In the future we will have “augmented reality” devices , we wont make any diference between “stay connected” or “being offline” .

Thats the future of internet. Ubiquity !

In fact, recently, my family and I vacationed in rural michigan where the only link to the digital world is a 26.4 dial up connection. But, that didn’t stop me.

I built a parabolic dish out of a wok, Sprint USB mobile broadband card and a camera tripod, got 15-20 db of gain and was able to hit the EVDO tower 9 miles away.

But seriously though, when on vacation, my online habits change..they go from keeping up on tech news relevant to my job, to tech interest areas, leisure reading and Project Gutenberg. It’s a connected world we live in.

Best,
Brian

The uses for an internet connected computer when on vacation are too numerous to list here. Here are just a few

->Google Maps work well almost everywhere. It’s so easy to get lost in another country. When trying to find a restaurant, museum, or other place we print a map showing the exact location.
->Some years ago we drove two hours to get to the Alhambra in Granada Spain only to discover that tourist book we had was wrong about opening times and tickets. We couldn’t get in. Now we can check hours and days of operation and buy tickets online.
->On our first trip to the castle at Versailles France we stood in line forever to purchase tickets. This past year we bought them online, picked them up at the will call window, and felt sorry for the people standing in those long ticket lines.
->A real shocker is to pay a hotel bill that includes use of the hotel phone for calls to restaurants, other hotels, and tourist attractions in a foreign country. Even more shocking would be those cell phone bills you could receive after your trip for international roaming charges. We log onto the Internet and use Skype for VOIP calls that cost just a few cents per minute.
->When traveling in Europe we used to purchase the Michelin Guides (red for restaurants and hotels and green for tourist attractions). They are the best and most reliable tourist guides anywhere. Now they’re posted online and you can use them for free at http://www.viamichelin.com. Leave those bulky books at home.
->ViaMichelin also provides free route maps that you can print. When driving on Europe’s high speed highways it’s easy to make a wrong turn and get hopelessly lost. If you print those Michelin route maps ahead of time you’ll even have the exit numbers showing clearly what you need.

Also I think that while I love covering broadband, after having a kid, I’ve found a passion in my life that exceeds my news passion, so I’m able to more easily disengage. As she grows older, I imagine my priorities will shift back to connected vacations.