Much as I love being a creature of the Internet and the constant flood of information at my fingertips, I sometimes feel like I'm drowning in data. Last year, I made a pledge to myself that I would spend at least one week per year out of the www-dot waters. No email, no blogging, no Google searches, no tweets. Smartphone is turned off and stays off.
Last year, I took my Internet-free vacation in August in St. John in the Virgin Islands. This year, it was taken in January in Jamaica. The Caribbean turns out to be a nice distraction from the call of the digital wilds.
Though, on both trips, I cheated one time and snuck a peek at my email. Perhaps punishment for that should be to take another Internet-free vacation this year. At the moment, I could accomplish that by hopping on a flight
to Cairo. Though I prefer making the choice to abstain from the Internet rather than having it forcibly taken away.
