Americans would rather get food poisoning on vacation than not have internet access

I'm a big fan of raw clams and oysters on the half shell. For the most part, I have had a good experience eating them. True, eating raw mollusks is sort of like playing a game of Russian Roulette, but I have historically been very lucky. One time, however, I got violently sick -- the day before I was to take a plane from New York to Florida. Believe it or not, I still took the trip, but having intestinal distress when flying is absolutely horrid. Flight aside, I spent a good portion of my time in Florida in the fetal position, sweating and swearing off raw clams (I have since eaten them again).

Since I know how horrific food poisoning can be, I am quite perplexed by a new study commissioned by Roku. Apparently, Americans would rather get food poisoning while on vacation than not have internet access. Think about that for a second -- people would rather get violently ill while vacationing than not have access to Instagram and email. Really, America?

Look, I love the internet too. Quite frankly, I am hopelessly addicted to my iPhone. With that said, I would gladly give it up to avoid diarrhea and vomiting while traveling! Believe it or not, Americans would even prefer losing their credit card while on vacation than not having internet. This is almost as crazy as food poisoning, as losing a credit card while traveling can be a nightmare -- especially if it is your only one. Shockingly, Americans would even rather no air conditioning or consistent bad weather than not having internet.

Thankfully, my fellow Americans aren't totally crazy -- there is one thing they consider worse than no internet access -- lost luggage. I mean, yes, it would stink to lose your clothes and toiletries, but unless you have some very expensive duds, you can always buy new things at your destination. I would much rather lose my luggage than get food poisoning or have consistent bad weather.

While all of things are pretty bad, I think having no internet on vacation would actually be a positive for these Americans. Back in the day, when I would go on a cruise ship, there was no internet, and to be honest, it was a very liberating experience. Without access to social media and a 24/7 news cycle, I was able to actually experience real life -- I was living in the moment. A week or more without screen time is very rewarding. Hopefully Americans will wake up and get their priorities in order, as they are at risk of becoming total tech zombies.

You can see an infographic from the study below.

Photo Credit:  George Rudy/Shutterstock