My room at The Dreamcatcher Guesthouse in Puerto Rico

If you guys read yesterday’s post, you would be aware that my holiday in Puerto Rico ended up being more of a working holiday.

In addition to doing media work at Dreamcatcher Guesthouse in Puerto Rico, I was also doing an instagram takeover for sisterMAG, keeping up with LFB’s daily posting schedule for the most part, and remaining active on social media (twitter and instagram) – as well as responding to comments on LFB and visiting LFB readers’ blogs and leaving comments. Suffice it to say, I was attempting to do everything I generally do back home during a normal work day and then some. But by adhering to some rules I set myself, I was able to make it work AND still enjoy the hell out of my vacation.

Now, if you are the kind of person who actually likes to fully unplug while on holiday, skip this post. However, if you are like me and cannot bare to miss a week’s worth of blogging – out of a sense of guilt, responsibility, or a combination of the two – then this post is for you.

5 ways to keep blogging while on holiday

001: Pre-plan!
I don’t know if you guys knew, but I have been planning out monthly editorial calendars for LFB for the last few months. Doing so has really helped my workflow and enabled me to work more efficiently. It also means I am not scrambling at the last minute to try to come up with an idea for tomorrow’s post. Of course, there are times when things do not go as planned and I do have to fly by the seat of my pants, but for the most part, things stay pretty organized around here.

But no one said that you have to stop there. In addition to planning out the following month’s calendar in the last week of the current month I find myself in, the minute I know that I am going to take a trip, I try to work out what posts I want to publish for the days that I am going to be away. This way I can already start to plan and get a leg up on the work.

002: Pre-write! & Pre-schedule!
After planning out the posts that I want to go live while on holiday, I set out to pre-write and pre-photograph everything. That way, I do not need to worry about actually creating blogpost content during the actual trip. This frees up a hell of a lot of time, because even workaholics need to learn how to take a break sometime. (Burnouts are not pretty, trust me.)

Once these posts are completely planned out, I go ahead and pre-schedule them, check them off of my editorial calendar, and breathe a little easier, knowing I will not have to scramble to finish up posts and miss out on exploring an entirely new place I will be blessed enough to be able to call home for the duration of my travel.

003: Wake up early and get shit done
Although I make sure all of my posts that are set to go live during my time away are taken care of before my trip, I do still make it a point to tend to daily blog activities. These include updating instagram, remaining active on twitter, replying to comments, and visiting your blogs and new blogs as well. I tend to use the morning hours after working out and having breakfast to do this. Just sitting down for an hour a day lets me rest a bit easier, knowing I have finished my work and allows me to enjoy the rest of the day (relatively) guilt free.

004: Continue to create bomb content
Okay, so I kind of lied, because the work doesn’t actually stop after the morning. I also try to do a bit of research (both ahead of time and while I am on holiday) into local spots, attractions, and places to eat that sound really interesting to me and would also make great blog content. Sometimes I contact these places ahead of time, sometimes I don’t. But what I always do is bring my camera and make sure to photograph every damned moment of my trip both because I am a photographer and feel naked without it and because I know that everything I capture will make for sweet future blog content.

005: Check out now and then
Although I consistently work throughout my trip, I also allow myself to unplug and destress. After all, that’s what holidays are for. There is nothing wrong with turning holidays into semi-work vacays (in fact, I like these kind of trips the best), but the key word here is “semi.” Get out there and explore what this vast planet has to offer. Meet new people and forge new friendships. Leave your camera back in the hotel room every now and then, or take your camera with you but photograph for the joy of photographing and not with the purpose of creating content. Take a walk without your iphone and enjoy your surroundings without worrying about what is happening on twitter. As much as I love creating content, the best moments in life are the ones we actually experience in real time. So get out there and live! And write about it later.

These are the 5 ways I stay on top of my work but still find time to enjoy my holiday and get enough downtime before returning to the real world. I hope that these tips will help you bridge the gap between work and play on your next trip. Have any personal tips? Please share them in the comments below or tweet about it with the hashtag #lfbtraveltips.

Photo of The Dreamcatcher Guesthouse in Puerto Rico by: Rae Tashman


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Rae Tilly

Rae the EIC of LFB and YEOJA Magazine. She is also a photographer and social media influencer.

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  • awesome advice babe! I always schedule my posts beforehand whenever I go on holidays. So then my readers have something to read while im away.

    http://www.blushingkay.com

  • Great tips, thanks for sharing. Hope you’ll!

    Jenn | jenniferjayne.blogspot.co.uk

  • I feel you, I’ve had problems keeping up with the blog lately due to last minute work calls, so I am trying to pre-write as much as I can now in case I get last minute called again.

    Kinkx

  • These are really great tips! Scheduling helps so much!!I always do it

    Candice | Beauty Candy Loves

  • Really great tips. I’m so bad at waking up early, and getting things done. And I know I would do so much more blogging a day, if I just woke up and hour earlier. Bad habbits :p

    http://tealattewithstyle.com

  • Len Dela Peña Parent

    Awesome Tips, Rae! Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a wonderful week!
    Much love, Len
    http://www.lenparent.com

  • I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to work during my holidays but these are excellent tips, Rae. Pre-planning and pre-scheduling are definitely ways to keep activity on social media and the blog alive while on leave!

    May | THE MAYDEN | bloglovin’

  • Could not agree more! It’s definitely all about prep work and knowing in advanced what your plan of action is going to be. Lovely tips :)

    Enclothed Cognition/Bloglovin

  • Loving the tips!!
    Dora http://www.BangsBang.com

  • You definitely have to allow yourself some time to check out and scheduling ahead of time helps you do that. I got a smidge behind my schedule but I’ve been scheduling things out in advance and it helps so so much.

    -M
    violetroots.com || Custom Artwork Giveaway – goo.gl/k8FPPs

  • Thank you for sharing these posts, they are so useful, and I should definitely plan more ahead with my blog… Thank you for reminding me of having to make a schedule ASAP :D
    XO IMKE | Pastellics

  • Such great tips! I have been planing in advance for my upcoming vacation. I will see how my planning goes!
    Thanks so much for sharing!

    -Tatiana
    We Shop in Heels

  • Thanks for the tips! I always find it hard to keep working during holidays! :) love this!

    http://www.thelookingglassbyty.com

  • Great post Rae! I’m always jet setting for work, not always for a vacation/holiday. Therefore our blog content is always pre-planned at least 2 months ahead! Imagine spending 12 hours in the office and all we want to do is hit the hay once we get back to the hotel room. Definitely no time for taking pictures (in the dark?) and drafting contents. The ‘scheduled’ button has became one of our favourite part haha!

    Not gonna lie, I get caught between 004 and 005 very often. Either I’m too into taking photographs for blog contents or too into birds on the tree I could fall into the drain. Extreme. Is there a secret how you strike a balance between both? It’s so difficult! x

    Real Life Nerd // http://www.vivienekok.com

    *p.s.We are giving away a Custom made iPhone case/Laptop Skin. Come over and win something for your loved one! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner x

    • rae

      Wow lady it sounds like you are one very organized chick! Do you prepare all your content o your free weekends then? And I had to laugh about the bird comment a though not quite because people have actually died being too focused on their smartphones or cameras on holidays! Now drains are one thing, but be careful lady!!

      As far as the balance, I think part of the struggle of life in genera all comes down to trying to figure out the best balance for everything – work v play, love v. friends, time with others v. alone time, etc. I think the key is to remember a vacation should also be relaxing so either plan a full day where you will step away from the blogosphere or only limit your blog work to 1-2 hours a day!

  • hope you had a great time in Puerto Rico! thank you for sharing this, i recently started my blog and went on vacation a few weeks into starting it. I was torn on whether or not to “unplug” or if i should continue posting. I will keep these tips in mind next time i go on an adventure and want to keep posting =o)

    http://dreamofadventures.blogspot.com/

    • rae

      Thank tou so much! Puerto Rico was incredible and I can’t wait to go back (sooner rather than later, I hope!) As far as blogging and holidays to, definitely do what feels right for you at the time as you definitely do not want to suffer from a burn out! But if you do decide to blog while away, I am sure these tips will ease the process!

  • pre-planning is something i need to do in this case. it helps me prepare certain things in advance and get my shit together haha

    http://www.fionnac.com

    • rae

      Definitely! It makes the actual trip a hell of a lot less stressful as well!!

  • Really good tips! I always try to do pre planning when I know I’ll be gone, because I usually put blogging to the side when I’m in full vacation mode. Getting up early always seems to work well, though, if things have to get done!

    • rae

      I think it’s really good that you are also able to give yourself the full vacation treatment! I haven’t quite figured out how to do that myself yet!

  • Great tips Rae. Since I have to pretty much blog on the go, I do pre-plan posts and content which helps because of my work travelling, because when I’m on holiday I usually don’t blog much—pre-scheduling in this regard helps. It’s a bit difficult at times in the past but the past couple of years I vow to myself to write something everyday even if it’s not a post, I am always writing and/or journaling about something. Have a wonderful weekend. x <3 Beauty Talk

    • rae

      Sounds like you have a great schedule planned out for yourself that really works! And yes! I do the same – I always have notes saved on my iPhone and computer when an idea strikes!

  • THIS is so hard for me. Especially when you’re with people that aren’t in the blogging scene and treat the holiday like an actual holiday, i.e. no working. I’ve tried multiple times to work while away from the home and it’s such a struggle. But it’s only recently (like, a month ago, hahaha) that I’m actually writing posts ahead of time and it has definitely helped! Now I just have to be consistent about it!

    http://www.deasynoel.com

    • rae

      To be honest, I feel like that could also be really beneficial because then you are kind of forced to relax but I know what you mean – if you actually want to work while away! I don’t really have any good answers for this, except to maybe take out an hour each day to just spend some alone time working and of course pre-schedule everything for the week/s you will be away!

  • Thanks for sharing the tip Rae, although I don’t do pre-schedule post yet, for some reasons I felt a bit strange doing this(the idea of me chilling on an island while post is up), anyhow I would always plan content when creatives suddenly bang flowing in and jot them down immediately on the phone. Pre-plan is what I do when knowing there’s an up-coming trip, starting to plan, plan, and plan. 004 is what I like best: get up early and get things done! Yes, Rae that’ll be my next goal do! :)

    x Tiff
    http://tiffgoesto.com

    • rae

      Great idea to take notes when an idea pops into your head – I have a special folder in my notes on my iphone for blogging for this exact purpose! And yes, the early bird does really get the worm!

  • BRILLIANT post! I need to remember all of these tips for when I go away! xxx

    • rae

      Thanks, Laila!

  • Great tips! I always pre-plan but never get around to pre-writing, so I’m hoping to do this alot more :)

    Pop over to my blog!

    Sarah

    sarahinks.co.uk

    • rae

      Good luck with the pre-writing, Sarah!

  • Sophie Lee

    Thank you for your sharing, this post is really helpful for a freelancer like me (y)

    Thanks from Best Bags For Women 2016

  • April Yap

    Thanks for this blog now I have an idea on how to work on holidays and I wish I can enjoy it. :)