When 27-year-old Julia Douds, an attorney in Washington, needed a break after spending the summer studying for the bar exam, she arranged what she thought was the perfect vacation: 10 days at a friend's house in Venice Beach, Calif. Instead of her usual whirlwind itinerary, Douds planned to do nothing but sit on the beach, read and unwind.

But from the moment she stepped off the plane into the California sun, she couldn't relax. "I felt like my mind was racing in a million different directions," she said. "I was constantly thinking about work, or things I had to do at home."

She cut her trip short by four days, and came home feeling frazzled.

What happened to her perfect, no-responsibilities vacation? Call it a classic case of vacation stress.

While it might sound like a contradiction in terms, vacation stress is a common affliction, particularly since the Sept. 11 attacks. According to a recent Gallup poll of 1,000 vacationers, 54 percent reported coming home from trips feeling "tired" -- 19 percent felt "very tired or exhausted."

And the stress level only heightens during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, two of the heaviest travel times of the year.

"The purpose of a vacation is to come back recharged, to hit the ground running," said Dr. Joan Lang, chair of Saint Louis University's department of psychiatry. "But people often come back exhausted and end up needing a vacation from their vacation. The problem is, there are so many things that can cause a stressful vacation."

One of the more common causes is poor planning. For some travelers, like Julia Douds, this can mean not organizing enough activity. For others, it's over-planning -- the "must-see-10-cities-in-10-days" trip.

"People are always trying to do too much when they travel and it taxes their system," said Don George, global travel editor for Lonely Planet, a leading guidebook publisher. "It's important to turn off that thing in your head that says you have to see every painting in the Louvre before it closes. Instead, try just concentrating on one painting. Take the time to pay close attention to what's around you."

The demands of travel

It's tough to relax and pay attention, however, when you're distracted by thoughts of work, language barriers, too much luggage or, in the case of parents with small children, demanding tots.

"Most trips I go on I come back feeling tired," said 33-year-old Elizabeth Bredahl of Darien, Conn. Bredahl and her husband, Tom, recently took their two kids, ages 2 and 4, to Mexico for what was intended to be a relaxing beach vacation. Her 2-year-old cried incessantly because he hated the sand, and her 4-year-old came down with a cough.

"By the end of the trip, I just wanted to get home," said Bredahl. "I felt like I was doing what I always do, but it was harder because I was away from the comforts of home."

Expect problems

It doesn't always take work, kids or poor planning to make a vacation stressful. For some, just being away from home is enough cause for anxiety, especially for those who need a regular routine.

"Keep in mind that stress has to do with how we cope with change," said Lang. "Even a good change in routine -- like a vacation -- imposes new deadlines and new obligations, and it's not surprising that stress will come with that."

To avoid vacation stress, Lang advises maintaining realistic expectations. "The best thing to do is to expect that certain things are bound to happen and not let yourself get disappointed," she said. "There are always late planes, lost luggage and rooms that aren't ready."

This is particularly true during the holidays.

"Holiday travel can be extremely stressful because the airports are crowded and everyone is out of their usual routine," said Teri Franklin, product manager for Expedia, an online travel agency. "Then they get to their family's home and have to sleep on a lumpy pull-out bed in a room with other guests."

Know what relaxes you

Allison Smith, founder of Rejuvenation Vacations on the Caribbean Island of St. John, believes that when you go on vacation "it's important to go somewhere where you can really let go."

A trained psychologist, Smith said when she moved to St. John 16 years ago she noticed that many visitors were not relaxing during their stay on the island. Instead, they fought, drank too much, worried about work or crammed their days full of activities.

"They were getting away from home but they weren't relaxing," she said. Smith now organizes several types of "rejuvenation" vacations on St. John, including the "Stressbuster" -- a trip dedicated to relaxation through yoga, meditation, sailing excursions and daily massages.

"Being busy can become an addiction," she said. "We create so much activity in our lives that we never stop to take the time to check in with ourselves, and that's what a vacation is all about. It's a chance to look at the bigger picture."

If you can't afford a "Stressbuster" trip to St. John (Smith's vacations cost $975 per person per week, not including airfare or meals), there's a less expensive way to ensure a stress-free vacation: know thyself.

If you get stressed in large crowds, don't hit the Champs Elysee on a weekend. If, like Douds, too much downtime makes you anxious, don't plant yourself on a deserted beach.

On her next vacation, Douds plans to pack her itinerary with plenty of activities.

"I was lost on my last trip because I didn't have anything organized," she said. "Some people would love that, but I was miserable. I now realize that I need a structured vacation because that distracts me and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something."

10 tips to reduce travel stress

1. Know your destination. Use a guidebook or the Internet to familiarize yourself with a place before you arrive. If you're traveling to another part of the world, learn a few basic phrases to avoid the stress of a language barrier.

2. Let go. Even if you have to check in occasionally, avoid frequent contact with the office.

3. Don't wait until the last minute. Take care of packing and errands a few days before you leave so you don't have to race to the dry cleaner and the pharmacy on the way to the airport.

4. Bring backups. Pack extras of things you can't afford to lose, such as prescription medicines.

5. Everything in moderation. Overindulgence -- in food, drink or sun -- is tempting on vacation. Remember that you want to come home relaxed, not sunburned or hung over.

6. Know your traveling companions. If you're traveling with friends who get restless on the beach, send them off to a museum for the day. To avoid conflict, discuss your expectations before the trip.

7. Pack smart. There's nothing more stressful than being burdened with too much luggage, or not having the appropriate attire.

8. Stay healthy. Before you go, find out what kind of health precautions you should take while traveling.

9. Plan for your departure, but also for your return. Coming home at midnight the evening before you go back to work might buy you more vacation time, but it may also leave you exhausted.

10. Expect the unexpected. There's no such thing as a perfect vacation.