Meditate on these tips for unplugging and relaxing when away from the office

Listen, we totally get it: Travel is stressful enough without having to worry about work. Between planning what you’ll pack to who will watch your pets, you don’t have time to field yet another work call while you’re trying to prep for a much-needed break.

Whether you’re planning a relaxing Midwestern retreat or an elaborate road trip, the most important thing to do on vacation is to actually take a vacation. So set your work aside for now and get ready to unplug with these vacation hacks.

In order to truly unplug, you need to do everything in your power to ensure you’ll be bothered as little as possible while you’re away. This means getting ahead of any pressing deadlines at the office, making sure your coworkers understand when you’ll be gone and for how long, and checking to make sure someone will be around to cover anything you might miss.

Make sure you’re also putting any vacation time on your work calendar, so your coworkers have plenty of notice and will know when to give you space.

While this isn’t always possible depending on your line of work, it can be helpful to mute notifications on your phone or laptop, so you aren’t tempted to check your email or calendar every time you hear that pesky little ding.

For some, this is a lot easier said than done. If you’re the type to get stressed out by not checking your work messages, consider scheduling set times of day when you allow yourself to take a look, but don’t sacrifice too much of your vacation time on this.

If you’re one of those people who struggles to unplug even at the dinner table, then consider making a game out of it. Get your fellow travelers to stack your phones in the center of the table, and the first person to touch their phone loses. This will encourage you to go without your electronics for longer periods of time, and will hopefully help get you in the habit of ignoring every notification you get.

The bottom line? It’s your vacation, and you get to decide how you spend it. Whether you’re spending time with family or kicking it back on your own, taking time to relax will benefit your physical and mental health, and will hopefully leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the work week when you return.