Set it up before you leave: someone covering every hour you'll be gone, written answers to your most common questions, a clear rule for what counts as a real emergency, and one person who contacts you if things get outta hand.
I talked a guest through resetting a breaker in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner. I answered guest messages in the delivery room while I was having contractions with my second baby. I missed Christmases and birthday parties over questions like "where do we take the trash?"
So trust me when I say this: a phone-free vacation isn't luck. It's something you set up intentionally and work hard for. And when it happens, man, there is nothing like it.
What has to be true before you leave
- Real, clocked-in coverage. You need people you can trust covering the hours guests are awake, and someone who knows it's their shift. Not "hey, can you be on call?" but "this is YOUR shift and your responsibility."
- The common answers are written down. Wi-Fi, door codes, parking, checkout, the hot tub. If it's been asked two times, it needs to be in a document your team can find easily.
- "Emergency" has a definition. A cold hot tub is not an emergency. Write it down so nobody has to decide in the moment. Honestly, your team can handle most "emergencies" with the right process, so ask yourself what actually warrants you getting involved. TBH, I don't think a guest getting locked out is an emergency if there's a lockbox and your team knows where it is and how to use it.
- One person can reach you. Not the guests, not every VA, not the cleaners. One person, and only for the emergency list. BIG TIP: get your phone number off Airbnb, okay? Sign up for Quo and take your personal number off all the platforms. When a guest calls while you're on vacation, that should NOT come to you.
What it looks like when it works
My client Allison worked so hard on her systems, and then came the real test: her son's birthday party. Her VA covered every guest. She told me she didn't look at her phone one time. A few weeks later she took her first real vacation in years.
Friend, building a business that allows for moments separate from the business is the whole point. Not more properties, not a fancier tech stack. Being fully present for the moments you started this business for.
In September 2026, I took my family to Disney World for 8 days and did not do ONE single business thing while I was out. I have 55 properties and 3 businesses. It was amazing, and it's all thanks to my team and the systems we built to run things while I was away. (Anddd, we went over statement week, which means my bookkeeper and VA knew my processes well enough that they didn't have to get me involved at all.)
Do a practice run first
Before a big trip, take one afternoon completely off. Phone in a drawer. See what comes back to you, then fix those gaps before you leave for a week.
Try this
- Two weeks out, put real shifts on the calendar for every hour you'll be gone, with a name on each one.
- Take your personal number off Airbnb and every other platform, and give guests a Quo number your team answers instead.
- Write your short "this comes to me" list, and walk your team through everything they can handle without you.
- Pick the one person who can reach you, and agree on how.
- Take a practice afternoon off with your phone in a drawer. Fix whatever comes back, then go enjoy your trip.