Used to be when you went on vacation it was to disconnect, to escape from all the stresses and bores of everyday life. That may still be true in spirit, but today it’s nearly impossible to completely disconnect. Just think of the potential fallout: What would your loyal Twitter followers do without your daily morsels of wisdom? What of your fantasy baseball team’s pennant chase? And it pains us to think about what would happen to your virtual farm if it went untended for a week.

Even if you’ve got these things squared away (or don’t give a hoot about virtual baseball teams and farms), there are countless other benefits to staying connected while you’re vacationing. For example, friends and family don’t have to wait until you return home to see your awkward family photos or “riveting” vacation slideshows. And while checking your work email on vacation should be against all the law, a nice little email here and there letting your coworkers know how nice it is on the beach never killed anyone (though you might want to watch your back when you get back to the office).

This Netbook from HP makes it easy to stay connected on the go. More importantly, it’s pretty.

Finally, don’t forget that staying connected can make your vacation more pleasant and stress-free. Maps and directions, dinner reservations and entertainment recommendations, planning for the expected and unexpected, and much more are all infinitely easier to manage with the net at your fingertips.

With all of that in mind, here are some tips for staying connected while you’re out gallivanting and globetrotting this summer.

Check Your Pocket

The first step to your connected vacation: Check your pocket. Got an iPhone, Droid, or EVO, just to name a few? If so, you’re already on your way. With 3G (or 4G!) and mobile web you can get online within a few taps. Even if you don’t have a fancy, state-of-the-art smartphone, your phone still isn’t useless. Almost any cell phone can keep you in touch with your social network via text messages or SMS. Just shoot a text to an assigned number and you can tweet, update your Facebook status, or even post pictures right from your phone. As long as you’re not using one of these bad boys, you won’t be completely disconnected. Don’t forget, an iPod Touch along with some other portable devices can also put the web in the palm of your hand, but you might have to jump through a few more hoops (like finding Wi-Fi, which we’ll get to) first.

Get your app in gear

Using messaging and mobile web on your phone is a great start, but truthfully, you can do so much better. To really turn your phone into an indispensible travel companion, you’ve got to check out the app scene. Most of the more prominent phones mentioned above boast impressive app stores, and among them there are plenty of great vacation- and travel-themed ones to choose from. From the time you start packing your bags all the way until you’re catching your flight back home, there’s an app that will keep you covered and give you peace of mind.

The famous iPhone app Urbanspoon (which is available for Android phones, too) will help you find the best restaurants in more than 50 major cities. Postman will take all the stress out of making sure those postcards to friends and family get home before you do. And oddly enough, Sit or Squat will find the nearest bathroom, no matter where you are (hey, trust us, this can be quite a lifesaver).

A bathroom app? What will they think of next? Wait, don’t answer that.

And that’s just the beginning. Whether you need help remembering your hotel room number, figuring out the local bus and subway lines, learning common phrases in a foreign language, calculating currency conversion rates, or anything else you can think of, there is most likely an app that can make it easy for you.

Just check the Travel section of your phone’s app store or marketplace, or simply search for “vacation” or “travel” apps. Find yourself in any manner of pinch in your travels, and you’ll be glad you did.

Carry-on compatible

If your phone just isn’t enough, and you’re feeling ambitious (looking to edit those aforementioned vacation photos, slideshows or videos, for example), then you’ll want to take it up a notch and bring along a laptop. Or, if you want to limit the strain on your luggage, a netbook is the perfect companion for your travels. Affordability and portability are the name of the game with netbooks, and you don’t have to sacrifice all that much in terms of performance, either.

What’s more, many of these netbooks come with embedded broadband, making it much easier for your computer to connect to the net on the go.

Untangle the web

With the exception of your phone, many of your devices, including your notebook or netbook, may need a little help connecting to the web. Fortunately, you have numerous options at your disposal. One option is to be on constant lookout for Wi-Fi hotspots. As a welcome treat for travelers, some hotels, restaurants and tourist destinations provide Wi-Fi that you can hop onto without too much trouble. However, at times you might need help finding Wi-Fi coverage or accessing a hotspot that may require login information or other authentication.

To dial back a bit, be sure to check out some of the apps available on your phone, including the Global Wi-Fi Finder App for iPhone (it’s free!), which will help you find and access Wi-Fi wherever you are. An added benefit of going the Wi-Fi route: If you’re traveling internationally, the international data rates for your phone or mobile broadband (discussed below) can get a little steep, making Wi-Fi a great way to go.

Another option is mobile broadband, which eliminates the need to search for Wi-Fi or Internet hotspots. You can also create your own mobile hotspot, which allows you to connect up to 5 wireless devices like laptops, PSPs and iPods. With Virgin Mobile’s hotspot, you don't even have to commit to a contract. Or you can get an aircard or USB adapter that you can plug right into your computer. And as we mentioned above, many netbooks and other portable devices (think the iPad) include embedded broadband so you won’t need the assistance of any additional accessories.

This wireless hotspot allows you to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices at the same time.

Whichever option you go with, your broadband device or accessory won’t do much for you until you get hooked up with a provider and a plan, so you’ll need to choose a provider and get that plan into place. You can get plans specifically for your new device, or you can simply add mobile broadband to your current phone contract if that makes sense.

You have plenty of options to choose from, and if your vacation is later in the summer, you can add one more, as well. Best Buy now has its very own mobile broadband service called Best Buy Connect. With Best Buy Connect, you can get set up right in a Best Buy store and leverage Best Buy for help and support whenever you need it. All the requisite contract options will be there too, along with a no-contract option.

Bon voyage!

Well, travelers, those are some tips to help you stay connected on your next getaway. Follow them and don’t be left disconnected this year. Oh, and one last tip: Don’t overdo it! Because even in today’s fast-paced world, the best vacations are still about a little disconnection and escape.