Three polished vacation auto-replies — copy and paste ready. Pick the tone that matches your work, fill in your dates, send. Customize further with our generator if needed.
Template 1 — Formal (most common)
For external clients, cold inbound, and senders you don't have an established relationship with.
Formal
Hello,
Thank you for your email. I am currently on vacation from [start date] until [return date] and will not be checking email during this time.
For urgent matters, please reach out to [colleague name] at [colleague email]. They have full context on my work and will be glad to help.
I will respond to your message in the order it was received upon my return.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Template 2 — Warm (for ongoing relationships)
For colleagues, ongoing clients, and senders you have a personal relationship with. Adds a small acknowledgment of the reader.
Warm
Hi there,
Thanks so much for reaching out — I really appreciate the message. I'm taking some much-needed time off and will be back on [return date]. I won't be checking email until then (working on it).
For anything that can't wait, [colleague name] at [colleague email] is the right person, and they're great.
I'll get back to you as soon as I can after I return.
Talk soon,
[Your name]
Template 3 — Brief (executive style)
Stripped down to the essentials. No fluff. Best when you receive a high volume of email and want to set a clear, no-frills tone.
Brief
On vacation [start date]–[return date]. Not checking email. For urgent matters, contact [colleague name] at [colleague email]. Otherwise I'll reply when I'm back.
— [Your name]
How to use these templates
Replace [start date], [return date], [colleague name], and [colleague email] with your real values.
Pick the tone that matches your most common sender, not the one you wish you used.
Don't apologize for being on vacation. You're allowed.
Don't promise a response time you can't honor. "In the order it was received" is honest. "Within 24 hours of returning" is a promise that gets broken.
Keep it under 100 words. Anything longer doesn't get read.
What every vacation OOO message should include
Specific dates — "May 8 until May 21" not "for the next two weeks"
That you're not checking email — be explicit, set expectations
One urgent contact — a real route, not "leave a message"
Reply timing on return — honest, not optimistic
// Want emergencies actually routed?
Replace "contact [colleague]" with a page that does the routing.
The template's "for urgent matters, contact X" only works if X is the right person for every urgent matter. They're not. OutOfOfficePro is a routing page that asks the caller what's wrong and connects them to the right person — automatically. $9.99/month.