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Many modern vacationers are hybrids, combining the traditional vacation with telecommuting, thanks to the explosion of technology. No longer do we sit by the pool, half comatose in the sun, dreaming about grilled burgers and gooey s'mores that await us at dusk.

Today, we sit by the pool with a PDA phone nearby, in its waterproof case, checking voice mail while reapplying sun lotion. Our hotels and rental vacation homes must have wireless Internet access. In addition to toiletry bags, we pack our chargers, flash drives and other tech-accessories.

We are so accessible and mobile that we can work anywhere we go. Years ago, young professionals trying to get ahead worked long hours at the office. Now they simply carry the office with them to the coffeehouse, grocery store, home office and vacation destination.

You cannot go anywhere, from the mega-superstore down the street to the souvenir shop at the beach, without seeing someone chatting with a client or checking e-mail ... for the 50th time that day.

Does anyone actually take a true, pure vacation anymore? Will anyone leave it all behind and enjoy family, tourist attractions, regional foods and beautiful weather this year?

Those who appreciate time off by completely disconnecting are a rare breed, indeed. They are just as busy as the rest of us during the workweek, but on vacation they actually relax and refuel. They return to work with renewed energy and optimism. I call them vacation purists.

But how do they do it? For example, without a cell phone, how do they know that all is well with clients, vendors and office associates? If something horribly disastrous happened, who would handle it?

Purists seem to believe that when they are on vacation, someone else can handle things without their input. Purists are confident that the world won't come crashing down in their absence. They say they have well-trained, competent and trustworthy folks back at the grindstone.

What about e-mail? No one likes to return to an overflowing inbox. And what if something important, something requiring immediate attention, arrives during vacation?

Purists will say that all this technology actually supports the concept of true vacations. A purist will set up his e-mail to be forwarded to another person, such as a lateral colleague, while he is snorkeling or visiting the world's largest ball of string.

Additionally, there are always the good people just above and below on the chain of command who can deal with 357 junk e-mails, three informative e-mails and the one extremely important, immediate-attention-required e-mail received during vacation week.

Voice mail is another hang-up for all of the hybrids out there who can't watch fireworks or eat crab legs without a cell phone strapped to their belt. We are all keenly aware of the fact that voice mail can pile up just as easily as e-mail.

However, a purist will argue that we can change our voice-mail message to explain we are out of the office contemplating the depths of the Grand Canyon, and that, by selecting a different extension, the caller can reach someone who can offer immediate help.

Purists also believe that others can open, evaluate and process snail mail. There is virtually nothing, according to the purist, that can't be handled by someone else during a well-deserved vacation.

Hybrids argue that purists must be dispensable if everything they do can be easily delegated. If purists are not needed for an entire week, are they really needed at all?

Why, yes, offer purists. No one covering for purists wants the additional workload for more than a week or two. Also, upon their return, purists find that others better appreciate all they do when they are at work.

As I pack my luggage, I have a purist on one shoulder and a hybrid on the other -- both making valid and persuasive arguments. Do I pack the laptop or simply leave it all behind, allowing myself to completely unwind for a week? Is it even possible to completely unwind while, in the back of my mind, a part of me is wondering about the status of things at work?

But when my family piles skim boards, goggles, skateboards, guitars, tubes and other vacation items on the driveway next to the car, I realize I need to focus on vacation -- not work. And there is no way the laptop and other tech accessories are going to fit in the car unless we leave somebody behind.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.