Fortune_Hunter - 1:49 am on May 28, 2009 (gmt 0)

I have been a freelancer for 5 years and during that time I even took a 2 week vacation to Italy and was completely and totally unreachable (by design). I think it just takes some decent planning.

First, starting about 1 month out I start email my regular clients explaining I will out of town during a certain date range. I explain that I will be unreachable at all. I ask that all updates they want finished be sent to me a week before I leave. I send a couple of reminder emails during this time.

Second, I have another freelance programmer that I have been working with for almost the same amount of time set up as my backup. While he doesn't have total access to my accounts and computers he has enough to be able to fix small problems and emergencies. My clients have his contact information and know to only call during critical emergencies. I trust him completely to solve the immediate issue and be fair about it later when I pay him for work done. So far he has never been called in on the job while I have been gone.

Last I use some basic common sense and don't launch major sites 30 days or so before I leave on a trip. I work my schedule so launches happen 30 or more days before I leave or after I return. This allows me to stop most major issues that might explode while I am gone from happening.

I have taken a laptop with me before, but never used it. I just walk away and let my planning do its job. So far it hasn't come back to bite me. I guess the day can come where that will happen, but so far it has been manageable and I have never come back to a disaster or pissed customer. However I also don't discount the luck factor where I have simply been lucky that no major issues have occurred while I have been gone. Hopefully that part continues.

I am leaving again this week and have put the same planning in place we will see if I am lucky again. I figure 5 years and running is a pretty good track record though.