To full switch off on holiday or not?

I have just returned from a family holiday in the Scilly Isles

It's a wonderful place to disconnect from the 'busyness' of life on the mainland and is a big reason why my sister and her family moved there

Earlier in the year, my family and I spent 10 days in France, a week of which was spent volunteering on a farm in the Dordogne - I was forced to disconnect as there was no Wi-Fi and extremely limited network coverage. It was great!   I printed a few things I wanted to read and read a couple of books, but that was it, and I managed expectations letting people know I was away and would not be responding to emails, chats or calls.

This time, I made the decision to take the laptop with me as there were things going on which needed me, and actually, I feel better having returned feeling less overwhelmed by what awaits. I was only on the lap top for an hour or two a day and only in the morning, usually before anyone else got up! Certain routines, like regularly posting and engaging with other posts, were dropped as these can quickly eat time. I return still feeling refreshed and re-energised.

What's the right approach?

I don't think you can force anyone to fully disconnect but no one should feel they have to when away and no organisation should create a culture either where people feel the need to do it or feel pressure and overwhelm when they return.

In larger teams delegation is possible. In start-ups like ours this is harder. But good time and team management, and avoiding single points of failure are the best recipes for minimising or eliminating the amount of 'check-in' time while away.

Did you or will you fully disconnect for your last holiday?

How many days a year do you think is the right number to fully switch off for and for how many do you ACTUALLY switch off fully?