The Vacation Within
By Paul Gilbert , San Francisco, CA - Kona Village guest - August 2008
Once upon a time, going on vacation meant you were out of the office, really out of the office. You didn’t take your work with you, you didn’t check in while you were gone and you weren’t to be contacted unless it was an emergency. A vacation was sacrosanct, something that wasn’t to be messed with or compromised. Whatever the question, the correct answer was “hey, I’m on vacation.”
Today, we’re never really out of the office or away from work. Between cell phones, smartphones, PDA’s, faxes and laptop computers, people just assume that since we can take our work with us, we will. Plus, we’re so plugged into electronic media that the constant stream of news, information and entertainment has become the soundtrack to our lives. And the mere thought of going off the digital grid seems almost overwhelming.
So when it came time to take a vacation and we were considering Kona Village, there was a moment when my wife and I had to decide if “no TV, no phone, no web access” was going to work for our family. Our kids away from their beloved screens? She and I totally separating ourselves from our work? Being out of touch, rather than in? This would be a radical departure.
But we decided to disconnect in order to reconnect. Both with ourselves and each other. OK, to be honest, we did bring our laptop. We had to make that decision right before we left and it seemed like a necessity at the time. But as we settled into the natural rhythm of Kona Village, with our daily routine of playtime, relaxation, quietude and bonding, we never even turned it on. I only made four phone calls the entire week and while I did go into the office to check my e-mail (just to keep an eye on a huge project), every time I sat in front of the computer monitor, it felt like I was dipping my toe back into another world that would be waiting for me all too soon. So I would only stay a few minutes, not wanting to leave the rarified air of my new, stress-free existence.
One of the best things about going off the grid was its effect on our children. We spent much more quality time together, the kids (and us) loved the freedom to go off on their own without scheduling and supervision, and reuniting for meals, especially dinner, was always a special occasion. And the beautiful thing is that they not only survived without a television, cellphone, iPod and Game Boy, they actually thrived without them.
As for me, snorkeling with sea turtles and watching their shells being cleaned of algae by schools of colorful fish was way more viscerally exciting than the latest Hollywood blockbuster, and playing cards and Yahtzee in our hale with the kids, without the phone constantly ringing in the background, was a welcome change of pace from our busy home environment. And the simple pleasure of lying in a hammock reading a good book, being gently buffeted by the afternoon trade winds, isn’t something you will ever find on Google. Of all the things I remember about our trip, my favorite is that warm, soothing breeze and the profoundly deep feeling of relaxation it kept sweeping over me.
I also didn’t miss another modern day convenience, driving. Hawaii has its share of rush hour traffic and who wants to go on vacation to get stuck in your car? We’ve been on the Big Island many times and didn’t feel the need to sightsee this trip. So we stayed on the resort property the entire time, except for one brief excursion to go on a boat trip to swim with dolphins. Turns out we only saw a few that day, but ended up swimming with some almost every morning right off the beach at the Village. No need to leave the reservation.
So how would I describe the overall experience of pulling the plugs? It was like giving ourselves the gift of stepping back in time, when life was less hectic and hurried. This was a vacation where less really was more. It isn’t easy to resist the powerful influences of the digital age, but Kona Village continues to be an island unto itself, a place where you really can get away from it all.
The fact is, it’s just a matter of practice learning how to say it with conviction.
