4 Reasons How to Vacation and Not Have Your Gadgets Tag Along
Posted on Thu, Apr 28, 2011
Think back to your last get away vacation. Flashes of fabulous scenery, delicious restaurants and uncontrollable laughter run through your head. Now, while you were reminiscing, were there images of you sitting on your bed with a laptop on your lap? If your answer was no, surely it has happened to many other globe trotters. With very hectic and stressful work schedules, a vacation, to many of us, may imply drifting away and daydreaming for a couple minutes. But for others who are dialed down on their annual mandatory weeks off, they’re usually counting down their footsteps to their plane.
Packing a separate bag or extra large Ziploc bags for all of our gadgets’ cords, chargers and individual cases was the norm and still may be the norm. With today’s fascination of collecting mobile gadgets, are they all being used frequently or just collecting dust. Do we have the best of the best of each new device or just one do-it-all device?
Locations have their own systems that allow you to not worry about ways of receiving info. Here are some reasons why you don’t need a bag full of gadgets to get you through your vacation:
1. Important down-to-the-minute times. Airport’s arrival and departure monitors that are displayed in every terminal are super accurate. They let you know if it’s delayed 15 min or an on time flight turns into a now unexpectedly canceled flight. Logging in from home onto your laptop or phone may have a delay of these essential updates or even none at all. Travelers in the airport are the first ones to be announced to about mechanical checks and weather overlays in other cities. Just be on time, grab an overpriced sandwich and relax.
2. Computers for reservations. All hotels, no matter what star rating they are, all have front desk computers that can make any reservation your little heart desires. There’s no need to collect all those family day trip travel brochures. The hotel’s concierge will get you into the hot spots and get you a great deal on event tickets. Now if you want to rent a car for a day or two, once again, there’s not much of a need to compare prices. The front desk will recommend you a local company that will have the type of car for the exact outing; jeep for going off the beaten path, large family van or that luxury car you dream about. Also a lobby does usually have an area with computers to access the internet for personal and business use. You can transfer your photos onto your externals, but the photo cards are so huge and affordable these days, there’s no need to tag along usb drives. If you can’t survive without logging into Facebook everyday, don’t fret, there is internet access for you in Internet Café’s. It may not be the DSL connection you’re used to, but hey, what’s the rush? You may realize that, is it that important to post what beer you’ve discovered today?
3. Music. Does everyone in your group have their own personal iPods everywhere you go? Personally, when I get to a new vacation spot, I can’t wait to listen to their local music. Growing up, my family and I traveled to many Hispanic countries which have contributed to a huge part of my love of Latino music. It starts from in the plane to the airport to the taxi or rental car to the pool enjoying your first cocktail. The last thing I want to here is music from back home that you hear over and over everyday.
4. Cell phones. I have to admit, when I vacation in another country, I do bring along my cell phone. Do I leave it on? Nope. I understand if I was some famous CEO, it would be important. But I’m not. Before I leave, I leave the hotel contact numbers with family, of where I will be staying. If I need to contact someone back home, I buy a calling card and walk myself to a pay phone. This may sound repulsive to some but it’s kind of the norm in the underdeveloped exotic locals we love to venture off to. I choose not to rack up enormous roaming charges on next month’s cell phone bill.
Some of us will eventually eliminate gadgets due to clutter and weight restrictions and others will continue on with their collection. Depending on your choice of retreat, be it a much needed Zen escape from all the chaos or a hiking trip like never before, only you will know if you want a tag along.
Author: Julie Bertok