Leaving us to our own devices takes on new meaning in this digital age. Powering off is what we want to do when we go on vacation, but in reality many of us are just going on "standby" which also has new meaning in travel terms.
I know you are reading this from your office, home or mobile phone, if you are that means you are interested in planning a Virginia State Parks getaway soon! Keep reading…
So what does it take to power off, I mean really power off? If you are like us, when we travel not only do we need the devices themselves, but all the accessories required to operate them away from home. Does your laptop have an available usb port? It needs to as I need to download images from my digital camera, and then upload them to Flickr. We better bring both laptops for redundancy. What if there is no WiFi we better bring the WiFi card. Do we have the chargers for the iPhones? The iPads, the eBook readers?
What about the kids? Do they have the accessories for their Nintendos, iPods and other devices? We better make sure they have their headphones so we don't have to listen to hip hop all the way to the lake.
Is the cabin old? I hope the cabin has enough outlets for all our chargers, we better bring a couple expansion strips, oh and surge protectors in case of summer thunderstorms!
We need to stay in touch, and check email, after all without our jobs we would not be on this vacation in the first place. I brought a few eBooks along, but I will still need to get my daily fix of news and media online, I would hate to miss what is going on in the world.
Okay I think that does it, let me just forward our landline and grab my gear. We can stop at stuff-mart on the way and pick up some food, I am sure the cabin will have a microwave.
*This humorous look at the modern family vacation is entirely tongue in cheek. But what if we were not "left to our own devices?" What would this scenario look like?
How about Mom, Dad, kids and dog pack their swimsuits, bikes, board games and bacon and eggs and head off to their favorite Virginia State Park. While they drive they put on an oldies station (yes with ads!) and sing along to the good old "You've lost that lovin' feelin'" and "My baby takes the mornin' train." The kids ask how do you know all the words to these old songs Mom and Dad? But laugh and sing along anyway.
Once at the cabin everyone helps unpack their stuff, they stock the fridge with real food they will be cooking: burgers, chicken and fresh corn on the cob, they get some iced tea made and put it in the fridge to chill.
The kids eager to get outside and explore, get on their bikes to check out the park. The phone doesn't ring, or vibrate, we are actually talking to each other. The computer is not humming away in the background with the sounds of tap tap peck peck on the keyboard. Right outside the windows it is amazingly green with trees and grass everywhere! Birds are chirping some little song known only to them, boats zip past and in the distance you can see an old man in a red canoe wearing a straw hat as he paddles the blade heading toward the shore.
What are you waiting for?
Hungry Mother State Park is ready…
Now go Virginia State Parkgetaway right now! You know you want to, then you can unplug and decompress when you get here. Oh and you are allowed to bring your digital camera along, andyou can download the images when you get home. We'll see ya at the lake!