However you plan to take a vacation this year, the season is at hand and it's never too early to start making a plan.  Whether you're opting for a staycation, a few long weekends, a week or are blazing full steam ahead on that three week cruise (go for it!), there's nothing like making sure you don't return to a train wreck of an office right when you were just starting to feel refreshed.  Our Savvy Seven steps will ensure you leave and return with a peaceful mind.

Shore Up & Ship Out: How to Securite Your Job For Vacation

Step 1: Make a Plan
Anticipate your project/work load for the next month or two and make a plan of attack to ensure all your bases will be covered while you're away. If it means working a little overtime before you go or enlisting the help of a trusted colleague, set it up now so you're not scrambling while you're away.

Step 2: Call for Back Up
Establish who will cover your work or phone calls while you're gone and meet with them well in advance to make sure they have all the information they need to handle issues as they arise without contacting you.  But do give at least one trustworthy person your contact information just in case.

Step 3: Pay Your Bills
If your job involves invoicing, bill paying, or submitting expense reports, do it all before you leave so you don't come back to a pile of OVERDUE notices.  Yuck, yuck and triple yuck.

Step 4: Out of Office Message
Duh, right?  I know you know how to set this up, but this time, try out the old "I will not be checking email or phone messages, so for urgent matters, contact X."  This sets the tone that you really are not available and unless someone's dying or something's collapsing, you don't need to know about it.  Nor does your colleague.

Step 5: Clean Up Time
Before you leave, clean up your desk, inbox, trash, piles, whatever.  You want to feel relaxed and peaceful when you return, not swamped.  (BTW, why ARE those piles all over the place?)

Step 6: Transition Time
Never, EVER (and boy, do I speak from experience) return from your trip expecting to hit the office the very next day.  Give yourself at least a day or two transition time to handle all your correspondence and bills at home first, stock the refrigerator, call your family and update Facebook with all your fab photos.  THEN, you can tackle the office.

Step 7: Prioritize
Rome wasn't built in a day and your workload won't be caught up in a day.  Don't try to get up to speed immediately, just tackle the necessities first and move down the line.