{Guest Post} How to Prepare Your Blog for a Vacation

Hello friends! I'm in Georgia soaking up some quality time with my family, so I've enlisted some help from a dear bloggy friend to entertain you. I love all of Anne's blogging How-To posts, and this one fits in so perfectly! Enjoy!

Hi there Knock On Wood readers! I'm Anne, the blogger behind Love the Here and Now. While Amanda is away and enjoying time off I thought I would step in and take over for the day.

We have all been there. We relish the idea of taking a vacation (like Amanda is right now!) from not only our daily lives but also from our online responsibilities as well.

In my opinion, one of the best parts of going on a vacation is the change of routine. Oftentimes I go about my days as if I am in autopilot. Between my family, work, and blogging my schedule is pretty full. Before going on vacation there are always a few things you should do....hold the mail, set timers etc. Have you ever thought about preparing your blog for a vacation? Here are a few tips that have helped me get ready for my blog vacations.

Schedule Posts Ahead

If you can, and so choose, work ahead and schedule your posts for the duration of your vacation. This definitely takes time and effort to do ahead. Not only can you have your posts scheduled but you can also schedule your social media promotions as well (thanks to some of the great resources mentioned here).

Guest Bloggers

I decided to add some variety to my blog and opted to have some guest bloggers. To me this is a win/win. I get to have a bit of a break and they get to share their material with a new audience. Out of respect to the guest bloggers, be sure to give them enough advance warning and set a deadline of when you would like to have them submit their post. I allowed my guest bloggers to either share new content or repost a favorite post of theirs. After all, they are doing me the favor and I wanted to make this as easy on them as I could.

Notify Sponsors

If you plan on taking a break from promoting your sponsors it is only fair that you notify them of this. As a token of my appreciation for my sponsors' understanding that I wouldn't be promoting them as much as I normally do, I will be extending their ads for a week.

Notify Your Readers

If you are a blogger that keeps a consistent blogging schedule and opt to not blog at all, you may want to alert your readers to the fact that you won't be present. This will keep your readers from wondering if you dropped off the face of the Earth.

What if I have a few spare moments to devote to my blog while I'm away?

Create a To Do List

Perhaps you don't want to step completely away from your blog. If you plan on having some down time, make a list of things that you would like to tackle. Want to freshen up your sidebar? Create new blog buttons? Make changes to your blog design? Create blog graphics? This is the perfect time to tackle the housekeeping projects and the behind the scenes work on your blog that may get lost in the shuffle of day to day blogging.

Work Ahead

If you're anything like me, there are quite a few drafts waiting to be assembled into posts. Tackle a few of those and schedule them for your return. The aftermath of a vacation can cause some disruption in your schedule so knowing that you have a few blog posts scheduled may help alleviate some stress.

Brainstorm

I sometimes feel like a deadline stifles my creativity. I plan on using some time to brainstorm new post ideas and store them as drafts. If writer's block should ever strike I will have an arsenal of ideas at my disposal (perfect since I may be able to use some of my existing drafts as noted above!).

No matter what you decide to do, the key is to relax and enjoy your time away. You may find that a break from blogging may leave you inspired and motivated to try new things and share new experiences.

Have you taken a break from blogging when you went on vacation? What did you do to prepare your blog for a vacation? What tips do you have to share?