While traveling to the Seychelles recently, my husband and I made sure to explore one of the most photographed beaches in the 150+ island oasis in Africa. Off to La Digue we went, land of the signature rounded Seychelle rocks, white sand coral beaches, and crystal clear water packed with vibrant marine life. While there, we couldn’t help but notice how many unruly selfie sticks there were everywhere, held by those from all around the globe. We felt that people were missing the point of vacation - to unplug, enjoy each other’s company and appreciate the beautiful scenery, not be obsessed with catching the perfect shot to post on social media. As you know, I’m a huge advocate of social media, especially for business, but in order for it to not take over our lives, we need to take a break from it sometimes. 

Since about the 1940s when the camera evolved into a popular item for the public, it’s been human nature to capture life’s moments so we never forget but we need to remember that not every moment needs to be documented and shared, nor do our friends want to see every moment. It’s more special to take mental notes and live in the moment, plus most cell phone photos aren’t documenting moments to the quality that you are viewing them anyway. We only get so many days off from our busy work lives, so we should be strategic in the way we utilize our time off…whether that’s zip lining through a tropical forest, finishing a suspenseful book, or simply falling asleep in a lounge chair on the beach in the middle of the afternoon post a bottle of delightful rosé. 

A week before you’re leaving for vacation schedule your various business posts using either Buffer, Hootsuite or even the scheduler within Facebook (new). Be sure to have a mix of content for each medium and incorporate fun captions, photos, videos and customized graphics. 

For your personal accounts (marked private), mention that you are signing off for a few days. If your personal accounts are public, its best NOT to say that you are away on vacation as it opens your home up to possible theft. If you want to share photos or videos with a select close family members or friends while you’re away, invite them to a shared photo stream by enabling, “iCloud Photo Sharing” in settings/iCloud. Do not post a photo of your feet in the sand at the beach, or every meal you had or your family standing in front of a popular tourist monument. Think creatively and capture unique angles or something that most people have never seen. 

Do not feel the pressure to constantly update your accounts while away. If anything, when you get back, people will be more anxious to actually talk to you about your travels vs. feeling like they already went on digital holiday with you. Have fun, relax and sign off for awhile – you will be much more refreshed when you get back to the office. 

Fun Fact: “Millennials are expected to take over 25,000 selfies in their lifetime” - AOL Social Media News 5/19/2017.

Diana Podaski is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.