If you’ve ever returned from holiday feeling less than refreshed, you are not alone. In fact, studies show that more than half of travellers report coming home tired, with many saying they need another break just to recover from their holiday. While this can sometimes be attributed to “leisure sickness” – the phenomenon of becoming unwell once you take leave due to stress finally catching up with your body – for the majority of holidaymakers this exhaustion is caused by poor planning, long travel days and extreme itineraries coupled up with everyday stress. It’s something that can easily happen, explains Niamh Foran from the Travel Department, but it can also be easily rectified by following a few simple steps. “Coming home from holiday and feeling more tired than before you left usually comes down to overpacking the itinerary,” she explains. “Trying to see everything in a short space of time can be exhausting. A good holiday should feel balanced. When the pace is right, and there’s time to enjoy each place properly, people come back feeling refreshed rather than drained.”Foran’s top tips on how to reduce holiday stress include travelling with just hand luggage where possible, choosing well-timed flights, setting a buffer on your return and building in breathing space during the day when you are away. She says: “Give yourself a buffer. If possible, return a day before going back to work and ease back into your routine. A well-planned trip also helps here. When everything runs smoothly, the end of the holiday feels calm rather than rushed, which makes a big difference to how you feel afterwards.“The key to achieving that is to plan the important parts well and leave space around them. Having your flights, accommodation and key experiences organised gives a good structure to your trip, but you don’t want every minute scheduled.” Leaving room for off-the-cuff experiences is advice that chimes with Emma Farrell – having returned from a trip to Japan with boyfriend Taka Mhandu recently, she says that not overly packing their itinerary left the couple with time to experience things they would otherwise have missed. “Before we left, we made a loose itinerary for every day we were there, with one thing we wanted to do and then some free time,” she says. “We had a list of things we definitely wanted to see and experience and then a second list with things we’d be okay if we didn’t get to, which helped make things less overwhelming. “We also left one full day free in each city so we could make a plan when we were there and do whatever we wanted. When we were in Kyoto we decided to do a day trip to Hiroshima and when we were in Osaka we did a day trip to Nara, so because we left a day free in our itinerary we ended up seeing two extra cities.”Taka Mhandu and Emma Farrell found that leaving gaps in their itinerary on holiday in Japan gave them opportunities to take on board local recommendations Another benefit of a looser itinerary meant that Farrell and Mhandu could take advantage of recommendations they got on the ground. “We got so many recommendations for restaurants and bars from locals and because we had left ourselves free time each day we got to have a much more local and cultural experience.”For teacher Ita Dagger and her husband Brian Cunnane, travelling as a family of four (with two children under four) brings with it its own challenges – but learning from previous mistakes and ensuring they are as prepared as possible helps reduce travel-day stress. “We check in as much luggage as we can, one of us is in charge of all documents and we’re always prepared with snacks and activities for flights,” says Dagger. “We also allow treats that we wouldn’t normally allow at home as well – so things like iPads or playing with our phones – which really helps. We flew to London recently and didn’t think to bring a screen, which was a big mistake.” Learning how to come home feeling refreshed from holiday, however, has involved trial and error for the couple, with Dagger explaining that this year they’ll be keeping relaxation in mind by allowing for solo activities throughout their family holiday. “We have definitely learned from previous mistakes and so now we have a day off each during our holiday – when one of us will take the kids and the other can do what they like for the day by themselves.”Saileog and Aoife Cunnane on holidays: their mum Ita Dagger suggests parents take turns to have a day off to themselves She goes on to share a tip she was given from a friend that surprised her at the time but has, from her own experience, proved invaluable – to travel where possible with another family member. “A few years ago, a friend said she’d never travel again without a grandparent which at the time we didn’t understand, but now we tell anybody that if they can they should bring a grandparent or family member to help out. It also means you’ll get at least one night out during your holiday.”Of course, booking a holiday during a time of global instability does adds a layer of trepidation, which is where booking through a travel operator or opting for a guided tour can be an easier option. “Customers are understandably cautious when booking holidays at the moment but having that reassurance of booking through an experienced company has been a help to many,” says Foran. If something goes wrong being able to speak to somebody who can help is a lifeline. “The biggest difference comes from having support in place,” she says. “If you’re travelling independently, you’re managing that yourself. On a guided holiday, there’s always someone on hand to step in and assist you with the issue quickly, whether that’s a delay, disruption or something else unexpected.”