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"When my husband and I were packing for our winter vacation, I marveled at all the tech devices that were lined up, waiting to be packed. This was supposed to be a \"disconnected\" vacation, in a country where our cellphones didn't even have service. \nYet on the table before me was my iPhone, my iPad, a Kindle, my husband's Nook, his iPad and his BlackBerry. Not very disconnected, is it? The fact is, these devices have become a part of our everyday lives, whether we're using them to communicate, read work email or just relax with a good book. \nWhen I asked if we could scale back a little, my husband volunteered to leave his work BlackBerry behind. Good start, but there were still the screens. I like to read news stories on the iPad using both Pulse and Flipboard. My Kindle has the books I was planning to read while I was away. I prefer the Kindle on vacation because I can see the screen in the sun better than on an iPad. My husband had the same reasoning for bringing his Nook. I use Google Maps on my iPhone for directions to the airport parking, and thought I would stroll up to use the free Wi-Fi in the lobby of the hotel each day and check emails from home or send pictures to my mom.\nIt turns out, we're not alone. A study reported on Mediapost shows that while people are taking vacations, their use of technology doesn't. The study showed 77% of \"affluents\" took a smartphone with them on vacation in the last year. Many (47%) took tablets and just as many took laptops too. I drew the line at a laptop \u2014 that was a surefire way to introduce work into my vacation.\nSEE ALSO: 8 Gorgeous Vacation Villas You Can Rent Online\n \nAffluents, according to the survey, are those with $100,000 and up in annual household income, but judging from my eyes-on unscientific survey at the pool, this is a much wider trend.\nAlmost every person reading by the pool was reading on a screen. Sure, there were a few paperback books scattered on lounge chairs, but the ereaders and tablets were the clear winner.\nThose devices are being used for so much more, especially when there's Wi-Fi available. The hotel had a few newspapers available for people to read but, in the wind, not many want to be bothered folding and chasing down pieces of paper anymore.\nSEE ALSO: Should You Take a Vacation From Checking Your Email?\n \nThe survey shows while 57% of respondents use their devices to read for pleasure, many people use them to help plan their day, with 72% looking up weather info, 66% getting directions from maps and 43% seeking out local activities. Tablets have become the digital version of the concierge.\nSo in reality, while you may set out to \"disconnect\" on vacation, it's not really necessary to leave your tech devices behind. You can and should unplug from work, but pack those devices in your bags if they help you make fun plans or relax on the beach.\nDo you disconnect from your devices when you go on vacation? What are your must-have items you take with you? Let us know in the comments.\nImage by Andrea Smith"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/21/vacation-disconnect-devices/>