5 tips to take an unplugged vacation

It was summer camp as you experienced it as a kid, but with adult beverages. And, just like you experienced as a kid, you couldn’t send phone calls or emails home. There was no service, except in one spot in the middle of the camp where everyone could see you on your phone. It was as if they prepared to massively embarrass those of us who needed a fix.

My husband and I decided to extend our stay a few days and drive to the coast (where there was cell-phone service), but I decided to turn off email on my phone (and iPad) for three days. In fact, the iPhone makes it super easy to unplug. Just switch the mail icon to “off” in the settings, and voila! No more email.

I even set expectations that I was on vacation and would not respond to comments—a feat in and of itself!

I have to admit I cheated a little bit. I had my laptop with me, so I scanned email and blog comments once a day (very quickly) to be sure there wasn’t an emergency. As it turned out, there was only one thing that was kind of important, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world had it waited until I got home.