Preparing Trading for our Vacations

As we all know trading is an emotional roller coaster for a lot of people. Knowing this, as a trader every attempt to control that emotion should be applied. There are many times that trading should be put on hold. One example of this is vacation time. There is nothing better than a great vacation, but it can be tainted by worry of the market conditions especially if there are trades left to run. My recommendation is to take as many vacations as possilble and leave all worry about trading at home. Preperation is key to a relaxing vacation. So how can you prepare for a vacation??? First plan the time of your vacation around the markets lowest volume, then plan your trades around that time. For example if you are planning to leave and you have a swing trade in place, set your target and take profits before you leave. If you have trades that are still active you will be constantly thinking about them.

When you return from a vacation is equally as important. Depending on your length of time away from the markets, you will need to set out time to get re-familiarized with the current conditions. As you return to trading the emotion is at its strongest so be aware and trade accordingly. There is so much excitement built up because a lack of trading and this can be detrimental to your account. As you come back take some time to study the markets and get your mind back into trading mode. This is a large part of your trading plan and should be consistently be adhered to.