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WRITE A PROPER AWAY MESSAGE
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GETTY IMAGES
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PICK A DESIGNATED TIME TO BE ONLINE
LOG OUT
Airplane mode is the way to go, but if that’s too much for you, at least turn off your notifications and log out of your apps. You’ll be a lot less likely to fall down the social media rabbit hole if your phone screen isn’t letting you know you’ve been tagged in eight photos, have 632 emails or that Beyoncé just tweeted.
PLAN AHEAD
MAKE A WAGER
Need extra motivation? Bet dinner with your travel buddy. Pick an expensive restaurant and whoever spends more time online has to pay. You can use the Moment app to track your usage.
Set up an auto response on your email starting the day before you leave and ending a day after you return. Explain that you’ll be out of reach, and offer an alternate contact — someone you’ll gift a bottle of the local wine when you return. Inform your friends that you’re sorry you’ll be missing their parties and ignoring their messages, but you’ll be too busy hanging with elephants. And tell them not to worry, that of course you’ll post selfies when you return.
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There are plenty of great offline apps that will allow you to access virtually anything you need for a perfect vacation. Download maps, travel guides, playlists and anything else you might want before you hit the road. Bring a book, playing cards or a pair of knitting needles to keep you busy en route.
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FORCE YOURSELF OFF THE GRID
Scared that guilt will force you to take on a few hours of work while you’re away? Go somewhere with limited internet access. If you’re camping in the wilderness or staying in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas, there’s no way your boss is going to reach you.
If spending a week without checking email is going to make you too nervous to enjoy your vacation, decide how much time you actually need to spend online. Choose a designated time of day and limit yourself to logging on once per day. That way you can reassure yourself, stay on top of what needs to be done and then spend the rest of the day carefree.
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SET EXPECTATIONS
It’s important to let your boss and co-workers know that you’re taking an actual vacation, which means you’ll have limited to no phone and internet access. Outline any projects that might require help while you’re gone and decide who will be responsible for covering for you should anything come up.
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