For most of my career I never liked taking a vacation from my business. Being away from the office was like leaving a teenager home alone. You never know what you will find when you return. All that changed seven years ago when I reached my late 50s. A little bell went off in my head that said, “it’s time.” Of course the Internet had a lot to do with it. I am living proof that you can travel all over the world and still keep an eye on things at home. 

India

I don’t travel without my laptop, iPhone (Line 2 for International calling), iPad, chargers, iPod, and good old-fashioned pen and paper. We tour during the day in Europe or Asia when everyone is sleeping in the United States and get back to our hotel room at night. I am then able to check in with the office and clients when business is in full swing back in New York. 

Peru

Theoretically, everything should run smoothly. The digital age has certainly provided for all the advantages of working virtually. Another digital plus is the stunning photos you get from faraway places. In the last seven years we have been to South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South America, Israel, and India. Later this month we are leaving for Croatia. 

Unlike most folks, I do not allow all the beautiful photos we have taken to be hidden in some drawer or closet upon our return. Thousands of photos are constantly being displayed on a designated HDTV screen in our office, or on digital photo frames at home. My husband Eliot is known to snap as many as 9,000 photos on trips. Of course, he has a professional Nikon camera and some kind of gizmo that allows him to exercise his trigger finger. He then spends weeks editing the photos for display. 

Thanks to my girl friend Ruth Greenberg, (we usually travel with her and her husband Howard) the photos taken on these trips have been elevated to a new digital level. She has artistically taken the pictures from each trip and turned them into custom made digital photo albums that look like professionally published coffee table books. Each page is designed to look like a separate masterpiece. The brilliance of the colors, the shapes of the photos, and the structure of the layouts look as if they were published by National Geographic. She has done a wonderful job over the years and we appreciate these keepsakes. Lately Eliot has taken his turn and was responsible for the Israel and India books. Our photo books are displayed in my living room and remain wonderful to look at no matter how many times we view them. Digital publishing is an amazing feat. 

Paris

There are many publishers of digital photo books, but the ones most popular are Shutterfly and My Publisher. These companies were created because people wanted to share their memories and experiences with others. The evolution of the digital camera has made it easier to accomplish this. Millions and millions of Americans have made digital photo books over the last few years. These companies also offer storage, personal and public sharing sites (if you just want to keep your books and photos online) video capabilities, greeting cards, stationery, scrapbooking, and, of course, prints and posters. 

India

Please let the DigiDame know if you have any questions

India photo spread

about working away from the office or capturing your travels digitally. If I can’t answer you, I know plenty of people who love giving their advice and expertise.