There’s more to life than just work - like traveling, watching TV, going for a run, or simply enjoying some downtime.

I’ll be off to Morocco for the next two weeks, which means no posts during this time. No work either - just soaking in the sights, culture, and experiences Morocco has to offer.

That said, planning a vacation is honestly more stressful than I expected. From figuring out the right time to travel, researching what to see and do, comparing accommodation and activity prices - to prepping things like foreign currency, travel insurance, and checking what payment methods are accepted… it all adds up.

All of that on top of my usual day-to-day work. It would’ve been a lot easier if this were a typical business-as-usual period, but unfortunately, my organization is going through some restructuring - meaning unexpected fires to fight and lots more planning to handle before I could switch off.

So here are a few tips I’ve picked up for those of you planning time off:

  1. Inform your stakeholders early about your planned leave.
    • This allows everyone to align expectations and adjust timelines or deliverables ahead of time.
  2. Find colleagues to cover essential work while you’re away.
    • Try not to offload everything - minimize what’s passed on and ensure it’s manageable for them.
  3. Use AI tools (beyond just Google) to help plan your trip.
    • Tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity can give direct, summarized answers, though I still find reading full articles helpful for context. Sometimes, AI responses can be too brief when you need details.

Looking forward to disconnecting and recharging - see you all in two weeks!