Vacations can come in many types, at various price levels, and can have several purposes.

• Guided tours of a city, state, or country expose us to much history, scenery, and culture in a short period. Their purpose can be for relaxation, information, or site seeing.

• Cruises let you unpack once in a floating hotel and then see many varied places. Modern cruise ships offer many amenities, gourmet eating, and high quality entertainment.

• All inclusive vacations allow you to unpack once and then travel out, if you want, to the surrounding areas. There are many types from ranch to tropical for families, couples, or singles.

• Do-it-yourself vacations are the most common. We make travel arrangements, book rooms, buy tickets, and head out. These allow the most flexibility of dates and scheduling, but they aren’t always the cheapest.

• Theme vacations can fit into all categories. There are wine tasting cruises or train trips. There are baseball, football, and basketball packages available.

• Personal retreats are a unique class of vacations. On a personal retreat, we get away from our usual routine to think about our life, future, dreams, and family.

Here are some practical suggestions to consider:

• Only spend money you already have saved for your time away. What good is a vacation that lasts seven days that takes five years to pay off? Vacation close to home or even at home if necessary to stay within your current means.

• Be realistic about your expectations for your vacation. If it is for relaxation, leave the cell phone turned off. Watch less television. If it is a family outing, plan it together.

• Be realistic about travel times. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, have tightened security and caused delays. Leave an extra hour between flights. If you drive, take an extra half-day to get to your destination or plan a vacation closer to home. Come home at least one day before you have to go back to work or the children have to go back to school.

• Be easy on yourself, your travel mates, and everyone you meet on your vacation.

• It is better to have a few relaxing, reinvigorating days, than two weeks of boredom or fighting traffic and crowds.

• Practice being aware of the moment. You will find that most moments are actually fun and enjoyable. For the ones that aren’t, remember, “This, too, will pass.” Get beyond the problems and get on with having a good time!

Tim O’Brien writes continuing-education courses and presents seminars on stress management.