How to Disconnect for Vacation, Part 2

How to not check your voice mail or e-mail and still enjoy a vacation.

James A. Martin

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Feature: How to Disconnect, Part 2

In last week's edition of this newsletter, which is for people who travel with gadgets and work on the road, I offered strategies for how to travel without gadgets and how to not work on the road.

This week, I'm continuing with the theme, with tips on how to not check your voice mail and e-mail. After all, the summer holiday season is upon us. And when you're on vacation, developing a tan line is far more important than worrying about a deadline.

Check Voice Mail in the Morning--If You Must

Do you really need to check office voice-mail messages during your vacation? Probably not. But if you feel you must, do it only in the morning so you can get back to your vacation with minimal interruption. And don't check messages every morning, unless it can't be avoided.

Don't worry too much about answering urgent questions left on voice mail or in e-mail while you're away. Often, such "urgent" questions, when not answered right away, have a tendency to answer themselves. Many times, someone has left an urgent business question on my voice mail. Nine out of ten times, when I'm unable to respond in a timely manner, I discover the caller has found the answer to that burning question on their own.

Hands Off the Computer

Most e-mail messages (aside from spam) require you to make a decision, answer a question, send a response, or take action of some other kind. For those reasons alone, you'll never fully disengage if you insist on checking e-mail while on vacation. So unless something extremely important was brewing before you left that absolutely requires your attention while away, don't check your e-mail. Period.

If you have an Internet-connected cell phone/PDA hybrid, leave it at home. The temptation to check e-mail on such devices is simply too great, because it's so easy.

If you can't keep from going online, find an Internet café near where you're staying--at least you'll be hanging out with the locals. And by the way, going to Starbucks doesn't count, because you can do that at home. Find a locally owned, quirky coffee shop with PCs connected to the Net. Also, if you insist on checking e-mail, do it only in the morning, to minimize the disruption of your day.

Before you leave, check out this directory of 4207 Internet cafés in 140 countries.

Still Need a Cell Phone?

Need something to replace the PalmOne Treo 600 or other phone/PDA hybrid you left at home, so you won't be tempted to check e-mail? Use your traveling companion's mobile phone. Rent a cell phone. Or buy one with a pay-as-you-go cell calling plan, such as those from Virgin Mobile.

With Virgin Mobile, you pay 25 cents a minute for the first 10 minutes of each day you use one of the company's phones. Afterwards, all calls are 10 cents a minute for that day. The fees include roaming and long distance. There's no annual contract or monthly plan. You simply buy an allotment of cell phone minutes upfront. Each time you use the phone, the minutes are deducted from your account. Virgin Mobile operates on the vast Sprint PCS network, which is nationwide in the United States. You can use the phone to make international calls, but you can't use it outside the U.S.

Set Up an Automated E-Mail Reply

How do you handle e-mail that arrives while you're away, from people who don't know you're gone? In most cases, you can set up an automated out-of-office response to incoming e-mail. The reply should inform others that you are away from the office without access to e-mail or voice mail and will be responding to messages on a specific date. As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, add an extra day to your return date. For example, if you're returning to work Monday, mention that you will begin replying to messages Tuesday. That way, your first day back should be less stressful.

Don't include your emergency contact information in your automated e-mail reply. After all, if someone were contacting you with a truly urgent matter, they wouldn't do it via e-mail.

Most corporate e-mail systems offer automated reply options. You may also be able to set up an automated response on the support pages of your ISP's Web site. For instance, EarthLink offers instructions on setting up a vacation message.

If you're using Microsoft Outlook with a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account, you can set up an automated response using the "Out of Office Assistant" on Outlook's Tools menu. (If you're not using a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account, the Assistant doesn't appear in Outlook's Tools menu.) Details on how to set this up are available by clicking Help on the Outlook toolbar.

Outlook Express doesn't offer an automated response option, unfortunately.

Eudora offers an auto-reply feature. For it to work, however, you must leave your computer running while you're away. The Eudora site offers a tutorial on setting up the auto-reply.

Have Fun

The main thing is to remember how hard you work all year and how much you deserve a break. And keep in mind that, regardless of your incredible talents and insights, the business world can soldier on for a week or two without you. It's a humbling--but also incredibly freeing--thought.

Your Tips

Do you have a strategy for disconnecting from the whole wired world? If so, tell me about it.

Notebooks & Accessories

Tip: Pack a CD of Important Files

When on vacation, I leave behind my notebook and vow to completely disconnect from the business world. But there's still one techie item I pack: a CD with my most important data files. Should an emergency call from an editor or client happen to reach my ears, I would at least have the files I need to answer their questions, do rewrites, and so on. Depending on where I am, I can take the CD to an Internet café or a Kinko's, make the necessary file changes, and send the revised document on its merry way via e-mail.

Your best bet is to burn a CD rather than a DVD, as you can't always count on a computer in a café to have a DVD drive. Another option is to put your files on a small USB thumb drive, but you could have problems getting older computers (such as those with Windows 95 or 98) to recognize it.

News: A Pocket-Sized, Secure Hard Drive

Memory Experts International recently announced a biometric, portable hard drive that is activated only after your fingerprint is authenticated. The USB 2.0 drive is available in 20GB and 40GB capacities and can withstand a 10-yard drop, according to the company. It's scheduled to ship later this year for about $450 (20GB) and $650 (40GB). For more details, see the fourth item in "Digital Gear: LAN Party Showpieces."

News: Iomega's New Backup Drive

While we're on the subject of portable storage, this just in from Iomega: a hard drive backup system that uses removable cartridges. The Iomega Rev 35GB/90GB drive has a physical capacity of 35GB. The "90GB" in its name refers to the theoretical capacity of a compressed backup, the company says. The external USB drive lists for $400, which includes a single 35GB cartridge. Individual disks cost $60 or $200 for a four-pack.

Gadgets & Services

Review: Back Up Digicam Pictures With an IPod

Some people take their notebooks on vacation with them just to back up the images on their digital cameras. But there are alternatives, including one that works with Apple's IPod and one that doesn't require connection to another device (the Kanguru FC-RW, reviewed in the next item.)

Belkin's Media Reader for IPod is a nicely designed, handy IPod add-on that transfers images from CompactFlash, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia cards to the IPod's internal hard drive. Connect the Media Reader to your IPod, pop your memory card into the reader, push a few buttons on the IPod, and the transfer is complete. Next time you sync your IPod to your computer, the images are transferred.

I tested the Media Reader with images from my Minolta Dimage Xi and it worked beautifully. The Media Reader works with third-generation IPods (but not the IPod Mini). At $110, though, it's a bit pricey.

Go to the PC World Product Finder to find the best prices.

Review: Digicam Backup--Without an IPod or Notebook

If you don't own an IPod, consider the Kanguru FC-RW, a portable device that burns images (and other files) from flash media cards onto a CD. The $200 Kanguru copies files from CompactFlash, IBM Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, and Smart Media cards. You don't have to connect the FC-RW to a computer to back up your files.

The biggest downside is its bulky size: 8 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 2 inches tall. But if you're a serious photography buff, the FC-RW sure beats lugging your notebook along for image backup. More information: http://kanguru.com/fcrw.html#techspec

For the latest prices, check our Product Finder.

News: Nokia's N-Gage Gets Sleeker, Cheaper

Nokia's N-Gage portable gaming device/cell phone has been revamped as the QD GameDeck ($199). The GameDeck, curvier and less expensive than the N-Gage, fixes several complaints users had about its predecessor. Example: N-Gage users had to remove its battery to swap games. The GameDeck has an external, hot-swappable MultiMediaCard slot that automatically kick-starts the game when you plug the card in, the company says.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.