Being that yesterday was the solstice, summer is now officially here. For one reason or another, summer also proves to be a great time to get away from work and take a much needed vacation. Some people like to use this precious time away as a vacation from technology as well. Others use technology as a tool to make their lives easier and relax. Which do you prefer?
For those who prefer to disconnect from technology when they go on vacation, their reasoning is pretty sound. We all do need a tech cleansing once in a while. And if the point of a vacation is to get away from work and give yourself a mental break, then eliminating any chance of somebody contacting you while on vacation is a great way to avoid work hassles.
Taking a break from the daily grind of work is an important aspect of vacation in order to reboot and not burn out. Unlike those mentioned above, there are some who prefer to use tech as a way to make their vacation more relaxing. If technology is used right then it can be an aid that makes your life easier and your time away more enjoyable. GPS devices and dinning recommendation applications are the perfect example of this.
If you want to use tech as an aid, here are a two important tips to ensure that your tech ends up working for you and not against you. First, avoid checking your email constantly. We recommend turning your email off push and only try and check it twice a day max. Secondly, when you don’t need to be carrying your phone around, don’t! If you are at the beach you shouldn’t have to worry about 1,000 things. Instead leave the phone in the room and enjoy the beautiful weather. You will be back in the office soon enough, and at that point you will wish you had enjoyed the nice weather while you could.
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NO!!!!!!
Depends on the vacation. If there is plenty of car travel involved then tech is a must, atleast products like e-readers, and audio devices. But on a purely pleasure vacation (not going to see relatives and help move or do yard work or whatever) then it is nice to unplug some. I still want my phone on me and my laptop in the car or whatever but I don't feel the need ever to be tied to emails or anything. Also, lazy evenings in a hotel room (when your somewhere where the evenings are much quieter) it is pretty nice to catch up on your favorite show or finally get to that movie you've been meaning to see.
Unfortunately, YES. Absolutely. We were trapped in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami, and the rolling blackouts pretty much cancelled our vacation plans. If my travel companion hadn't had her macbook and mobile broadband plan, we wouldn't have been able to book tickets as all the internet cafes, travel agents, airlines etc were full and folks were well aware that blackouts meant they had to act fast. Will be packing at least an iPad2+3G with me wherever I go.