I made one last inspection of the now disheveled hotel room. My wife had taken her bags and our young son down to the car. Just as I was ready to head out of the door with my backpack, camera and extra-large suitcase on wheels, I was reacquainted with the 'free internet service' sign by the door. I thought that I would take this one last chance to download the e-mails that accumulated during the day while we were driving. I thought that I could take action on some of them before I 'really' began our vacation with the rest of my family the following day.

I connected with apparent ease and the e-mails started to stack my inbox. I opened up one that seemed to be important and replied. At first I was determined to send this message out before we started the second half of our road trip. However, I remembered an article in The Wall Street Journal about a Hotel Company Internet Director who surreptitiously planted his laptop, cell phone and Blackberry in a bicycle trailer carrying his 9-month old son so he could download e-mail while on vacation. I didn't want to be anything like this man! I was holding up our journey and our family time together, and besides, I was already on vacation. I just wasn't acknowledging it! By focusing on work-related tasks, I was not practicing what the Latin word for vacation implies, vacare, 'to be empty, to vacate or to be free.'

According to the American Management Association (AMA), many of the 645 business executives who participated in the survey will remain in contact with the office while away. "Nearly 62 percent of those surveyed will check in with their offices at least once a week and as many as a quarter of them (25%) will be in daily contact while on vacation." As I got back on the road, it took me a good hour to forget about the e-mails I had read. I know from my previous work experience that problems more serious than a few e-mails would require more time to 'empty' the mind. News from the office should never reach your ears or eyes while on vacation.

As we head into the holiday season between Thanksgiving and the New Year, taking one's gadgets and gizmos on vacation may seem perfectly normal, but it's actually a bad idea. Maybe you're worried about what you might miss back at the office, but by taking your 'connectedness' with you, you never really leave the office (and aren't able to free your mind). In an article in The Wall Street Journal , "Workaholic Henry Franceschini took his first vacation in four years last Easter, but the 48-year-old sales manager soon discovered that there wasn't much cellular service in Destin Beach, Florida, so he spent a lot of his time driving in search of a signal. Altogether, Mr. Franceschini probably spent as much as four hours each day working (and driving)."

While on a professional speaking assignment, I checked into my client's headquarters. Not only was my point-of-contact automatically telephoned, but he was sent an e-mail that caused his PDA (personal digital assistant) to vibrate too. His vibrating PDA had a very disruptive effect while I was working to improve his team's presentation skills. As one team member presented, other team members were instant messaging on their PDAs or receiving vibrating e-mails. They weren't being present for the task at hand. I decided to be more present by exploring the area around me instead of my e-mail. I headed towards the local organic market in Boulder, CO. A woman at the market told me about a charming yoga studio, I found a 100% oxygen bar that dispenses various types of aromatherapy (Oxygen relieves headaches in mile-high areas), and I ate the best Bouillabaisse of my life.

When we are constantly connected to the office, we aren't able to make a clear connection to our family, to those people we might encounter nor to ourselves. It takes time for the cares and worries of our routines to melt away. Isn't this the reason why we go on vacation in the first place, to recharge and to maintain or improve our relationships? The state of your mind partially shapes your experience. When you allow a location to reveal itself to you, you will have more authentic experiences and you will subsequently become more creative and balanced. By redirecting my connection, I had a unique personal experience in Boulder and will continue to enjoy a quality vacation with my family.

Mark Sincevich works with individuals and organizations to increase their communication power so that they gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business. He uses a unique photography angle in his creative keynotes, meeting facilitation and powerful presentation skills programs. Mark is the Founder and Chief Perspective Officer of Staash Press, a member of the National Speakers Association and the Executive Director of the Digital Photography Institute. In between assignments, Mark can be found spending time with his family or writing in cafés with character. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or http://www.staashpress.com

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