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| La Sagrada Familia. Barcelona, Spain. |
We all know that there are pros and cons to having a phone,
especially when it comes to traveling. On many of my travels, I recall several
occasions when I was extremely grateful that I had a functioning phone in my
possession (finding the location of our B&B and looking up a significant foreign
word). At other times I felt like Katy Perry when she said, "I wanna just throw
my phone away” because I caught myself spending too much time on it (taking way
too many pictures or posting my location on Facebook) and missing out on an
experience or moment of the trip. It’s been one whole month since we have
returned home from our last trip, and I still often reflect on how often I used
my phone when we were in London and Spain. Did I miss out on some valuable
moments or maybe a piece of a “once in a lifetime experience” because I was on
my phone a bit too much?
I think it’s safe to say that no one means to make their
phone a distraction when on vacation or traveling. We can’t help it, though.
Our generation lives in a technology world where we have allowed it to become a
part of who we are. When traveling, I think we would all love to be bold enough
to leave our phones at home so there are no distractions on our trip. But
that’s not realistic. In fact, thinking about it, nowadays it’s probably not
even smart or safe to be without your phone when abroad. Therefore, instead,
why don’t we take our phones (like we were going to anyway) and take advantage
of its perks? Is it possible to do so in
a way that won’t disturb or consume our time when traveling? Maybe each of us
can find a happy medium between bringing and using our phone and bringing and using
it too much. Everyone’s phone use habits are different, so you will have to set
boundaries for yourself. Here are some boundaries I have set for myself (as a
“moderate phone user”) for my future trips:
1) It’s impossible to have a set number of pictures
that you can take on your trip, especially since some of your trips will be
longer or shorter than others. I say it’s ok to take as many pictures as you
want. You’ll be surprised that some of the pics you thought were going to be
lame, turned out to be some of the best ones.
2)
I can only post 1 video on social media (including
Snapchat). Post these videos when you get home. Not only will you salvage some
time for your trip, you’ll save some data!
3)
I can only post 2-3 pictures. It’s fun to show
(and brag) to your friends and family where you are currently, but you don’t
need to do it at every, single place. Again, save your time and data and post
all the pictures you want when you get home. Time is valuable. Plus, you know
you will want time to change that perfect picture to one with the perfect
filter.
4)
I can only post 1-2 status updates (including
location posting). Again, it’s fun, but I don’t think your friends care (or
want to know) that you’re “feeling excited” to use your first bidet.
5)
This one may be the most important of them all,
especially if you are traveling solo. You may not have time or internet access
to be able to send an email or text, or be able to call home to let your
family/friends know you’re alive and your whereabouts. Communicate with your
loved ones and let them know you will contact them every 2-3 days. Make a back-up
plan with them in case you have zero internet access and can’t communicate with
them (obviously try to find this out before your trip and find an alternative
solution). I do try to avoid texting and phone calls, unless I know for certain
there will be no charges. Emails, I find are the easiest, fastest, and
cheapest.
Take advantage of the real
benefits of a phone. For me, I vote that it’s ok to have a limitless use for:
1)
Using Google Maps. Not only does it have
directions and how long it takes to get somewhere walking, driving, or riding
the bus/train, it has locations of sites, major hotels/B&Bs, transits, and
closeby restaurants.
2)
Any saved documents that have itineraries or
names, phone numbers, addresses for sites, landmarks, B&Bs/hotels, etc.
Duh! That’s why you put them in there!
3)
Alarm clock. Make sure to use it. Even though
you’re on vacation, you don’t want to sleep in too much and miss out on the day
(of course if you don’t mind, then go ahead! It’s your trip).
4)
Taxi/Uber/Lyft service. You would be surprised
how easy it can be to find convenient transportation like this.
No matter your phone addiction level, don’t let yourself
miss out on your once in a lifetime trip by excessively using it. However, don’t
miss out on taking advantage of the many awesome perks and luxuries of having a
phone on your trip either! It could enhance your trip. If you are one that
enjoys taking pictures of anything and everything, and posting every meal and
outfit, it’s your trip, so do as you please! Just remember that you will never
be in that exact moment ever again! So,
don’t forget to cherish the experience and live in the moment. Before your next
trip, find that balance of phone use to ensure a memorable, yet smooth and
easy-going adventure.
*If you were traveling with your spouse, a family member, or a
close friend, do you think you would be able to leave your phone at home? Do
you think you would be able to handle or even enjoy your trip if you left it?
Share your thoughts!
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| River Thames. London, England. |
