☁️ Vacations without working

Working from anywhere is cool until you're burned out

Hi friend,

Back with another long-form edition of Social Media Detox!

It’s that time of year when everyone’s making travel plans + going offline. But as a freelancer (and remote worker), I often felt like I needed to be online even when I was traveling. Here’s the thing:

Just because you can work from anywhere doesn’t mean you always should.

Today, I’m sharing how I’m taking a vacation as a freelancer and remote worker without working. Hope it inspires you to take an offline trip soon, friend. 🤍

with warmth + love,

N

---

I’m going on an offline vacation next week.

By that, I mean I’m traveling and not planning on working. Many of you might be thinking, “So, okay? That’s not revolutionary…” But those of you who work remotely or are freelancers know this isn’t always the case.

The beauty of being a freelancer or remote worker is that you can work from almost anywhere with a laptop and a stable internet connection. For the most part, this is an amazing perk. You’re not restricted with travel plans, you can work on a flexible schedule, and experience a different kind of work-life balance.

But just because you can work while traveling doesn’t mean you always should. The downside to this concept is that travel doesn’t always feel as relaxing and refreshing. Instead of fully taking time off for vacation, you’ve still got one foot in the door – responding to Slack messages, checking emails, or doing that “one quick little thing.”

For so long, I struggled to feel valid in my complaints. How lucky am I to have such a flexible job that I can work while traveling? Sure, it’s a very first-world problem, but a problem nonetheless. Downplaying the disadvantages only enforces the stigma and makes others feel they shouldn’t speak up.

The funny thing is, when I tell my friends who don’t have remote jobs about this issue, they often agree. There’s something kind of wonderful about leaving work at the workplace and being able to enjoy your life fully separated from work, even if that means capped vacation days and rigid work hours.

But I digress…

A year ago, I felt really burned out. I had been full-time freelancing for a year and a half without taking a fully offline vacation. When I say offline, I mean offline to my clients—not responding to Slack messages, checking email, or doing little tasks. I had traveled, but I would always get back to people at some point, even if I had a new 7-hour time difference or shoddy hotel wifi.

I knew that I needed to fully unplug in order to come back stronger, and that was only possible for me by not working while traveling. So, I planned my first offline vacation. My husband and I planned to spend two weeks in Greece, traveling between Athens and the islands (Paros and Santorini, specifically). But because I’m Type A, I needed to ensure my clients were happy and work was covered – otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to truly relax.

About a month before we left, I did three main things: