Out of Office—But Still in Business
How I plan holidays without ghosting clients or burning out
From the bottom of my heart mind
Fresh stories from a Spanish Copywriter.
I’m back on the road—this time, Albania.
I usually do two types of travel. In both, I bring my laptop and aim to stay connected to the internet, but the experiences are quite different.
Holiday mode: This can last anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks, and the focus is fully on enjoying the trip. I usually travel in a group—friends, partner, or both.
Working mode: These trips are longer (sometimes up to three months), though they can also include short business trips to visit clients. I usually go solo and stay in colivings or hostels.
When I’m in working mode, I keep my regular workload with clients—just adjusting for the time zone. Everything else stays the same.
But in holiday mode, I try to work as little as possible. Early in my freelance career, I learned the importance of truly disconnecting from time to time, and now I make sure to take real holidays throughout the year.
Wait, wait… If you go on holiday for two weeks, what happens to your clients? And your personal brand? How do you manage that without losing clients, money, or your sanity?
Easy. This issue of the newsletter is all about that—or at least how I handle it. It's not magic (you’ll see), and yes, I still check email here and there. But it’s been working well for me over the years.
Here’s what I do:
1. Have a backup copywriter
I keep a small network of trusted copywriters I can collaborate with. When I have a heavy workload or go OOO, I can count on them.
Sometimes, clients already have their own backup copywriters—which is even better. In those cases, I make sure to prepare a solid handover: style guides, brand books, past campaigns, and a clear scope of work for the time I’ll be away.
2. Use an agency
Some clients already work with marketing, localization, or translation agencies. If I give them a heads-up in advance, they can often bring in extra support during my time off.
Since the agency already knows the brand and the team, this usually works smoothly.
3. Work in advance
This is my go-to option. I usually plan trips a few months ahead and let my clients know early. That way, I can prep campaigns and articles before I leave. It’s a bit of extra work up front—but totally worth it.
And if something can’t be done ahead of time, they’ll usually just need minimal backup for smaller tasks while I’m gone.
4. Check with Rosa
Rosa (a fictional character) is a sweet Spanish customer service rep. She’s not a copywriter, but she’s a native Spanish speaker. For just a few days, and with proper onboarding, she can help with small tasks or quick reviews—especially if most of the heavy lifting was done in advance.
Something I don’t do (and I kind of enjoy it) is to check LinkedIn or other social platforms. I might lose some work opportunities, but let’s be honest: is just 2 weeks and my mental health benefit is higher.
If you’re a freelance localizer and scared to take holidays—this might be the sign you needed to book that trip!
Outside the desk
Where the magic really happens.
🚘 I arrived on Sunday to Albania and, if everything went well, today I’m exploring the coast side. Hoping for good weather to try the local beaches!
🍰 Before heading here, I was able to try a new cheesecake place in Valencia and I can only recommend it.
📖 I always travel with my ebook, so Brandon Sanderson is gonna put some words into my trip. I need to finish this book before I go crazy.
Make it global, baby
If you want to work with me, this is the way.
🚀 Want to take your brand to the next Spanish level? Hit the “reply” bottom and let’s talk.
📬 Want to appear in one of the next issues? Let’s see how we can work it out.
Thanks for reading today’s newsletter. If you enjoyed the content, feel free to share it with your workmates, friends, family and pets so we can grow together.
You can also reply to this email and let me know what you think about it. We are in this together, compa.
All the best for the rest of your week,
💙 Ricky from Textonality.com 💙