The Trip Hangover - The tired and exhausted state that you find yourself in after a long and or busy trip. Be it for business or pleasure, we’ve all been there before. You don’t feel like working or even watching television, you just don’t feel like doing anything. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop you from having responsibilities when you get back. This is why I suggest using the following three tips to get over your hangover as quickly and painlessly as possible:

1. Pad your return date with an extra day - The reason for this is simple: If you can swing it, having an extra day off when you get back just to relax at home is perfect. This way, you’ve cut out most expectations from other people as they don’t expect you back until the following day. Getting some errands done is optional, but probably a good idea so that the rest of the week is more normal.

2. Get some sleep - Many times when I get back from a trip I feel like I have a million things to get done. However, staying up late to try and fit as much as possible into your return date is a bad idea. This only makes you even more exhausted than you already are. Prioritize what you want to get done and then fit in a good nights sleep into the schedule. Push off the less critical tasks until the next day. Otherwise, you’ll just extend your hangover.

3. Have work clothes ready to go - If you have to go to work right after you get back (because you couldn’t pad your return date via Tip 1 above), then before you leave for your trip make sure that you have a full set of work clothes to wear. This means that you don’t have to worry about getting a rush job done at the dry cleaners or frantically removing the wrinkles from a “slightly used” shirt. This will save you a bunch of time and frustration come the next morning.

Most likely, you’re going to experience the trip hangover regardless of how much planning you do. However, it’s your choice whether you want to make it a drop in the bucket or as big as a lake.