What vacation?

So why do so many employees open e-mail with their presents? They check gift lists and office voice mails. And they dabble in eggnog and in spreadsheets, all while they're supposedly on vacation.

Take, for example, Jeff Chadwick, who enjoys using his hard-earned vacation days but is unlikely to unplug from his many responsibilities.

During a trip to Walt Disney World, while his wife and children slept, the Carrollton, Texas, accountant logged on at 4 a.m. several times to slip in some work at his job at KPMG back in Dallas.

"I could do what I needed to do while my wife and kids were sleeping and then we would go out and play," Chadwick said.

As technology improves, more people find it difficult to disconnect from the office when they are on holiday, said Amy Ziff, editor-at-large for Travelocity.

"Technology has become such an integral part of travelers' lives that many of us find it impossible to completely unplug," she said. "This is an astonishing trend that demonstrates a change in how we vacation."

A poll released this year by Travelocity estimates that 40 percent of travelers check their work e-mail while on vacation and 33 percent take their mobile phones to stay connected with their employers, employees or clients. One person in every four admitted to bringing a laptop on vacation.

And one in three workers claimed that not checking in by cell phone, laptop or PDA was more stressful than the actual work.

"I feel like I have to," said A. Michelle May, a Dallas attorney. "My clients are my responsibility. I wouldn't like it if my attorney checked out on me. I need to be available in case something happens."

May says she opens her e-mail a few times a day and calls work at least once daily while vacationing. Some hotels make it easy, like the Playa Del Carmen resort that offered an outdoor living area stocked with computers.

May's employees insist they can handle the workload while she's gone and encourage their boss to unwind and enjoy her time off. But it's difficult to not take a quick look, May says, when the hotel has free Internet stations available.

"I had made an agreement with my assistant that I wasn't going to call in and promised they wouldn't hear from me, but I couldn't stand it," May said. "I had to follow up on some of the things in the e-mail."

The travel industry has fed on its customers' impulses to stay connected to the office while vacationing. Hotels, resorts, airlines and cruise lines have made it easier for customers to mix business with pleasure.

Travelers booking ocean cruises or trips to Europe often ask about Internet and cell phone connections, said Bill Creasey of Marilyn Creasey Luxury Travel Inc. of Dallas.

International cell phones make overseas connection easier and most major international hotels have business centers with Internet access, Creasey said.

"It enables more people to take off so they can travel the world and stay in touch," he said.

Travel columnist Eileen Ogintz suggests setting limits on electronic usage while on vacation.

Often, children will play electronic games or listen to music while their parents work on a laptop, cutting into the benefits of getting away and spending time together, Ogintz said.

"Clearly, it's harder and harder for everyone to totally unplug on vacation, especially when the travel industry makes it so easy to stay connected wherever you are," Ogintz said. "But there's nothing wrong with setting some limits... The point of vacation, after all, is to reconnect."

Downsizing and mergers have resulted in a heavier workload for the survivors. And employees are worried that they may be cut next unless they perform above and beyond the call of duty, said Bonnie Michaels, a consultant for Managing Work & Family Inc. in Chicago.

Employees who check e-mails and call into work while vacationing may feel more in control of their career, she said, but it's not healthy.

"Your brain doesn't have a chance to relax and get nurtured again," Michaels said. "I think people generally have forgotten how to play, to let go and do nothing, be spontaneous. Part of vacation is that you will come back refreshed with new ideas."

Hey, relax already

Tips for relaxing and leaving work behind on vacation:

1. Try to finish all work before taking off. Fill out timecards. Tie up loose ends.

2. Leave the cell phone at home, but let the office know how you can be located in an emergency. Make clear to bosses, co-workers and assistants that you are to be contacted only if it is urgent.

3. Leave the laptop at home unless it's absolutely necessary.

4. If you take the laptop, check e-mail only once a day.

5. If you must squeeze in some work, limit it to an hour or two and stick to it.

6. Set e-mail and voice mail at work to notify people you are on vacation and offer a contact at your office who can handle their request or problem.

7. Try leaving all electronic gadgets at home. Go where there are no cell signals or computer jacks and take a real vacation. You deserve it.

What vacation? Some people can't unplug