I've spent a few weeks abroad (outside of the US) with the knowledge that I might be exposed to work despite being on vacation (my domestic "vacations" mostly mean working a little less and maybe being in a different place while doing it).
The best experience was by far the first, when I had almost no contact with clients/partners and actually did manage to spend almost all of my time being half-lost and confused, entertaining the natives with my awful language skills, and generally learning about what another place is like rather than learning what it's like to do the same thing somewhere else.
Disconnecting is only half of it, but it's the most important half. Being connected to all things Work means you're still in the same place, wherever you might be geographically, and you can't possibly concentrate on the other half -- actually immersing yourself in something different -- enough for it to impact you as much as it otherwise could.
The best experience was by far the first, when I had almost no contact with clients/partners and actually did manage to spend almost all of my time being half-lost and confused, entertaining the natives with my awful language skills, and generally learning about what another place is like rather than learning what it's like to do the same thing somewhere else.
Disconnecting is only half of it, but it's the most important half. Being connected to all things Work means you're still in the same place, wherever you might be geographically, and you can't possibly concentrate on the other half -- actually immersing yourself in something different -- enough for it to impact you as much as it otherwise could.