Last Fall, I found myself comfortably floating in the Caribbean in an effort to get away from work and distractions to focus on our family. A cruise ship sounded like a good idea.

The last time we set sail in 2004, there was limited Internet access in the cruise ship work area located in a remote spot on the ship. The ship charged about $4 per minute for access, so it’s no surprise the computer lounge was empty most of the time.

Things changed in two years. The ship we called home for a week in November had an Internet lounge in a visible open area near the elevators - not to mention in the teen lounge. Wireless access also was available, so guests could use their own laptops rather than the desktops on the ship. As the week went on, I came to terms with my addiction to e-mail and work as it became more difficult to pass that lounge without taking a seat. (My husband gently suggested I keep the laptop at home!)

Now, two months later, I’m sending this column in from yet another cruise ship. This time, it’s the chosen spot for our annual Nemertes meeting (yep! Lucky me). Internet access costs 50 cents per minute (comparably, a voice call is $7.95 per minute), $25 for an hour, or $50 for 2.5 hours. It’s become much more affordable to do business in the ultimate branch office, a cruise ship floating in the ocean, 100 miles from land.

But is that a good or a bad thing? Have we made it too easy for knowledge workers to log on remotely, whether in a branch office, home office, hotel room, or cruise ship?

I’d say no, considering the number of virtual workers increased by 800% between 2000 and 2005, and IT executives tell us the trend is clearly toward even more virtualization, according to Nemertes latest benchmark, “Building a Successful Virtual Workplace.”

As a society, we’re making people location less and less relevant, and connectivity and collaborative tools vital. Some professions require physical presence - think construction, retail, and healthcare. But even with healthcare, we’re seeing numerous examples of remote physicians assisting in surgery or radiology analysis remotely using high-quality imaging and video conferencing.

Though the vast availability of connectivity makes it difficult to truly “get away,” it’s making us a more productive collective workforce. And, it’s enabling us to do our job from some pretty nice places!