And Speaking Of... Staying Present While On Vacation

I am physically back in North Carolina, but mentally still in Europe. My heart is so full from all the truly amazing moments from my month-long journey, and I will continue to bask in the memories of all the adventures and time with my family. 

I am so grateful to my team at Gifted Travel Network for all the support I had to be able to travel with my kids, husband, parents, brother, extended family, and friends throughout my time away. I was present and focused, allowing myself to disconnect and enjoy the places we visited.

For my LinkedIn article, I want to share how I was able to stay the course and not succumb to sending emails, commenting on posts in our private member forums, or asking my team for updates.

Here are some of my strategies for staying present on vacation!

Plan ahead

Leaving the office for almost a month isn’t as simple as turning your OOO on and calling it a day.

I had meetings and emails with respective team members who would manage tasks, projects, and my inbox while I was away. There were go-to team members at GTN for inquiries who could reply on my behalf. I had Taylor Sweet on my team, completely dedicated to my email inbox, with Erica Whitaker as a backup.

If you want to leave, you must be clear about who is handling what, schedule time to review the details, and be available for questions before departure.

I also shared a few days/time blocks on my trip with the appropriate team members so that I could be available for a call or a check-in should they have something genuinely urgent. We never needed to use this time, but it was reassuring on both sides to know my availability vs. going completely silent.

Create a clear and specific OOO.

My OOO message specifically outlined that I was gone for a family vacation and would return on August 7th. I left multiple emails for those who needed assistance within GTN and shared that my team was monitoring my inbox. The more details in this message, the better.

This seems obvious, but ensuring you manage expectations for those sending you an email is important. I did not comment on sending me a private message or text message if their email was urgent. This is the fastest way to pull you out of your vacation mojo.

If you have a team member or a virtual assistant service who can support you, then provide an alternative email, and do not, I repeat, do NOT invite people to send you a private message. This is your special time, so let those who support you, support you.

Trust 

If you want to truly be present on vacation, you must trust your team and let go of the reins.

Admittedly, I skimmed my emails every other day but refrained from responding and getting involved in conversations. It wasn’t as hard as I thought because I had a pretty packed schedule, so I didn’t have time to check in and get involved.

I am blessed with amazing team members who had everything under control, and I leaned into that big time to maximize my family time.

Be Intentional

When you love your work as much as I do, shutting off your brain with work thoughts is very hard. But I recognized that if I didn’t switch gears and stay focused on my family, I would be shortchanging my precious personal time and sending the message to my team that I didn’t trust them.

This can only be accomplished by being intentional. I would look at my phone and intentionally not open my email. It was a mental exercise to stay present and away from work conversations at first, but after a few days, I was so happy not to skim emails and think about work.

I would love to hear your strategies for disconnecting while on vacation! It is not always as easy as one might assume, but with clear focus and intention, you can stay present and enjoy your time away from your inbox.

Taking time off makes you happier and more productive overall, so only good things come from disconnecting!