Vacation

Now I know how Rip Van Winkle felt. I went on vacation for two weeks -- and awoke to find that I'd slept through (well, OK, I missed) the entire Republican National Convention. And you know what?  I can't say I missed missing it. VIDEO: Watch the RNC speeches Really, this must be the secret to how the French stay content. Vacations just seem to make problems disappear. Overwrought about politics? Anxious about the economy? Troubled by the Middle East? Try several afternoons on a nice beach, munching on fresh lobster ("That one, but wait until I'm not looking to chuck it into the boiling water, please!"

The "staycation" is not yet dead, but its popularity may be waning. The tendency to stay close to home for vacation - a trend that became popular during the Great Recession - is losing its appeal as more Americans become more interested in having a good time when they travel than in saving money. The findings are from a survey of 2,527 U.S. households by marketing and research firms MMGY Global and Harrison Group. The survey found that the average amount spent on vacations over the last 12 months has grown to $4,461, compared with $3,874 during the same period two years ago. "It's not like everyone's financial situation has improved, but people went through a series of three or four years of paring back on expenses," said Peter Yesawich, vice chairman of MMGY Global.

Here's something to ponder as Labor Day approaches: Los Angeles workers leave the highest percentage of their total employer-provided vacation time unused: 35%. By comparison, Boston workers let only 16% of their vacation days go unused. That's according to a new survey of America's 10 largest cities released this week by private destination club Inspirato . In all cities except Boston and Philadelphia, the majority of employees do not use all of their vacation time. San Francisco workers leave 32% of their total vacation days on the table, second only to L.A.'s 35%. Among America's 10 largest cities, the study found residents of Washington, D.C., were the most likely to take a vacation over the last five years while Chicagoans were the least likely.

One of the highest paid officials in Bell, fired at the peak of the corruption investigation that included a search of his house, has sued the city for $837,000, including compensation for 329 unused sick and vacation days. Eric Eggena was fired shortly after the salaries of the top rung of municipal officials in Bell were made public. Eight former officials are now facing criminal charges. Though Eggena is not among them, his house was searched as the L.A. County district attorney's office built its public corruption case "His name came up a lot during our investigation, and he certainly received a suspiciously high salary," Deputy Dist.

Verizon is the latest iPhone carrier to black out vacation days around the expected launch of the next iPhone, according to a report. Since late July, many reports have come out saying Apple is planning for a Sept. 12 event during which it will announce the sixth-generation iPhone. Pre-orders for the phone are expected to immediately follow, and the iPhone is expected to launch on Sept. 21. Now, an employee for Verizon has told TechCrunch that the network has barred employees from taking off in the days between the launch and Sept.

After an abrupt departure from the set of "Good Morning America" a few weeks ago, Robin Roberts returned to the couch to resume co-anchoring duties on Monday. And good news for those concerned about her health, Roberts says she's feeling much better. That's not to say the "GMA" star's medical worries are behind her. She's still set to take a longer medical leave in the coming weeks in order to have a bone-marrow transplant from her sister to help her battle MDS, a blood and bone-marrow disorder  she was diagnosed with in June.

Next week, my kids and I will be flying east to Massachusetts, to spend a week with extended family on Cape Cod. It's a trip we make every summer, to a rambling old house on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic, and yet each year as we get ready I can't help but feel a certain low-level anxiety. Partly, the cause of this is family; partly, the act of leaving home. But more than anything, my tension involves a question with which I've grappled since childhood: Which books should I bring? I am, after all, a peripatetic reader, although I read for a living as well.

In our connected world, you can't hide unless you run. On Tuesday, a good friend of mine got an email from the chairman of the Washington state Democratic Party informing her that county records showed her mail-in ballot for the primary election had not yet been received. Clearly, turning out the vote is no longer just a generalized effort of making phone calls or walking door-to-door. Now, each one of us is a virtual GPS point on a political grid and the decision to vote is not a private affair.

When on vacation or any extended trip, you could be vulnerable to scams, both at your home and your destination. Here are tips from AARP on protecting your identity and money: • Stop mail delivery. This can be arranged online via holdmail.usps.com/holdmail or at your local post office. Not only does an overstuffed mailbox suggest you're not home, but identity thieves also could snatch your bank and credit card statements. You can pause newspaper deliveries by contacting the paper.