Introduction: Unwind Without Unplugging
Remember summer holidays as a kid? Getting out of school and looking forward to seeing nothing but freedom, sunshine and summer fun for the next several months?
Life seemed so much simpler then, partly because it was easier to escape the daily grind. The ubiquity of technology in daily life has stretched working hours and ratcheted up stress for millions around the globe. Though the influx of technology was originally seen as a way to increase productivity and improve the work-life balance, it has become a tenant of faith among most critics of modernity that our increasingly wired lives have resulted in nothing but additional stress.
While the modern technological ecosystem is far from perfect, these criticisms are a severe oversimplification. Technology can be friend or foe, it all comes down to how we implement the latest breakthroughs into our daily lives. For evidence that technology can help us relax, look no further than its incredible impact on how we take vacations.
Technology can help us get the most out of our vacation time. Wearables provide updates that improve the vacation experience while select ashcan aid with every aspect of a trip. While there may be some benefits to totally unplugging, the arbitrary division between higher connectivity and stress-free travel is coming to be seen by more and more as a false choice. For business trips or personal getaways, technology and connectivity can be the solution to your stress.
Trend: The Importance of Holiday
Think for just a moment about personal memories that define your life and made you the person you are today. How many of these memories come from the office? Probably not too many. In today’s hyper-competitive work environment, it’s easy to forget just how important time away from our desks can be. All over the world, heavy workloads and stress threaten to eat into our precious vacation days (see next slide). Most working people today are owed a minimum number of vacation days each year but a shocking number fail to use them all. Fear of falling behind at the office is a common reason for failing to take vacations while others worried that they would lose their edge on the competition for promotions.
But this reasoning may be flawed. Research shows that not only are vacations good for you but that they may also increase productivity meaning they’re good for the workplace and for your career as well. With so much to gain from a little time off, more and more families are starting to make full use of the time at their disposal to unwind and get away from the corporate rat race.
In addition to helping families connect and create lasting memories, vacations allow us to unwind and decompress. This can have profound benefits both at home and in the office. Vacations make people happier and more satisfied with their lives while also offering tangible health benefits by decreasing stress levels.
Trend: The Working Vacation
Millions of office workers know that there is a big difference between having vacation time and using it. The differences in vacation days (both taken and offered) provides insight into how cultures around the world differ in their prioritization of time off. Western European countries emphasize the importance of unwinding, but the hectic nature of modern life means that at a time when vacations are more needed than ever, fewer people around the globe are opting to use the entirety of their time off.
However, for those who are worried about using all their allotted vacation days, there is an alternative to going completely off-the-grid. More and more professionals are opting to use their time off to stay connected to goings-on at the office. By staying on the clock no matter where they go, a growing number of employees are finding that their bosses support taking time off. In addition to the personal benefits of travel, these trips can increase morale and productivity. This makes them a true win-win.
As the workplace continues to evolve, an increasing number of employees will become reliant on technology to keep them connected. This aligns with trends emerging elsewhere. Connectivity has never been more popular, and today’s smart appliances and other devices are emerging as key platforms for making life more are emerging as key platforms for making life more convenient both in the office and at home.
Connected Travel
Mobile apps such as Airbnb, Uber, and Expedia, enhance the travel experience by heightening convenience and helping tourists save money. Instead of opting for traditional package tours, travellers can now easily immerse themselves in their destination with the help of connected technology. In addition to maps that prevent travellers from getting lost, they can immediately search for the best places to eat and visit using social media, blogs and online reviews.
The smartphone is an essential accessory for modern travellers looking to stay connected, and the LG G6 is designed to make it easier than ever for travellers to stay connected to their home, work, and surroundings no matter where they are. The G6 offers everything today’s connected traveller needs, making it possible for users to seamlessly take and share photographs, check their schedules, search for directions and more. The phone fits in one hand despite its large screen and is built to withstand unexpected accidents. These features makes it the ideal travel companion for everything from beach bumming to intense outdoor treks and urban exploration.
Stress Free Vacations
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With work continuing to eat up ever more personal time, the line between the office and the home is blurring. A recent report found that 80 percent of Americans spend time checking emails and answering phone calls after normal work hours. The constant pressure from the office makes it essential for employees to make time to relax, leading to the emergence of bleisure, the increasingly common trend of combining business trips with leisure travel.
To increase morale and satisfaction, 78 percent of employees agree that adding a few personal days to a business trip makes the entire experience more rewarding. These longer trips provide a more thorough understanding of the local country by allowing for extra time to enjoy the local culture. In addition, bleisure trips save travellers time and money by limiting expenses and travel time. As more and more people use vacations to unwind, LG’s home appliances guarantee the safety of the home with its security and monitoring features, giving travellers less to worry about while they make the most of their time abroad.
The Hom-Bot vacuum cleaner features HomeView™ for real-time monitoring and HomeGuard™ which automatically sends photos whenever movement is detected. Similarly, the SmartThinQ™ sensor turns home devices into smart connected appliances, and is also capable of providing alerts whenever doors and windows are opened. LG’s SmartThinQ™ smartphone application ties the company’s smart technology together, allowing consumers remote access to all their smart home appliances and ensuring that homes remain clean and safe while they are out of town.
Here to Stay: The Staycation
Taking away the stress of planning, wasted travel time, budget constraints and all the things that can possibly go wrong abroad, staycationers choose to simply unwind in the comfort of their home or neighbourhood. This makes it possible to catch up on much needed sleep, watch movies, camp out in the backyard, visit a museum, enjoy local cuisine, or visit nearby trendy hotspots. Offering the same benefits as a vacation without any of the disadvantages, staycations are also better for the environmentand can even help the local economy.
LG’s home entertainment products provide exceptional quality and performance, making them the ideal solution for staycationers looking to catch up on their favourite content anywhere in the home (or even outside it). LG’s 4K UHD Blu-ray Player supports Dolby Vision™ HDR imaging, transforming the TV experience with greater brightness and contrast. The ProBeamlaser projector makes it possible for viewers to enjoy video content even in a bright room, while its slim design enhances portability and allows it to be paired with any Bluetooth audio solution. LG’s HDR-enabled UHD TVs are equipped with 4K HDR technology, allowing users to stream high quality content with unprecedented accuracy.
