Staying connected in a 24/7 world no matter where you’re at

As I take advantage of my two week excursion across Europe with my oldest daughter, one thought has been fledging the entire time. It’s difficult to get disconnected from the world, especially in today’s society.
I guess I’ve always known that in theory, but it didn’t become real apparent to me until practical application this past week in Belgium and several neighboring countries, including France, Switzerland and Germany. I’m most excited about Germany as it is where my ancestors hail from many years ago. Yes, I’m a full blooded German. Perhaps a little stubborn at times, but I try to keep things on an even keel most of the time. 
Technology allows us to basically stay connected no matter where we’re at in the world. Sure there are a few times where you may not be able to connect at a certain moment, but for the most part, it’s pretty easy to stay in touch.
Through devices like laptop computers and iPhones and services like email, internet and Facebook, it’s next to impossible to totally escape everything. I’m finding out the biggest mistake I made was bringing my laptop and iPhone with me on this trip. Or not?
While sometimes it would be nice to totally isolate oneself from the rest of the world, I must admit it’s nice to know what’s happening around America and close to home. 
Within hours, even though I was half way across the world, I found out that Prince died at his home in Minnesota. I also knew fairly quickly about the tornado that skirted across northern Steele County. And, perhaps most importantly, I have been able to communicate with family members back home that weren’t fortunate to come on this trip with me. FaceTime has allowed me to not only hear from my family, but also see them. Oh, the wonders of modern technology.
I’ve also been able to take care of a few projects that I didn’t get done before I left on the trip. And, technology allows my daughter to continue piecing together all the public safety information that readers are able to enjoy each week from police, fire and court officials. I bet you had no clue that the public safety items have been done in Belgium (where my daughter has been studying abroad) for the past four months prior to being published in this newspaper.