So you are going to France for your next holiday. You have picked a location, organised your travel, and booked your accommodation. That is the easy part of the "where" and the "how." The trickiest part of planning and enjoying your holiday begins next when you need to tackle the "what" issue. That is what are you going to do and what are you going to see. Please don't even contemplate "everything".

Tourists often mistakenly schedule every hour of every day in advance to ensure they see every French castle, abbey and vineyard. If this is your inclination our advice is simply do not go. You will be as stressed as if you never left your work so you might as well stay there and earn more money.

If you go with a to-do list of "famous sights," you will come home with bucket loads of incredible pictures but with no real emotional connection to where you have been. You will look at photos of various castles and not be able to distinguish which one was which. Your holiday will be one continuous castle blur. You'll have spent your whole time hurtling from one famous castle or abbey or rather than soaking up the significance of that castle, abbey you toured in a nanosecond.

Please don't be a speed tourist acting possessed and forever intent determined to get yet another tick in a box on their "must see" list. Never see more than two castles in a day and do not do more than three days of your vacation (ideally spaced out) castle hopping.

You probably picked France as your destination in order to escape the hurried pace of your normal live. So what you need to do is to enjoy life at another pace and slow down a little. This way you can return home feeling rejuvenated and rested. Remember you are on holiday and you are not trying to set any records. Leisurely drink in the scenery and the culture and sample some of the acclaimed local wine whilst enjoying a picnic.

If you are renting a castle or a villa, set aside some time to just hang out there and relax. Often you see groups of families who rent a castle or a villa together busy traipsing all over the countryside ticking all of the boxes on someone's overly optimised list of must see sites and must do activities. Some poor guest got the task of planning the itinerary and wanted to make sure no one could later complain that they missed something.

Always remember most people travel to France for the experience that is unique and totally different from their everyday American, English, or Antipodean existence. Find yourself a little cafe, bistro, or a pub. Sit down. Order something. Listen to the locals chatting. Talk to a stranger even if it is in Franglais. Smell that freshly baked bread. Savour that glass of wine. Relax you are on holiday.

And do not forget, if you miss something important - no problem. It is the perfect excuse to return for another relaxing holiday another time.