Vacation Can Be Digital, Too

Thanks for this post and this: “Being completely disconnected is actually uncomfortable to me.” You’re making me feel a lot better about vacation next week.

Amber –

I’m really looking forward to meeting in person someday (soon). We seem to have a lot in common. Just about every post I read of yours I find myself nodding my head … sometimes I even will inadvertently mumble aloud (words and phrases like, “Yeah” or “Uh huh” or “Wow, that makes sense.” You have an incredible way of putting on paper (aka, our monitors) concepts that many people think about but have a hard time actually verbalizing.

So, I’m really just commenting to say, Thank you, Amber.

I can’t wait to continue to learn from you and the community you support/encourage as I take the plunge into my new role as Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory.

Very happy that you are not unplugging entirely. Very happy that you continue to love your work=play. Very happy that you have found a way to truly enjoy every single day.

Rock on, dude.

DJ Waldow
@djwaldow

DJ Waldows last blog post..djwaldow: @AmberCadabra so freaking good (the comments) that i have nothing new/interesting/insightful/thought-provoking to add!

Everyone has their own comfort zone for staying connected or “unplugging.” I’m also heading out just for an extended long weekend, but my approach is to disconnect almost entirely. Whatever works – the important focus is to get a chance to recharge. Have a great vacation Amber, you deserve it.

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Amber, you couldn’t be more right! I am forever explaining to people that I’d probably be *more* stressed out WITHOUT my technology available to me on vacation!

Part of it is due to friendships that span the country and the globe, part of it is due to feeling more relaxed knowing I won’t be coming home to literally hundreds of e-mails, and part of it is that it’s just nice to have the tools w/me in case I NEED them (for example, when I was in Chicago last week, I used my laptop to consult the RTA trip planner a time or three when I decided to go somewhere I hadn’t originally planned to go). I don’t necessarily do tons of work when I travel with my tech, but the option is there, especially if plans get canceled or an urgent project pops up.

Enjoy a much-deserved vacation, Amber!

Amber-I partially, ambivalently unplug because, as a free-lancer, it helps to enforce the “no deadlines, no obligation” part of the vacation. And i’ve completely unplugged on a few quasi-retreat weekends to good effect. But you remind me that I complain and complain about the web but it has also connected, and reconnected me, to many of the people and things I value.

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Summed up perfectly. Enjoy your downtime, Amber – you deserve it

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Amber, enjoy your break!

It so happens that whatever works for you, works for me, too.

What amazes me is that people were lecturing you about what (not) to do?! Different things work for different people, and it’s nobody’s business but yours and your family’s!

I’ve had a lot of experience lately with people pushing whatever works for them on me and my husband… I wish people just minded their own business and understood that we’re not all the same. (rant over, it’s that point that spoke to me because of recent experiences)

Have a fabulous vacation!!!

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Have a blast, Amber!

It’s weirdly cheery to see people’s comments pop up in this thread. It just occurred to me that the whole POINT of a vacation is that, with the grudging exception of police officers, no one can tell you what to do!

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Well said. Be connected as much or as little as you want to be. Enjoy the vacation and time with family!

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Yup, Dr. V has identified exactly what has touched me. We’re all different, and some of us simply don’t want to unplug completely. In fact, I’ve done it both ways, and it really matters more what’s been happening in my life whether or not I unplug completely.

In fact, I unplug to get work done, too. I know many of us do that. So, it’s not a matter of bringing technology with you on vacation, it’s more how you use it. Or if you use it.

Have a great time!

You know…video might have killed the radio star, but I don’t think digital ever hurt anyone’s analog life. Whatever keeps you happy and helps you relax and rejuvenate is exactly what you should be doing. If that includes a little connectivity, so be it.

Have a great vacation, Amber!

Teresa gets it exactly right: whatever works best for you. I used to belong to the “unplug & drop off the grid camp,” but eventually found that an occasional look-in helped me relax and enjoy the time off even more. As with so much else, healthy balance and perspective are the keys. Bon voyage!

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I couldn’t agree more. There has been a major paradigm shift in relationship building. There are people I have gotten to know that I would have no contact with if I were completely “unplugged.” I love that you mentioned being connected isn’t what causes stress, it’s the deadlines and expectations of others. When I need a break, THAT’S what I need a break from. Have a wonderful vacation!

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I think you just wrote what a lot of people in this industry think daily. Being connected doesn’t add stress as much as not being able to connect. For me, disconnecting is represented by the nature of my connection. Connecting is not always related to work and at times, even work is comforting – even if it just checking emails so that you don’t have a pile a week high upon returning. A lot can change in one week, and the relaxation of a vacation is lost if you are thrown into a mess.

Hope you have a great vacation from your stresses,

-Scott

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Have a great vacation Amber, it’s well deserved!

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I have found I can unplug only for a day or at most two (in emergencies, like no power & no Wi-Fi) before I start bugging out. Sometimes I do need that day, but most times? I too need to check in once in awhile. Even if reading is all I do.

Enjoy your vacation, Amber. It sounds heavenly!

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The picture of your dad and your daughter that you shared on Twitter is a GREAT example of why it can be good to stay plugged in!

And when it comes to vacation, the only thing someone can really tell you to do is to have fun and enjoy it — whatever that means for you as an individual!

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Thank you for this lovely post. I will never feel guilty about packing my laptop in my vacation bag again!

It is important to “unplug” enough to connect with the people who are important to you. But part of being on vacation is doing what you want to do. And, for me, being online is fun and satisfying. The difference about being online during vacay vs. a typical day is that I’m there simply because I want to be. Bliss!

Enjoy your time off

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