Short Answer

Yes, communicators can take a vacation without everything falling apart. The key is creating a coverage plan, preparing your workload in advance, planning your return to work, and setting clear boundaries before you leave. Most vacation stress comes from a lack of preparation, not from taking time off itself.

What’s Different in the Summer of 2026

While 23% of US workers reported not taking a single vacation day over the past year, organizations are recognizing that communications teams cannot operate in a constant state of availability. The most resilient teams document processes, cross-train staff, and create systems that allow communicators to step away without disrupting operations.

Below are simple steps you can take to set yourself up for success before logging off for a few days or weeks.

What Should You Do Before Taking a Vacation?

Start by creating a game plan for your workload. One of the top reasons employees say they avoid taking time off is their workload is too heavy to justify the time away. That’s why the game plan is crucial.

Ask these questions:

• What needs to be done prior to leaving?
• Who will handle things while I’m gone?
• Who needs to know who’s covering for me?

Once you’ve identified your tasks, organize them by category. Group similar activities such as:

• Writing emails
• Creating social media content
• Writing articles
• Taking photos or videos
• Planning campaigns

This allows you to batch your work and reduce context switching.

Why Should Communicators Batch Their Work Before Vacation?

Batching is doing the same tasks repeatedly instead of jumping between projects. This help your brain to focus on a single task so you don’t become (as) distracted.

For example, rather than writing one email, creating one social post, and then returning to another email, write all of your emails in one sitting. Then move on to social media content.

Batching helps your brain stay focused, reduces distractions, and makes vacation preparation far more efficient.

How Should You Plan Your Return From Vacation?

One of the most overlooked parts of vacation planning is preparing for your return. However, taking time to plan how you’ll show up when you return is worth it’s weight in gold (and grey hair).

Before you leave, decide what your first day and first week will look like. There will probably be emails and voicemails to return, content to produce, requests to answer, and everything else that sits on your daily to-do list.

That’s normal.

However, taking the time to plan your first day or week back will save you the headache of trying to figure out where to start. Ask yourself:

• What tasks will need immediate attention?
• What can wait?
• What would make my first week back easier?

List out the tasks you’ll need to take care of and plan for them now.

For example, creating an additional week of content before you leave or not scheduling a meeting in your first few hours back may reduce stress when you return.

When Should You Set Your Out-of-Office Reply?

This sounds ridiculous to have its own heading, but it’s necessary. (Hear me out.)

It’s earlier than you think.

Consider enabling your out-of-office reply around midday on your final workday rather than waiting until you walk out the door.

Doing so helps set expectations for anyone emailing you during your last few hours in the office. If a new email arrives that can wait until you return, your auto-reply has already communicated your availability.

During your final hours, prioritize what needs your attention right now. Address those now and let everything wait until you get back.

How Can You Tell if Your Vacation Plan Worked?

Does conducting an after-action review sound dramatic? Yes.

It is helpful? Also yes.

It doesn’t need to be formal. Ask yourself:

• Did I actually unplug? If not, explore why. (For example, did you not have adequate coverage? Did you even have someone covering for you? If not, was it a training issue or is there anything you can do next time to have someone keep from pinging your phone while you’re away?)
• How did I feel coming back after vacation? Did you feel rushed or stressed? Did you feel like it was a smooth transition?
• What worked well? i.e. set your OOO reply sooner or later, block out more or less time at the end of the day, not book a meeting the afternoon you’re leaving, etc.
• What would I change next time?

Think of your vacation as an opportunity to improve your process for the next one.

Key Takeaways

• Create a coverage plan before you leave
• Batch and schedule work ahead of time
• Plan your first week back before your vacation begins
• Set your out-of-office reply before the end of your final workday
• Evaluate what worked and what didn’t after you return

I hear most often from communicators and leaders alike is, “I can’t truly unplug.”

Trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve worked through more vacations than I care to admit (and that’s not something to celebrate.) In fact, 66% of employees struggle to disconnect when they’re on vacation.

The good news is that a little preparation can make a significant difference.

Final thoughts

Taking time off is not a luxury. It’s a necessary part of doing your best work. That’s why we don’t work seven day work weeks and organizations invest in PTO.

It’s not about booking an elaborate getaway. It’s about unplugging.

Whether your ideal vacation involves traveling around the world or sitting next to a river with no cell service, the goal is the same: step away, recharge, and return refreshed.

In an industry that never sleeps and has a 24/7 news cycle, unplugging and resetting is crucial. So while a vacation can look different for all of us, the premise is the same: get away, log off, and do what makes you feel like you.

The better your systems are, the easier it becomes to leave, and the easier it becomes to come back.