While I can occasionally be satisfied with a relaxing vacation spent hanging out on the beach or by the pool, I’m usually cramming a lot more activity into my vacation days. There are times when I wake up with ten hours of carefully scheduled activities in front of me. I must admit, my body doesn’t always appreciate being pushed to the brink when it’s been looking forward to a break.

I know I’m not the only one who travels like this. With the rising cost of transportation and hotel stays, we push all we can onto the schedule. It makes sense, especially if you are traveling a great distance but it might also be robbing us of some of the joy we should feel on vacation.

Here are a few tactics to add some relaxation back to your next trip.

Buy good shoes, even if they’re expensive. Foot pain will make you feel tired and grouchy. Invest in a good pair of shoes, and break them in before traveling.

Prioritize the things you want to see and do and then draft an itinerary. Plan for the “musts” and pencil in the rest.

Ge organized before you go. Write down the hours for all the attractions that interest you. Print out directions to these places. Think about what you’re going to wear. Planning all of this before you leave adds to the anticipation and helps save you time on the trip.

Give yourself at least one late wake-up during the trip. Whether it’s the first day or the last, treat yourself to a little extra snooze.

Do something to treat yourself whether it is a massage, spa treatment, performance, or something sweet.

Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t see everything. It’s OK. You can go back. What’s really important is that you thoroughly enjoyed everything you were able to see.