellness like quality time with loved ones and having the time to take care of yourself. This has been shown to directly translate to more productivity in the workplace, higher quality work, and employees feeling more energized when they return from time off. Happier and healthier employees trickles down to more overall workplace satisfaction and better customer experiences with your company.

For many people, a proper vacation involves traveling to destinations that introduce us to new, vibrant cultures, fulfill our adventure-seeking urges, and deepen our connections with the people we love. But with all this pressure, we often find ourselves stressed and disappointed if things don’t go as smoothly as we hoped. A lot of vacation stress occurs before the time off actually starts, with planning, packing, and arranging transportation and housing being just a few possible stressors, especially when you’re coordinating plans for a whole family or a group of friends. After all of this anticipatory stress, you never know what may arise on the actual trip. From cloudy forecasts on your week-long girls trip to Miami that you’ve all been planning for six months to your four year old having a meltdown at the Louvre, who knows what might go wrong! People who report stressful travel experiences are actually much less likely to benefit from the positive aspects of vacationing. But never fear! Here are five tips to manage travel stress.

1. Relish in your downtime. Your flight getting delayed is probably one of the worst things that can happen while traveling. But it may be a blessing in disguise! Once you work out the logistics of the rest of your journey, try to spend the rest of this found time to do calming activities. It can be easy to be swept up in the inertia of plans changing, so turning your focus to the things that make you feel at peace can really help reduce stress.

2. Prioritize the activities you really want to do. You’re probably eager to pack your itinerary chock-full of vacation activities to fully experience the destination, but even too much of a good thing can be detrimental. Overcrowding your schedule can make it hard to appreciate everything going on and leave you exhausted rather than recharged. Make sure to pencil in designated relaxation time in order to preserve your energy for all of your exciting escapades.

3. Practice gratitude. Remind yourself how lucky you are to get to take a break from your day-to-day routine, especially if you are doing so somewhere far away from home. Acknowledging the privilege of your vacation can enable you to savor the experience even more and reduce the pressure of perfection.

4. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Be prepared for plans to fall through – that’s life! Before your trip, explore alternate options to the activities you set in stone, just in case they don’t work out. Having backup options on-hand can really help to reduce stress in the event that your plans have to change, and lessen your disappointment by still using your time to your advantage. That being said, try not to expect that everything will go wrong. Excessive worrying will take away from your experience, so try to enjoy being flexible and having the chance to do something you might not have otherwise gotten to.

5. Make it easier for yourself to come home. While trying to enjoy your vacation, you might find yourself acutely aware that all good things must come to an end. Having something to look forward to when you return from your trip can help relieve the anxiety of having to return to “real life.” It can be small, such as tidying up your home before you leave so you can come back to a nice, clean living space, or even planning a fun night with friends to tell them all about your time away.