These past two weeks are the longest I’ve gone without checking mail, surfing, updating my blog or downloading music. This self-imposed detox is a by-product of my vacation and it is one that has no debilitating effects. At the same time it leaves me feeling something is missing. I’ve gotten so used to logging on at home or at work whenever I want that the absence takes some adjustment.
Being on holiday means breaking routines which is good as far as it goes but also overrated. I’ve been travelling around the Midlands and Yorkshire which is a marked change from this time last year when I was in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco. In England, there are cafes and pubs that boast wi-fi but there isn’t the intensive (obsessive) internet activity that you see everywhere in the U.S.
I didn’t travel with my laptop so couldn’t take advantage of the chance to ‘get online’ at the Holiday Inn where I was staying in York. To check mail or other social networks at the hotel cost a steep £3 for just 15 minutes. The thirst to be permanently connected seems less pronounced in Britain which you might argue is healthier but while I know I can control my habit I’m looking forward to getting back to my daily ‘hit’.
