Vacation, unplugged

I just got back from a long vacation to Ireland and Edinburgh. As soon as I landed in Dublin I headed straight to the airport rep for a mobile network to get a local SIM card. You should be groaning right now at the thought of it...

In my defense, it was a way to avoid planning ahead. A smartphone is incredibly useful when you don't know where you are or where you're going, and even more so when all of your confirmation numbers are stored in email. Plus, tweeting is a great way to remind everyone who is not on vacation that they should be appropriately jealous of you.

The problem, however, is that having a data plan meant that I was still connected to what was going on at home. I couldn't keep myself from compulsively checking email, which kept me from fully relaxing.

Everything changed when I landed in Edinburgh and the SIM card (that the airport guy swore would work in the UK) didn't work in the UK. I figured I was fine because I knew my London-based travel companion had a fancy new Android device, but as soon as we met up the first thing he said to me was that he left his phone in the back of the airport taxi (which he eventually got back thanks to a very friendly and honest Scotsman).

Left to our own devices (awful pun intended), we simply wandered around the city with a paper map and no agenda. We randomly ended up at a Scottish military parade and sat on a hill watching her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, along with the traditional drum and pipe band playing 'God Save the Queen' and 'Brave Scotland'. We walked into random pubs, ate at restaurants with good curb appeal, asked locals for recommendations, and stopped to rest in scenic parks - none of which were planned or mapped or endorsed by online reviews.

The weekend ended up being exactly what I needed - a complete mental break from everyday life and quality time spent in good company. Sure, it would have been cool to tweet a pic of the Queen, but it was nice to just absorb what was happening around me, enjoy the breathtaking views, and share my witty commentary with the person sitting next to me rather than giving the 140-character play-by-play.

Lesson learned: Ditch the phone. Enjoy.