Vacation Prep Checklist for Virtual Assistants
Last week I took an amazing road trip vacation to North and South Dakota. It had been a dream of mine to visit these two amazing states for a long time and I was not disappointed. I mean, just look how gorgeous Teddy Roosevelt National Park was...
One of my favorite things about being a Virtual Assistant is the fact that I can work from anywhere with a wifi connection. But for this vacation, I knew that I did not want to have to log on to my computer or do any work if at all possible!
Because I’ve travelled many times over the past few years while working full time as a VA, I knew what I needed to do in advance to prep my business so that I could take the entire time off and really enjoy my trip.
So today I’m sharing with you my Vacation Prep Checklist so that you can take your next vacation WITHOUT being tied to your laptop!
Vacation Prep Checklist for Virtual Assistants
1. Notify your clients well in advance!
I like to notify my clients about an upcoming vacation as soon as I have planned the dates out… That way I’ve given them as much notice as possible so that they {and I!} can prepare for me to be away fully. I would recommend you give at least 3 weeks notice whenever possible… More if you know further in advance.
2. Make a plan for keeping things running smoothly even when you’re not there!
Prior to being away, you want to make sure you are clear with your client on how to handle the important tasks that might need attention while you are out. If you’re using a project management tool like Asana, you can go through your upcoming tasks for the week you are away and can reassign them either to your client or someone else on their team {if applicable}.
3. Decide on an emergency situation policy!
Let’s face it: emergencies happen. So it’s good to think through all of the things you handle for a client that might go wrong while you are out, so that you can tell the client how to handle it should something go wonky while you are unavailable.
For example, if you manage your clients website and the website crashes while you are away, how will your client need to handle this?
4. Remind clients again {and again!} about when you’re out!
If you’re clients are anything like mine, they have a busy schedule… so be sure to send a few reminders before you are away just so it stays top of mind for them. I like to remind my clients 2 weeks before, 1 week before and then the day before.
5. Take the day off before and after your vacay!
I cannot stress this enough… give yourself some buffer space both before and after your vacation. Last minute things will need to be handled before you go offline so it’s good to have an extra day off before you are officially on vacation. And then if you’re anything like me, when you come back from vacation sometimes you are in need of some more rest and relaxation before jumping back into work… So it’s good to have a day back at home where you can ease back into work!
6. Set an out of office autoresponder!
My last vacation prep step: The day you leave for vacation, set an out of office autoresponder...Be sure to include the dates of when they can expect to hear back from you so that no one is left in the dark about when to expect a response.
So, there you have my 6 tips for prepping for vacay! I’d love to know what tips you have for prepping for vacay… Feel free to share with me here on my facebook page: http://facebook.com/thevirtualpeacock
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