[thinker]

I love it. I shoot an email to our leads/managers and make sure no one is depending on me for any tasks. I make sure to inform them in advance but once I had a spontaneous trip to Paris that I booked my flight 3 days in advance and took two days off for and they were cool with it (it was to shoot my friends playing music in the Parisian streets: http://vimeo.com/channels/streetmusic)

If needed I take my laptop and put in any required work remotely - that's great when you work on web tech. I do this when I know my days aren't going to be busy, such as visiting family. If I know I won't have time or access to the net on a trip I let everyone know so they can expect I will be disconnected.

I've taken about 4+ weeks off so far this year, 2 of which I was working remotely, and will be going to Burning Man this year for a week. I'll probably take some time off in December.

The key is to make sure you are being productive and adding value when you are at work so you don't feel guilty taking time off. When you plan off time, make sure there isn't anything crucial to the business happening at that time. Let people know how you are going to be accessible (IM, email, ability to commit code) or if you are off the reservation.

There is a certain amount of uncertainty and self-inflicted guilt about the whole thing; whether you are taking less/more time than your peers. I guess that's the price you pay for this perk.