Getting Away From It All Now Means Taking All Your Tech With You

British citizens enjoy a generous 5.6 weeks of legally protected paid vacation every year, but they're no longer using their time to kick back with a stack of sandy best-sellers on the beach. Instead, they're glued to smartphone, tablets, and computers to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and news sites, according to a new survey by luxury holidays specialist Cox & Kings. "Getting away from it all" has morphed into "taking it all with you."

Cox & Kings's survey of British vacationers showed that 73% of them use "some sort" of tech while on vacation. Only 6% of those use their devices to perform work-related tasks like office email or checking in with coworkers (perhaps heralding the end of our obsession with the Crackberry). Instead, they're using their devices for leisure: Over 30% of those surveyed used Facebook and Twitter while on vacation. This last bit is gender-skewed too, with more women using social media of some sort and men preferring to read news online.

About 30% of men don't use tech on holiday, compared to 26% of women--turning the idea of the distracted husband who can't put down his phone at dinner on its head. Vacationers under 35, not surprisingly, are the most tech-addicted, with 78% using technology to relax. Turns out Grandmpa and Grandpa are the last ones still holding firm to fat paperbacks with titles like The Omega Murders and the author's name in huge, gold-foiled fonts: About half of vacationers over 55 keep their vacation time tech-free.