Getting off the Grid . . . like the Matrix by Thomas Stiehm

Thomas Stiehm

Working in Information Technology means that I have a laptop computer or smart phone with my 24×7, even on vacation. Our modern telecommunications system makes getting cheap and reliable Internet access or phone service easy.  I have access to my work environment almost anywhere at anytime, making it possible for me to be “on call” all of the time. I have taken sales calls in Disney World and client meetings at SeaWorld, just to name a few. With the advent of Skype and extremely cheap mobile phone service one can still be completely connected to their office even when traveling outside the United States. I found that relaxing and really taking a break was very difficult until I found two great ways to unplug:

1.     Cruising – My wife and I starting going on cruises several years ago. At the time there was no Internet or phone service on the ships. For the time of the cruise I was off the grid completely. While it is possible to get both phone and Internet service on the ships now, I tell my coworkers it is too expense and not reliable enough to use.

2.     Extreme rural vacation – One of my uncles owns a cabin in Northern Minnesota and I started going there on vacation, specifically summer vacations. Not only is there no Internet service, my mobile phone service stops about 4 miles away from the cabin so I can’t use my smart phone there either.

I find the best way to get away and go off the grid is to find a place where the Internet and phones don’t work and let people know you will be off the grid for the length of your vacation. I find that knowing I will be off the grid and being able to tell coworkers that I will be unavailable helps prevent me from getting anxious about being disconnected. After taking off-the-grid-vacations for a few years now, I have started to look forward to them and find that I relax more when I know I can be completely off for a week.

Another key part of taking an off the grid vacation is setting the expectations of the people you work with properly. A good part of the time my vacation occurs during a critical time for my current project. During these times the pressure to check in at the office or be available for issues as they come up can be high. By going on a vacation where I have little or no telecommunications options I have a good reason why I can’t be “on call”.

By Thomas Stiehm.

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