How Do I Set My Google Calendar to Vacation?

By Michael Ferguson

Are you planning a vacation and wondering how to set your Google Calendar to reflect your time off? Setting your calendar to vacation mode is a great way to ensure that you don’t miss any important events while you’re away. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the steps of setting up your Google Calendar for vacation.

Step 1: Open Your Google Calendar

The first step in setting up your Google Calendar for vacation is to open the calendar app or website. You can do this by navigating to the Google Calendar website or opening the app on your phone.

Step 2: Create a New Event

Once you have your calendar open, click on the date that corresponds with the start of your vacation. This will bring up a new event window where you can input all of the details about your time off.

Title

The first thing you should do is enter a title for your event. This could be something as simple as “Vacation” or “Time Off.”

Dates and Times

Next, select the dates and times that you will be away. You can do this by clicking on the start date and end date fields and using the calendar pop-up to select the appropriate dates. If you are taking an extended vacation, make sure to select all of the days that you will be away.

Location

You can leave this field blank since it’s not necessary for a vacation event.

Description

In this field, add any notes about your time off such as where you’ll be going or if someone else will be covering for you at work.

Step 3: Set Your Availability

Now that you’ve created an event for your vacation, it’s time to set your availability so others know not to schedule anything during this time.

Set to “Busy”

Click on the “Busy” button located at the top of the event window. This will set your availability to “busy” during the dates and times you specified. This means that anyone trying to schedule a meeting during this time will see that you are not available.

Add a Message

You can also add a message for your colleagues or friends who might try to schedule something with you during your vacation. Simply click on the “Add a message” link located under the busy/free toggle button and type in a custom message such as, “I’ll be out of town and unavailable for meetings.”

Step 4: Save Your Event

Once you’ve completed all of these steps, click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the event window. Your vacation event is now saved on your calendar and your availability has been updated to reflect your time off.

Conclusion

Setting up your Google Calendar for vacation is easy and can save you from missing important events while you’re away. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that everyone knows when you’ll be unavailable and when they can expect you back. Happy vacationing!