Vacations No More

According to a survey by a New York executive search company, more and more Americans are continuing to work even when on vacation. The result is that they often return to the office more stressed than when they left for vacation. Laptops, e-mail and PDA technology coupled with cell phones and voice mail has created a virtual office environment easy to take with you from just about anywhere. And so, rather than a vacation being a refreshing respite from the day to day grind, people are working as they go, squeezing in a bit of play along the way.

The National Park Service recently reported that visitation is down in parks across the country. The reason: vacationers would rather play with technology than spend time with nature. I was in Yellowstone National Park two weeks ago. Inside the Visitor Center, a boy of about eight huddled in a corner playing with his hand-held Game Boy. One hundred yards away, Old Faithful was only minutes from erupting.

My daughter and I headed out to wait for the famous geyser to spout. A crowd of several hundred other tourists waited with us. Next to me, a man placed a call with his cell phone: "Guess where I am?" he asked. And then he talked a little business.

About 10 feet away, a jovial fellow surrounded by friends was asked why he didn't have his camera ready to photograph the geyser. "If I want a picture, I can get it off the Internet," he said.

I wrote recently of my new Verizon cell phone plan that allows me to connect with my computer anywhere Verizon provides service. In metropolitan areas, the connection it at broadband speed. In the boonies, it's still respectively fast -- about two to three times faster than dial up.

In Yellowstone, I parked outside a campground to see if I could get a cell connection. I was curious to learn if I would be able to get online if I camped there. Yup, not a problem. For me, RV travel is often part business, part vacation. So I need my computer. Years ago, when I pulled into a campground, I left the outside world behind. Now, if I want, I can bring it right inside with me. Is that necessary? Is that the way to enjoy a forest or seashore?

I was talking to my 15-year-old daughter today about this. "You know, Emily, if we were camped where there were no Internet access, if I asked you to sit by the campfire with me, you'd love to do it. But if you knew that you could stay inside the RV and get onto your MySpace account or chat with your buddies, I bet you would beg to stay in the motorhome." She smiled and nodded. Like me, she knows the lure of the Internet.

It's great that our new technology allows us such incredible freedom to stay in touch pretty much wherever we are. But we're paying a price for it, aren't we? We're losing our ability to simply relax, play. . . and let the world take care of itself for awhile.

That's not good.