TL;DR
A vacation auto-reply should state your return date, set a clear expectation on response time, name a backup contact for urgent matters, and skip the destination. Keep it under 60 words. The most-replied-to vacation auto-replies are warm but boring — they make it easy for senders to wait, route, or move on. Don't promise to 'check email occasionally' if you actually want to unplug.
Use a vacation auto-reply when you'll be away from work for two or more days on personal time off — not on business travel, not on extended leave. For trips longer than 10 days or leave for a specific reason (parental, medical, sabbatical), use the more specific templates linked below.
Scenario 1
Subject
Out of office until [return date]
Body
Hi, Thanks for your email. I'm on vacation until [return date] and won't be checking messages. For anything urgent, please contact [colleague's name] at [email]. Everything else, I'll get to when I'm back. Thanks for your patience, [Your name]
Scenario 2
Subject
Out of office — limited access through [return date]
Body
Hi, I'm out of office through [return date] with very limited email access. I'll be checking briefly mid-trip, so genuinely urgent matters will get a response within 48 hours. For faster help: [colleague] at [email] for [topic area], [colleague] at [email] for [topic area]. For everything else, I'll respond when I'm back at my desk. Thanks, [Your name]
Scenario 3
Subject
Out of office — back [return date] after the holiday
Body
Hi, Thanks for reaching out. I'm taking time off around the [holiday name] holiday and will be back at my desk on [return date]. For urgent items, [colleague] is covering at [email]. Otherwise I'll respond when I return — likely with a slight delay as I work through the catch-up. Best, [Your name]
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No. It's a security and privacy risk. Knowing you're away from home (and specifically where) can be useful to attackers, opportunists, and even nosy colleagues. 'Out of office' is enough — your location is none of the sender's business.
Schedule it to start the morning of your first day off, not the night before. Starting it the evening prior means anyone emailing you that night gets the bounce-back before you've even logged off — which feels unprofessional. Most email clients (Gmail, Outlook) support scheduled start/end dates.
Yes if you can. Gmail and Outlook both support separate internal and external auto-replies. Internal can include coverage details and Slack handles; external should stay generic with one named backup. The split prevents leaking internal coverage information to outside senders.
Set up an out-of-office (auto-reply) email when you'll be away from work for a full day or longer — vacations, parental leave, business trips, extended PTO, or personal leave. Most email clients let you schedule the start and end dates.
Set up a business trip auto-reply when you'll be traveling for work for 2+ days with reduced email availability. For short trips with normal availability, no auto-reply needed. For trips longer than a week or with very limited connectivity, consider the conference or vacation auto-reply templates instead.
Use the annual leave template if your workplace uses UK/Commonwealth conventions ('annual leave' rather than 'vacation' or 'PTO'). The auto-reply runs for the duration of the leave. Send a separate notification to your team manager confirming dates if your workplace doesn't have an automated leave-tracking system.