In today’s tech-centric age, “taking a vacation” has taken on a whole new meaning. It’s not just about escaping your daily routine, home and office. It has become about taking a trip away from our technology.

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(A crazy thought, right? Not really.)

In order to fully enjoy a vacation from your daily life, it is time to turn off the tech or limit your use as you relax, take in the sights and enjoy new experiences. The trick is figuring out how to do so without your email reminders chiming and blinking interrupting you every five minutes – but still keeping an eye on what’s going on at the office.

Here are 9 tips to take your trip away from tech (or limit it to a bare minimum):

  1. Plan your trip at a time when your work and personal life is calmer. This may not be an easy task, as things are never 100% calm or predictable. However, attempt to book your getaway during a quieter season at work, when there are no major launches or deadlines. Also, pair it with a calm personal calendar – meaning, there are no social engagements or family commitments in sight for at least a few weeks.

  1. Create a strict out-of-office reply and make arrangements with a colleague in advance to be your emergency contact on the message. Yes, there is a possibility of an emergency needing your attention while you are on vacation. However, some things are not as urgent as one may think. As long as you prep your colleague on your current work activities and certain expectations are laid out, it should go smoothly.

  1. Purchase only a limited roaming plan for your trip to limit your data consumption. To truly escape, buy a vacation phone plan that will allow you to phone home to touch base with your loved ones a few times during your trip and even send text messages when needed. If access to email is required, add on a small amount of data to allow you to check every few days.

  1. Keep your portable chargers at home. Don’t worry about keeping your phones charged throughout your trip. Bring a charger so your device is ready in case of an emergency. However, charge your phone in your hotel room only and keep it turned off as you tour. The more access you have to a charger throughout the day, the more tempted you will be to text or play on your phone.

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  1. If you must email, set a schedule. A lot of of people have careers that don’t allow them to completely go off grid. People get uncomfortable leaving their emails alone for weeks or even a few days. To keep yourself in a relaxed state of mind for both your vacation and your inbox, set aside 10 minutes per day to check your emails. ONLY RESPOND to urgent messages and make sure you do your 10 minute check first thing in the morning. This will leave your days and mind clear.

  1. Trade in the phone for a camera – or even a notepad. Yes, this concept may be a tough one. Many of us are unable to comprehend the idea of letting our smartphones out of our hands. However, give it a try – even for a day! Take in the sights and capture those moments with a camera or pencil and paper instead of your phone camera. This allows you to fully soak up the experience without the distractions from your phone.

  1. Leave the laptop at home; instead, tote some reading and writing materials. Instead of logging into your laptop before bedtime, bring a good book or magazine to read. If you are going on a longer trip, bring a journal. You can write down short notes or a long entry on what you experience each day – it is a wonderful keepsake to have to look back on.

  1. Set social media ground rules. Vacation is a great time to post things on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – especially if you are a social media influencer. If you have an urge to FB, tweet or instagram your trip, set a maximum amount of posts per day or wait to post your daily pictures in a low activity period, such as in a quiet moment before dinner.

  1. Above all else, make your vacation the priority!  Don’t make your regeneration time a secondary priority to your work, or treat it as a news source for your social media followers. Enjoy your trip, expose yourself to new things, take pictures and have fun!

Do you have any other vacation-friendly technology recommendations? Share with us below.

Melissa Grosser 3Written by Melissa Grosser

Melissa Grosser is a Canadian PR professional and freelance writer, based out of Toronto. In the field of public relations for the last five years, Melissa has worked in the areas of beauty, entertainment, government, lifestyle and technology communications. She is the blogger behind The Domestic Peach – a lifestyle forum, and a regular contributor to Remark Magazine – one of Canada’s lifestyle magazines. You can follow Melissa on Twitter at @melgrosser or subscribe to her blog at www.thedomesticpeach.com.

 

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