For 20 years ago when I went on holiday – I had no access to the office. The expectation was set that there would be no conversation and therefore once leaving the office I could close the door on my commercial life and concentrate on my personal life.

That is no longer possible for me. I marvel at those who still even attempt it. Today’s world isn’t just about the physical connectivity but the expectation of connectivity. Admittedly 20 years ago as a company journeyman – my obligations were clear and defined.

Today as an entrepreneur and a consultant, I have much broader interests so its harder to draw apple to apple comparisons between the two times.

In my current world, I engage daily in a wide variety of subjects from contacts, acquaintances, friends and clients. These conversations are often continuous and free ranging, crossing personal and business spheres. For example using Skype messages which allow the conversation to pick up where it left off even if days and weeks ensue between the last entries.

For a frame of reference let me just tell you about my world 20 years ago. I lived in the UK. I had a laptop. I was an early adopter of laptops/notebooks and hand held mobile devices. In 1992 I had already had a Newton, and Atari and a Psion Organizer. All of these devices had modem-based connections. I carried with me wherever I went modem connection kits (including an acoustic coupler) that would enable at least dialup into the reservation system (Worldspan) and my email (OfficeVision).

I carried sets of electrical plugs. I had become quite adept at hacking through phone systems (Germany was a bear with its ISDN based services in hotels). I had a mobile phone yup GSM-based with a large Motorola system that worked in UK and Europe but not the USA. That came the next year.

Today? My world is about more devices. I have 3 annual mobile voice and data contracts in UK, (Sony Xxperia Ion) US Blackberry Torch 2, Germany Analogue phone. I have digital sticks for access via pay as you go for my mobile devices in 9 separate countries. I have a Macbook Air not a Sony PC any more. I have an Ipad2, a Kindle Fire (that I am experimenting with). I have abandoned my digital camera. My Sony phone gives such great pictures that I don’t carry it any more. Oh yes and I have an iPod nano 3 (the last long slim one). And please the cables and attachments… UGH! I do have a Garmin Nuvi SatNav with US and EU maps on it.

So going back to my previous world. I bought an old guidebook. This one I found in a second-hand book store. So cheating a bit – I had a 2004 Rick Steeves guidebook and a 1998 Michelin map. Still the amount of change and the lack of real time information was tough.

Firstly it’s really hard. Almost every hour – I realize how dependent I am on digital information. It is not just business – although that is my focus. For example I was speaking to a friend and we were discussing when we met.

We had a common frame of reference – it was the day Freddie Mercury (of Queen) passed away. Yet neither of us could remember the date approximate years by process of elimination but not exact. Keeping true to my restrictions I could not use my phone to look it up.

The day before I wanted to re-plan my journey from Obidos in Portugal to my destination in France (St Gilles Croix de Vie). I knew roughly where it was but could not use the GPS/SatNav to plot my journey nor estimate how long it would take. Really frustrating. I had to ask people to help. Asking in a nearby tourist office elicited stares as if I had come from Mars. They kept wanting me to use their wizbang online tool and kiosk.

In the location – an apartment loaned from a friend – I used VHS Tapes.

How did this affect me? Learning to detox is not easy! I don’t think there is any way I could completely uncouple. My cheat is using my Crackberry for emails. (But not for anything else). I have used my laptop (but not my iPad) for email only and writing things like this piece.

There truly is no way to become detached from the digital world. It is ingrained, it is as natural as eating and doing one’s toilet. It is not even easy to attempt to do this.

Looking back at not just 20 years but 15 and 10 years ago, I had most of the tools that I use on a daily basis. They have evolved but still are pretty much the same form. I am however truly dependent on them. There is no going back. This is not an experiment I am going to redo.

A world where even the toothpaste reminds you of the world I left behind for a few days.