Making The Most of that Last Day of Vacation

Wall Street Journal has a great article about how we should own the last day of summer vacation.  It points out that too many of us start thinking about work or doing work related things while we're still officially on a day off.  I am guilty of this.  To justify, I say that I'm trying to take some of the stress out of the first day back in the "real world"... so I'm essentially adding some stress to my vacation.  I realize this makes no sense!  Vacations are supposed to be about unplugging and de-stressing, aren't they?

So let's all try to come up with some great ways to spend the final day of vacation, whether it's a staycation at home or a trip that involved some travel.

How about packing ALMOST everything and making transportation arrangements the day BEFORE the last day?  How about going outside and noticing all the scenic beauty of the place?  Or maybe your hotel or rental home has a beautiful interior or furnishings you really admire?   You can sit and relax and soak it all in.   A final swim in the pool or ocean could also be a nice way to close out the holiday.

Something that I usually do on the flight or drive home is make a list of some of the highlights of the vacation.  Or you can make some notes throughout, and then, on the final day, you can review the highlights and enjoy reliving some of the moments in your head.  I also try to avoid coming back on a Sunday.  It can help to have a day or two to deal with jet-lag or laundry or just ease back to reality at a slightly slower pace.

What do YOU do to make the most of your last day of vacation?  Any suggestions for transitioning back to work-mode?