Updated: 8/6/20 | August 6th, 2020
If you’re like the rest of the world, you’re wrestle everyday with addiction. It’s an addiction that’s become built into our culture, one that has sunk its teeth into every facet of modern day life.
It’s an addiction to our phones.
We use them for work, sharing memes, communication, watching movies, reading books, listening to podcasts, meditation timers, and everything else under the sun.
We do everything on them.
How many times are you out to dinner and everyone is checking their phones?
How many times do you walk into a glass door because you are looking intently at the phone? (Not saying I did this recently..)
How often do you talk to someone while staring at the phone (“I’m paying attention, I swear!”)?
When I first started traveling in 2006, if a hostel had a computer, it was a big deal. I remember taking pictures and going to Internet cafés to upload them to my MySpace page or waiting for my turn at the hostel computer to check my email.
No one I knew traveled with a phone. If you made plans to meet someone in another city, you just had to hope they would stick to them or wouldn’t get delayed. You were connected sparingly, but that never seemed to matter. You wanted to be disconnected because that was the whole point — to break away and explore the world.
But, over the last few years, I’ve seen a remarkable shift in social interactions among travelers. Now, it’s all like “This hostel’s Wi-Fi doesn’t even reach my dorm room! I’m leaving!” People are more concerned with their phone than with meeting people.
While hostels are still the best places to meet people, they aren’t as incredible as they used to be, because everyone is on their phone, computer, or iPad watching Netflix, working, or checking Facebook.
No one is just hanging out and interacting with each other like before. I find this depressing.
I’m not against technology or all this beautiful Wi-Fi. We now have Google Maps and can book rooms and flights from our phones, stay in touch easier, and communicate better.
Wondering why your friend isn’t at the appointed meeting spot on time? No problem! Now you can just ping them a message on WhatsApp. Problem solved!
Technology has made finding cheap flights easier.
It’s made learning languages easier.
And thanks to the sharing economy, it’s made connecting with locals easier too.
But, as much as technology has helped us, I think we’ve really lost one of the most beautiful aspects of travel. Constant distraction keeps us from observing the place we are at and being present in the moment.
Too often we’re glued to the phone Instagramming that moment but never really being in it. We’re in a hostel reading the news online or chatting with our friends back home instead of meeting people.
We’re at dinner looking up Facebook “for just a second,” wondering how many people liked our last photo.
Or on some adventure activity but Snapchatting the experience.
A few years ago, I read the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. In it, the author Marshall Goldsmith talked about how if you are doing something else while talking to someone, you are subtly signaling to them that they aren’t important, even if you can parrot back everything they said.
I thought about that and realized I did that all the time. I was only ever half there.
That book made me rethink how I interact with people. It taught me to put away my phone, to make better eye contact, and focus on the people around me.
It was a very hard thing to do, as I was totally addicted to my phone.
Last year, as part of my anxiety-reducing initiative, I cut down the amount of work I do when I travel. When I go some place new, I put the computer away. If I’m not going for a “workcation” or a conference, the computer is off.
I write this from Malta. During my four-day jaunt around the island with friends, I didn’t open my computer. I didn’t write. There were a few tweets and posted pictures, and when someone was caught on their phone, my group reminded each other to put it down.
We focused on enjoying the destination and being present.
I don’t want this to be a “get off my lawn” kind of post, but think about it — how often and how long do you go without your phone?
When you travel, how many times are you “pulled away” from the experience while commenting on someone’s last post?
Did you travel around the world so you can check on what your friends back home are doing, or did you go for the adventure?
This year, as we travel, let’s pledge to put our damn phones away. Let’s not retreat into our safe zone when we feel slightly uncomfortable around strangers or in silence. Let’s interact with the people and places we are visiting.
Observe the amazing scenes around you.
Say hello to someone new.
Give yourself 15-30 minutes max — and then put the computer or phone away, step out the door, and take in the world!
If you’re traveling with someone, tell them to remind you to put the phone away. Eventually, you’ll break your habit. If you are traveling alone, leave your phone in your dorm when you go downstairs. You’ll be forced to interact with people.
The magic of travel only happens when you are fully outside your comfort zone but if you’re always on your phone, connected to back home, you’ll never be unconnected. You’ll never be able to grow because you’ll never get outside your comfort zone.
The phone is the enemy of the travel experience.
Let’s make this the year we stop curating our lives, cut the umbilical cord to home, put away our phones, and enjoy the moment and beauty in front of us.
After all, that’s why you wanted to go away in the first!
How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”
Click here to learn more and start reading it today!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
TF
I work from home and, to save money, have only the lowest-level mobile phone plan. It really is just for emergencies. And for calls/SMS only–I don’t have data. That helps a lot. Have your phone, but turn off the data.
Jen
This is one of my favorite posts and it’s something I struggle with all the time. I think I have more of a problem with my camera than my phone. I always feel the need to document everything. Lately I’ve started putting my camera down more or not bringing it all, and it’s a totally different trip. Thanks, Matt.
Justin
So true, Jen. It’s a delicate balance, as though you have to “schedule time” to enjoy where you are. We all want to immediately start snapping pictures or tweeting where you are, and as a travel blogger we probably fight against that even more (or, do we?) It’s a good thing to remember that no camera, no lens is as good as the human eye. What makes for great memories is taking a moment to take IN moments with all your senses. Then go on about documenting however you would like 🙂
Andres
On my last big trip I bought an action camera. They are not that great for photos as they are for video, but I’m not a good photographer anyways xD point is, whenever you need it, you just take the camera, click it, and put it back again on your bag, and even if you want some video, they are so lightweight it won’t be so much of a trouble and allows you to check your surroundings more easily.
But still, I’m convinced that no picture can compare with actually seeing it with your own eyes, and as Justin said, great memories are made of the experience itself, not of how the picture look 😉
Staci
I love the idea of not using the phone but as a deaf person, I have to rely on it when paper and pen aren’t available to communicate, even on my travels. Some deaf people can speak (like me) to hearing people but it’s difficult to understand each other and as much as gestures could be used, it doesn’t universally translate among cultures. Of course if two deafs chat, you would never find a phone impeding their conversation due to the usage of sign language. Even if one uses American Sign Language and another use another country’s sign language.
I do carry a notebook and pen for when the phone is not a good idea and for instances when I leave the phone and don’t have it with me. It’s always a good idea to have the classic paper/pen as a deaf traveler and one I never broke.
I do agree with what you said otherwise about putting the phone down to enjoy the moment. It’s very important to experience the moment as it is, not just via photos.
Andres
I understand that, it’s more of a tool in your case. I met a deaf girl in Indonesia and she only used it for communication purposes, but the beauty of travel is that most of the time, words are not even necessary. She is an awesome traveler and I believe you are as well 😀
Elizabeth
When I’m traveling I prefer to leave social media and blogging till I get home. I take notes with a pen and write in a paper journal in the evening. When I get home I type everything up and rearrange the info in ways that make more sense. I don’t really understand how travel bloggers can experience a place while being half distracted, but then I’m just beginning. I hope I’m able to maintain this stance as I continue blogging…
TM
It is so hard nowadays to enjoy at the maximum your travel because of social medias. Sometimes you are so worried about taking the best picture that you don’t even enjoy the landscape you are capturing and many new travellers think mostly about sharing their pictures on facebook and instagram to please their followers instead of getting the best out of travelling.
efi
I gotta put down my phone in daily life aswell, I guess. I seriously need phone diet. The diet plan is always on my list since early last year but nor result up untill now.
let’s how things are going this year. The diet is still on the go, tho’.
best of luck to all of us.
Jeremiah
I’ve seen that video before and absolutely love it, along with this post.
I agree with what you said 100% because I experienced it a year ago when I was in Budapest.
I stayed at Retox, the very well known Party Hostel. I was surprised and kind of letdown by how no one really interacted with each other until the later hours of the evening when the bar finally opened.
During the day everyone was on their phones(and the computer was always empty).
It almost felt like people didn’t know how to interact until the alcohol could assist them.
Great post.
And please everyone… Interact!
Jurga
I never even looked at my phone when traveling in the past, nor did I have a social media account. But then I started a travel blog and everything changed. 🙂
It’s a constant struggle now to put the phone away and just enjoy the experience. It helps if you travel to places where phones or internet doesn’t work… Like Yellowstone or most places in Africa…
It’s a good post and reminds us all to be here and now and enjoy it more, not only when traveling.
Adam
Keen believer in this idea! Too many people trying to take photos, on their phone and miss the beauty of what’s around them
Anna Colorista
Fun fact: you just wrote a blogpost about putting your phone aside while traveling, I just wrote one about 4 travel related apps I can’t live without. But ultimately our message is the same: phones are great, just don’t overuse them. And by the way, I am a firm believer in not using Google Maps and actually getting lost sometimes. Greetings from Germany 🙂
Xanti
I have on more than one occasion been given the wrong information with Google maps and spent my touring time trying to get to my accommodations. So now I send updates to Google correct wrong information.
But generally like many of the other posters I just don’t turn my phone on.
And I have now become adept at just standing my ground while someone who has their face to their phone walks into me. Better me than a glass door.
Noelle
This is a really great post. While I still struggle with a bit too much phone time during the day, one thing that I have started doing recently is putting my phone on silent and from when I go to bed until to when I am ready to get up in the morning I don’t touch it at all. This has made me a sleep better and longer just in the few weeks I’ve been doing it.
Natalie
I definitely need to be on my phone much less! I’m going to work on that right now, while I’m still at home.
Luminita
I love the idea of sharing as much as possible from a trip on social media and blog, but you’re right, there are times when it’s best to just put the phone away and enjoy the wonderful experiences, people and places you find while travelling.
Katarina
I took the day off from school today and thought about the great things I could do with my unexpected free time. Yeah, that went to hell quickly. It’s already 3pm here and I’ve been on the computer since like 8:30 this morning. I have to be in work at 6 so looks like I wasted the day when I could have been taking pictures, exploring the city, or doing something touristy.
Ed
I wonder why everyone uses their phone so much as well. When I travel, it is used for emergency purposes. Google maps? Really? Can no one learn how to read a map anymore, an actual paper map? And some of those free maps that you get at the train stations and hostels are gorgeous as well. And they might give you something to do, other than just searching for something on google maps. I bring them home and frame them, with all my notes that I wrote down and circles and lines on streets with directions. Some of the best restaurants I ate at, I stumbled across because I was literally lost. I came across one in Amsterdam, and wouldn’t have known about it had I not walked by, lost, and smelt the apple pie. Can’t smell that from a google map, can you? And it also gives you a sense of your surroundings as well. You get to know the city or neighborhood you are in i- it forces you to pay attention to the architecture, smells, sights, sounds, the landscape. Can’t get that from google maps either. A city or street or neighborhood or building is just another character you meet in your travels.
NomadicMatt
I actually love it for Google Maps. Other than that I don’t use it much! I have like 3 apps on my phone.
Luis Sanser
Life’s too short with phones, internet… why just few people regconize this?
TMD
Hello Matt, just read your blog, you raised such a good question caused in millennials, whatever it is about coworkers, hostels, travelling, walking or with families etc. we all are crutched because we want digitally socialize not physically. We should make this tile “PUT YOUR DAM PHONE AWAY” in trend. So we should see all the shades of life.
Ashley
I agree, I know we love to document everything. Some people for a genuine purpose others to show off. But loads of people are on thier phone so much they miss whats around them. When I’m travelling I usually use my phone solely for directions and getting addresses, I do take it out to take pictures but wait until after my trip to share.
Gustavo Woltmann
I agree with you, we need to put down our phone to enjoy the moment. This is really a great post.
Elizabeth Hulett
This is so true and something I have to monitor in myself as well. What’s worse is I may be on my phone and still forget to take a picture! also not sure if it’s been mentioned but if you’re like me and need to keep yourself in check, download the app Freedom this can block your internet and apps for a predetermined session time so you can focus on life and work.. out of sight out of mind kind of
NomadicMatt
Thanks for the app tip!
JJ
Excellent post! It baffles me how people can enjoy a place with their faces in a phone or mugging into the camera for a selfie at every turn. Sure, photographic evidence of being somewhere is great, but what about taking a moment to feel how the air moves, or to smell the scent of street food, or even to imagine what that place may have looked like 100 years ago? I think technology is great but, as with so many things, in moderation. Life is too short to spend it all on social media.
Juraj
So true.
People really are glued to their phones nowadays, me often included.
When we were in Cambodia, we spent a few days on Koh Rong Samloem with no internet. Guess what, it was the best few days ever.
NomadicMatt
It is always is! 🙂
Vinz Salvador
This is life-changing and an eye-opener. Everything mentioned here are the reality of today’s generation. I’m one of those millennials who is addicted to social media and always feeling incomplete when I forgot to bring my phone.
Thanks for the great reminder! I’m going to challenge myself to start living life without relying too much on social media and phones.
Freddie
Completely agree!
Michelle
Great post! Nowadays, I hear some people loving a destination not just for the beauty of it, but also because it has no signal coverage, giving them no choice but to put down their phone and enjoy the trip. Then found that they can enjoy their trip more by turning their phones off. I found it rather disconcerting, but then I thought about how I was on my phone many many times during holiday and not being present, too. Thank you for the reminder 🙂
Anne
Hi Matt
Thank you so much for this post! Last month I was spending time in Thailand and it also struck me how obsessed people are with their phones.
For example: we were having a cocktail at a really nice place (think sea view, blue skies, sun, palm trees,…) and we were sitting next to a group of five girls (around 20-25). They sat next to each other for over an hour and they literally didn’t speak. They all connected to wifi immediately and started facebooking, instagramming etc. But they didn’t speak AT ALL. And I saw many other similar examples.
It’s crazy. You are spending time in paradise and all you can think about is checking your Facebook status? Insane. Actually, that’s the last thing I want to do on holiday.
I rarely connect to wifi, only when I need to book a hotel or something.
Being without computer or internet feels liberating to me.
And I totally agree with your sentence “the author Marshall Goldsmith talked about how if you are doing something else while talking to someone, you are subtly signalling to them that they aren’t important”.
Personally, I think it’s really rude when people do this, many people don’t even realise it’s rude anymore.
So hopefully, this excellent post will cure some people from their phone obsession!
Thanks!
Anne
Mike
I can relate to what you’re saying.
When I was in Cambodia on a paradise island, I saw so many couples or even friends who would just spend over half of their dinner (ON A PARADISE ISLAND) on their phones. I couldn’t even believe it. You’re on a beautiful tropical paradise island… you’re with someone you live… yet you spend half of your dinner looking down at your phone, going on Facebook or Instagram… wtf?
I am so glad I actually lost my phone on that trip, it fell out of my pocket during a tuk-tuk ride and I figured “Well, I’m certainly not going to buy a new phone here” so I spent the last 3 weeks of my trip without a phone and it was actually a very liberating experience and it left me with long-lasting results in terms of using my phone like 80% less than what I used to 🙂
Mike
I lost my phone in Cambodia, when I was there last November. It fell out of my pocket during a tuk tuk ride.
I spent the remaining 3 weeks of my trip without a phone. And I was traveling solo.
It was actually SO liberating. Every time I was waiting for food at a restaurant, I was just present and looking around, it was a great way to just accept what\’s happening in the moment and deal with the awkwardness. Or to just look more at the beauty around me.
As a result, ever since I came back home, I don\’t use my phone as much. My motto is: phone is for phone calls. Everything else – (Youtube or news, in my case) only sporadically. I spend waaaay less time on my phone nowadays, even if I am in a waiting room I prefer to spend more time just breathing and being, rather than looking down at my phone and getting numb.
Thank God for losing my phone in Cambodia … 😀 it was a blessing
Claire Algarme
I feel you as I was reading through your post and I totally agree with you on many points. When I travel, I prefer to embrace the moment and absorb all the beauty surrounding me. The only thing I hold is a camera. I don’t have ATM (at the moment) posts when I travel as I do the uploading when I return to the hotel or once I get back home from the trip. My travel companions would often beg me to post while we’re on the road but I refrain from doing so.
michael
Couldn’t agree more. The damn phones are so ever present it is ridiculous. Great post. I like the idea of a phone but no data. I do not have a phone but got stuck in San Francisco Airport and could have used a phone to organize things. Live and learn.
C
This is very true!! Over the last few years it seems people are always traveling through their phones… They’re missing out on the precious moments, as they are taking pictures and videos of everything, talking with people back home over text and chat.
During our last trip to Costa Rica, we opted to avoid writing any blogs on location so that we could maximize the experience while we were there. Otherwise we would’ve risked missing out on this wonderful new country, the amazing people we got to meet and the stunning sights we discovered.
Todd Armstrong
It always amazes me when I see somebody who has planned their trip,payed for it and are in some of the most beautiful places on earth and have their nose stuck in their phones for hours.
Reni
Things changed a lot the past 10 years. Our first backpacking trip around SEA was totally diffefent to now. The times when we meet people along the road and with some of them agreed on catching up in another city. It was such a great thing when the other person came too. Today… a quick whatsapp that one is late, or can’t come just 5 min. before the agreed meet. On the other hand technology is so useful. We just should not overdue.
For me the worst with constant being online is that the flexibility and the unknown got lost. Today, before going somewhere, we often know exactely how it looks like because we have seen many photos of the place on social media and blogs before. Which is great but the real purpose of traveling and exploring the unknown gets lost a bit.
Another thing I noticed when we recently traveled to Thailand , everybody has booked the accommodatuon already. The hostels with good reviews were all booked out. Where are the days where we just walk along the road and check one after the other guesthouse for a room? Without knowing if it’s on the top 10 of tripadvisor? The spontanity, the unknown and the surprise gets lost today.
Well, writing this I’m glued to my phone. And I’ll put it away for a while after sending this comment.
Thanks for sharing. To disconnect is indeed something we should do more often.
Janet Bartlett
So hurtful and insulting to be the recipient of the phone junkies half hearted attention , it amazes me how people can think it’s acceptable to play with their phone and say ‘yeah carry on, I am listening’ while clearly not! Lets put phones away in company and bring conversation back
Bruce W Gourlay
Matt, thanks for this post. I was going to say that it is the best post yet, then I’d think back to some other incredible posts and insights you’ve shared. Any rate, a great post, and thank you for the extra encouragement to watch the 15 minute video. I probably would have skipped it otherwise. It was also fascinating. In short, just a word of encouragement and appreciation.
Jimena
I just came back from an digital detox trip in Morocco with intrepid. It was definitely a challenge, but having other people to do it with made it so much fun. It gave us the excuse to actually talk to each other, especially while travelling from city to city.
I’d love to review the experience if NomadicMatt wants an article about it or something 😉
Karen
Such a necessary post – thanks for being a millennial and taking a stand on the subject.
Although I\’m a Gen X-er, I\’m just as guilty as anyone when it comes to leaning on my phone as a crutch to connect when alone or bored, or over-documenting moments with my camera. Yet my mantra re: technology had long been and remains \”use it to serve you or you will inevitably serve it\”. The not-so-subtle art of disconnection is a skill well cultivated in today\’s hyper-connected world, because it will increasingly become a conscious choice vs. forced circumstance.
On a recent first-time solo trip to Lake Tahoe, I found when I was out alone at a bar or restaurant and stayed alert and off my phone, I met amazing people. Never once did I not meet someone. Be open, in the moment, and accessible, or you\’ll miss what the moment has in store for you! Glad I didn\’t.
Since my phone is my camera, I\’m also guilty of documenting trips to death. I can easily and quickly slide into photo-journalist mode, and when I feel myself slipping there I pause and inquire \”how much more special would this experience be if I savored and stored it away just for ME?\” So more and more, I do that, taking only \”pictures in my mind\” and committing them to memory along with the joy and wonder that accompany them. Priceless 🙂
Melissa
I had coffee with a friend recently and we sat for almost three hours talking and at the end we were amazed that neither one of us had reached for our phones. They weren’t even on the table. Then we were shocked that something like that is even considered an achievement. My goal this year is to spend less time on my phone and to stop reaching for it every time I’m not doing something else. To help, I’ve turned off data for most of my time wasting apps.
Sal
You know what Matt, THANK YOU for posting this article because this is how I feel about life in general. I backpacked for ten years and I’m glad I did it when I had my time as accessible internet on devices 24/7 wasn’t around and made people much more social and adventurous. I remember waiting to use the hostel computer and looked forward to checking my e-mail or Facebook every now and again.
But having just come back from a year in New Zealand makes me sad. Travellers have become -boring. I befriended or formed bonds with very little people as travellers are missing out on really growing and learning off each other because they are always retreating into their devices. I never use the internet on my phone when I’m in company, let online use it when I’m out in the world, -and never in a hostel when I could have a conversation with someone – but that’s today’s problem, we are forgetting to be present and really sucking in the experience of life but constantly fretting about sharing it or retreating to our comfort zone which totally defeats the whole purpose of travelling? It become creeping normality. Now accessible internet has its convenience of course when it’s appropriate but not to ignore those around you.
But in a way, having no-one to talk to in hostels made me have much greater adventures as I got out and talked to locals, volunteered and have some great stories to tell and want to publish my travel stories. Use your phone for some down time if you need it, but not replace your once in a lifetime experience by forgetting to form real memories. You’re not realising how much you are missing out on how much you can grow as a person. But then maybe I’ll always be a ludite traveller. 😉
Paolo
Perfect response!! I agree with everything you have written. Hostels were once the place to pass on stories and meet people to carry on a similar adventure, but now they are just a place to connect to wifi and write on social networks. It is quite a sad world that we are now living in
Sal
I know, I lived in a few hostels during my working holiday visa years and pre – 2012 the first sign you would see at a youth hostel reception would be (Sign up for comedy night trip, guided walk, morning surf lessons, trip to the movies etc..) now what you see at the majority (not all, may I add) of receptions at hostels, especially in Australia and New Zealand are ‘WIFI – Code’ or the first question from a new arrival is ‘What is the WIFI code?’ and then proceed to spend hours (or even days) trapped into devices because they can get instant gratification and comfort from watching the internet or looking at what their friends are doing on Facebook back home – that was the last thing I wanted to do!
Fair enough, the instant access to the internet can be convenient for information access, a map search if you have a destination for an appointed time, job searching or the occasional blog post for family and friends (like I did) but when its constanty occupying all your ‘discovery’ time, I just wonder – why did you make the conscience chose to travel and then not want to interact with people and actually be ‘travelling’ in the sense? I would be happier not to hear from sometime all the time who was out travelling because I would know they were out there living it!
The excuse is ‘people are conditioned into doing it’ but I disagree, we all have a brain and have a choice in our responses to temptations like the internet on hand held devices. but its whether you have a lack of will-power to want to keep looking at it and the trained discipline to avert away from in means to be kinder to yourself and your personal growth.
Paolo
Brilliant post!! This is oh so true. Yesterday I was in the Dolomites in Italy with my wife. I said to her let’s stop here in the car and go for a walk exploring. She said to check it out on google maps….. I refused point blank!! When I started travelling, phones only existed for calls and the odd text. It was all about taking wrong turnings and discovering new places. To get off the normal path taken by all the others. We left the phone in the car and ended up seeing amazing frozen waterfalls and things which you can’t describe to people on social media…… I am just gutted that I left my camera at home, There were some great photo opportunities!!
Michael Lawrence
Yes! Love this so much! One of my best memories from travelling was this summer sailing in Greece. Out of the ocean so no cell reception and no wifi. We got to know each other, played games, swam in the ocean and took in the scenery. Everything traveling in about.
Mark Spivak
Great post, and absolutely true. I recently made the leap to an iPhone after 6-7 years of old-fashioned flip phones. My New Year’s resolution was not to turn into an idiot that walked around staring at his phone all the time. So far, so good. To be honest, I still haven’t figured out what these people are staring at.
The parallel between travel and “real” life is worth underlining. What I discovered during those flip-phone years was that not having a smart phone allowed me to create a mental space to which I could retreat, fantasize and be creative. Sadly, I think the legions of phone robots are missing out on that, whether traveling or at home.
Sal
Absolutely.
I like to travel write and where you talked about retreating, that’s what I do when I’m out alone in the outside world – taking sights, smells, sensations in, looking out the window, noticing people, building material, seeing the beauty in the things around us.
But I might be able to do this because I’m a daydreamer and very creative person, seeing the world like a cartoon strip. I don’t feel right missing out on all that looking down on my phone but I think we all have a chose in our actions and I choose not to do Facebook or E-mail when I’m out and about and especially when I’m socialising. You’re missing out sensationally and E-mail and social media on-the-road is something I do irregularly for blogging or as a treat on a long trip (year or more) or on a short trip, not at all. All that can wait till I get home because I don’t prioritise looking at whats going on at home over being present in a sensational moment on-the-road. I hope others could realise and join the adventure too!
Besides, maybe I’ll have the best stories when I’m an old lady…:)
EA
Couldnt agree more. It is great to be able to stay connected, but then you are not fully ‘getting away’. Travel was a lot harder, but I think more rewarding before the internet was so easily accessible on the road.
sander smith
I used to travel with my phone literally always in my hand but not because for the purpose of taking pictures lol! I’ve been dependent on my mobile travel app cause I’m too afraid to get lost and I feared hassle. In the end, I was pretty exhausted. But since I booked my travel using hotelsdifferently.com, I learned to detached from the technical world and enjoy my vacation to the fullest!
Richard Ascough
Hi Matt,
I agree completely, I see so many people constantly filming everything they are seeing rather than taking time to actually see it.
I’m not sure when all these people are going to sit back and actually watch this footage or see these photos.
I traveled to the Annapurna region of Nepal for 3 weeks and didnt take a camera or mobile phone. I can still clearly remember how beautiful the scenery was,
Thanks
richard
Carl
Wow Richard, that is impressive leaving the camera behind on such a big trip. I’m impressed. I guess if you ever do need a reminder Instagram will have tons (good and bad)
Carl
Great idea Matt and you’ve convinced me to start pushing the same agenda on our family blog. Last year I did undertake a weekends digital detox thanks to a trip with no mobile coverage and very limited wifi. I was surprised by the discovery of physical habits I had around my phone (reaching unconsciously for it etc) but also how much quality time I got back with the kids and my wife whe I ditched it. i also got a sharp reminder on that trip as to how descructive to the family being hooked to your phone can be. One morning walking back from the resort shop with a paper I passed a bench in the wifi area. A mum and dad were glued to their phones while their kids sat next to them bored and looking very sad, but also what I noticed was that the parents looked pretty miserable as well so what was the point!
On the flip side I also learned that they’re were times when it was fine to pick up the phone, for instance when the kids were busy playing on soft play and happy this was a great chance to read the news, a book, your blog and yes even Facebook but then stop when play time was over. Since the trip I’ve put in place a few more rules around my digital use such as no devices at the dinner table and ensuring there is quality time spent between all us. Especially when travelling.
George
In this ever connected world, people are obsessed with smartphones and other digital devices. They spend countless hours on these devices to the extent they develop health and mental issues. Looking at these small screens constantly leads to severe eyesight related issues also.
Richard
My phone is just very expensive alarm clock most of the time. For many years my plan didn’t even include data. Who would have thought that when Steve Jobs introduced first iPhone it will so drastically change the human behaviour.
Deborah Williams
AMEN! I don’t get to travel as much as I would like, but I do travel 2-3 times a year (local and global). I find that I get so much more absorbed in who and what and where when I don’t have to make the phone connections!
In 2016, I traveled solo for two months through Ireland and Scotland (with a week in Barcelona to finish it off!). I bought a cheap phone there but found the cell service very spotty and so couldn’t “insta” very often. My routine became enjoy the day, take lots of photos (an obsession) and then hope I might have wi-fi that night.
You know what? It was wonderful! Freeing! Now, it’s my normal routine. I’ve learned that “insta” doesn’t have to be instant. I can post that pic anytime. I’m still posting pictures from that trip as well as others I’ve long returned from.
I’d rather see the world and meet the people in it, and take photos to refresh memories through the years. I’ve moved farther away from social media and closer to my surroundings in the process.
Thanks for sharing this Matt. Now I’m gonna go share it on some social media. HA! Some things are hard to change —
Josh N
Hi Matt,
I too love to travel just like you do. I think it would be really cool to travel in stay in hostels in order to meet new people who probably have similar interests as you. I agree technology especially smartphones are taking away from every person’s social life. Phones are an important communication tool people use to tell of their adventures so people do need them. I think people should put down their phone and meet people when they have the opportunity because your best friend could be someone you just met while traveling. The book that you mentioned seems like something that I might want to look at so it can help me meet more new people.
Kendra
Couldn’t agree more. I’m just on the shallow end of Gen-X so I remember life before cell phones. I remember life before the internet. When I think back to my teenage years, there was this brief period of time when I had money and a vehicle – and no cell phone, minimal 24/7 style responsibilities… And I think back to the downright fun I had then. Today, if my cell phone goes dead it’s a potential emergency. I have to answer that karned starned thing any hour of the day, night or in between. Sooooooo missing the days when being “off the grid” was EXPECTED.
Mia
This is a great post, Matt, and something that I think is so important to remember in our increasingly digital world – to put the phone down and live in the present moment.
I recently visited my longtime best friend in San Diego. Laying in the sand on a beautiful, warm day without work or school to worry about. I had no reason to be checking my email or text messages or be on my phone whatsoever. However, checking my phone has become so habitual that I had to intentionally set it aside and keep myself from looking at it.
I think that in our society right now we feel like we have to constantly be doing something, documenting something or posting something about our lives that it can feel weird to just sit and take in our surroundings.
I’ve crazy how little interaction we can have sitting next to someone on the bus, waiting outside a classroom, or waiting in line at the post office because everyone is glued to their phone.
After routinely practicing mindfulness I have learned how amazing it is to be free from devices, even just for part of the day. It allows me to fully take in a moment and my surroundings with all of my senses, and be completely in that moment. I think that it’s amazing what we can experience free from technology and living in the moment.
Arnold
Roaming is quite costly and for some reason, my mobile phone data doesn’t work with roaming. So here you have it – I can’t use my phone while abroad, no matter how much I would want it. I use it for taking pictures and video though.
Ken Walsh
it really never ends does it..now the virtue signaling is..I am better than other people because I use my phone less, I am not a sheep like they are..and then people try to outdo each other with escalating tales of how they REALLY never use a phone & horror tales of the godawful horror of seeing others do so…. it is the new, I never watch TV thing, the new humblebrag..60 competing entries..I bet I use my phone even less than you do..damn I do not even have one, etc.
Sukran S
I do a variation of this every year where I detox from every digital gadget (my phone, my notebook) that I own and take that time to travel and get some worldly experience. I have been doing this for quite some time now that the people who I work with and my family respect this idea. When I am done with the detoxing month, it’s just pure heaven. You get this reinforced energy to tackle all your problems in life and live more stress-free. It works, it definitely does. Thanks for writing about it.
Los Arina
Great post! I started traveling in 2005 and remember the internet cafes fondly, you’d definitely limit your online time! Just used email, I didn’t even have my bebo account set up yet… Ah memories! In 2015 I recreated this experience by not having a phone for 3 months in South America and loved it! Being bored and staring into space waiting for buses etc is good for your soul. Plus you notice the funny little interactions and magic around you! I’d also subject the unsuspecting but always patient locals to my amateur Spanish skills.
Love that Simon Sinek video! He nails it. Need to remember more of this now that I’m back home..
Bert
OK, so I’m one of those old farts(60s) that started traveling in the late 80s. Waaaaaaay back then, we didn’t have smart phones. We actually talked to fellow travelers to share information. We also shared meals, great conversations and expenses. Not to mention fantastic experiences with new friends.
Having seen how the tone of travel has changed from then to now saddens me. Everyone is so independent now. Nobody has to talk to anyone now. I have Trip advisor, booking.com., and Google Maps,etc. Don’t get me wrong, I use them too. But social interaction has taken a backseat. I don’t long for the good old days. Technology has it’s advantages. But sometimes if you take your nose out of your phone, you might be the better for it.
Sam
I live down in Guatemala – we’ve got volcanoes, Mayan ruins, beaches, mountains, jungles…tons of great sights to be excited about! But what’s the first thing travelers want to see when they arrive? Their phones. I’ve seen buses dropping off travelers in this historic colonial city and the first words out of their mouth are: “Where can I get WiFi”? You’d think they’d say “Woah, this is beautiful” or “Hey, let’s check out those ruins!” – but nope, it’s all about getting on their phones ASAP. You go to cafes and you’ll see groups of young tourists on their phones, staring straight down into their laps. It’s really a terrible addiction…worse yet, people don’t realize it’s a problem. Very sad and kinda frustrating to watch even the traveling nomads devolve into screen junkies.
Jerry
I like this post.
My phone is my travel computer, notebook, planner, blogging device. Its also a camera, sometimes one of three! But each has its time and place. I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem putting phone or camera away and just enjoying the moment.
But then I’m an old computer geek, not a millennial. ?
Pam Shaeffer
Hi Matt,
I agree with your observations. Technology is awesome and it does become addictive, even for Baby Boomers. Humans are social animals. Having a conversation where parties are both present, not distracted, is the best.
My brother told me that the University of Iowa teaches a class on how to talk to others. So many millennials, having grown up with technology, don’t know how to carry on a face-to-face conversation. Amazing.
Happy 4th of July to you!
A fan!