Summer has arrived, and with that, Summer vacations are in full swing! When you’re thinking about booking your next trip or planning your next holiday, the last thing on your mind is how many Instagram selfies you’re going to snap, how many work emails you’re going to get to answer, or how much YouTube browsing you’re going to be able to squeeze in.
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Yet, all too often, that’s painfully close to the reality we see in today’s day and age.
“On average, Americans check their phones about 50 times a day. And we don’t stop when we’re away from home—we take our electronic habits with us on vacation.” – Away & Aware: A Field Guide to Mindful Travel by Sara Clemence, a former editor at Travel + Leisure.
Most of us have become glued to our screens and addicted to work, even when we’re at the beach or on a vacation with our kids.
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If your workplace allows you to truly disconnect — some managers even encourage it to prevent burnout – then now is the time to get back to traveling the old-fashioned way—to be more connected with our surroundings than with our social media feeds to and enjoy the moment, like paddle boarding on the crystal blue ocean without giving in to the temptation to check your latest email in your inbox.
Here are some recommendations to help you to immerse yourself in your destination, disconnect, and really get into the right mindset in order to enjoy your next vacation:
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Uninstall work apps like Slack or Gmail.
It’s so easy to find yourself habitually going to your phone to check frequently used work apps like Slack or Ring Central, even while you’re on a vacation. Eliminate the temptations and simply delete. Don’t worry – you can reinstall the apps in a matter of seconds when you return. As long as your managers and co-workers are aware that you are out of the office, there really is no need to have any work apps running on installed. Delete and be free – even if only for a week or two.
Delete social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The same as above goes for your social media apps. If the apps are on your phone, then they are too easily accessible to access. You can always share your photos and videos on your social media following after the trip, but during, really try to soak it in and enjoy precious vacation time.
Use Google Photos or Apple Photos to take photos and keep track of your trip, instead of automatically going to social media.
Both services have fun features that will remind you of this vacation for years, and they’re a good way to make sure your photos are backed up if you lose your phone.
Set an out-of-office reply and even consider removing your work email account from your phone.
This is so important for reminding your bosses and co-workers that you are offline when you will be back and who can help them in the meantime. This should take away a lot of pressure that you may be feeling. Consider turning off your work email. You can do this by going to “Settings” > “Accounts” on an iPhone and toggling mail to “off” temporarily.
Leave your work computer at home altogether.
By bringing your work laptop, you will have way too many temptations to check-in on emails, notifications, and what’s happening while you are away. This will instantly pull you back in and take you out of the present moment on your vacation. If you wanted a device to watch movies in bed or on the plane, bring a tablet device of some sort, but leave the work laptop at home.
Use Apple Screen Time to set boundaries for yourself on how much you are allowed to use your phone while on vacation.
On an iPhone, you can set this up by going to “Settings” > “Screen Time”. Turn on “Downtime” and set it for “every day” so that only specific apps can ping you. Use “App Limits” to set a certain amount of time for each app you use, after which you won’t be able to open it. This will not affect incoming or outgoing calls but is just a precautionary measure to help you set boundaries on using your phone without purpose.
Finally, if you’re going to the beach for a swim, or visiting your favorite local restaurant, simply leave your phone and all other technology at home.
As long as you’re with someone, or you have made sure that your friends and family know where you are and when you will be returning, you will survive without your devices. This will allow you to really be live in the moment, experience your new surroundings and truly disconnect in order to connect.