Q: Now that I’m a freelancer, what’s the best way to handle going on vacation? Should I tell my clients if I go on vacation? Should I post it on my website? Do I really need to tell anybody?

Katie YeakleA: (Katie Yeakle) The answer is, it’s all up to you. But I’m glad you’re putting some thought into question of whether or not you should tell your clients if you go on vacation, because having a plan makes everything so much easier.

You don’t have to tell anyone you’re going on vacation if you prefer not to. That’s the beauty of Barefoot Living — you can work from home or halfway across the world, and nobody needs to know where you are as long as you meet your deadlines.

If you have regular clients and decide not to work on vacation, it’s a courtesy to let them know ahead of time that you’ll be away from your office for a certain period of time.

You can also set up a vacation message through your email provider so anyone who emails you knows they won’t get a response till a certain date.

I don’t recommend posting your vacation plans on your website. But, if you have copy on your site that says something like “Inquiries will be responded to within 48 hours,” then either change that message or hire a personal assistant to take care of any messages you get while you’re out.