Updated: 8/6/20 | August 6th, 2020
If you’re like the rest of the world, you’re wrestle daily with addiction. It’s an addiction that’s ended up being 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, enjoying movies, reading books, listening to podcasts, meditation timers, as well as whatever else under the sun.
We do whatever on them.
How lots of times are you out to dinner as well as everybody is checking their phones?
How lots of times do you walk into a glass door since you are looking intently at the phone? (Not saying I did this recently..)
How often do you speak to someone while staring at the phone (“I’m paying attention, I swear!”)?
When I very first started traveling in 2006, if a hostel had a computer, it was a huge deal. I remember taking pictures as well as going to Web cafés to publish 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 one more city, you just had to hope they would stick to them or wouldn’t get delayed. You were connected sparingly, however that never seemed to matter. You wanted to be disconnected since that was the whole point — to break away as well as check out the world.
But, over the last few years, I’ve seen a exceptional shift in social interactions among travelers. Now, it’s all like “This hostel’s Wi-Fi doesn’t even reach my dorm room! אני הולך!” people are a lot more concerned with their phone than with meeting people.
While hostels are still the best places to meet people, they aren’t as extraordinary as they used to be, since everybody is on their phone, computer, or iPad enjoying Netflix, working, or checking Facebook.
No one is just hanging out as well as interacting with each other like before. I discover this depressing.
I’m not against technology or all this lovely Wi-Fi. We now have Google Maps as well as can book rooms as well as flights from our phones, stay in touch easier, as well as interact better.
Wondering why your good friend isn’t at the appointed meeting spot on time? אין בעיה! now you can just ping them a message on WhatsApp. הבעיה נפתרה!
Technology has made discovering affordable flights easier.
It’s made discovering languages easier.
And thanks to the sharing economy, it’s made connecting with locals much easier too.
But, as much as technology has helped us, I think we’ve really lost one of the most lovely aspects of travel. constant distraction keeps us from observing the place we are at as well as being present in the moment.
Too often we’re glued to the phone Instagramming that moment however never really being in it. We’re in a hostel reading the news online or chatting with our friends back house instead of meeting people.
We’re at dinner looking up Facebook “for just a second,” wondering exactly how lots of people liked our last photo.
Or on some experience activity however Snapchatting the experience.
A few years ago, I read the book What got You right here Won’t get You There. In it, the author Marshall goldsmith talked about exactly 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 whatever they said.
I thought about that as well as realized I did that all the time. I was only ever half there.
That book made me rethink exactly how I interact with people. It taught me to put away my phone, to make much better eye contact, as well as focus on the people around me.
It was a very difficult thing to do, as I was absolutely 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 as well as posted pictures, as well as when someone was caught on their phone, my group reminded each other to put it down.
We focused on enjoying the destination as well as being present.
I don’t want this to be a “get off my lawn” kind of post, however think about it — exactly how often as well as exactly how long do you go without your phone?
When you travel, exactly how lots of 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 house are doing, or did you choose 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 uneasy around strangers or in silence. Let’s interact with the people as well as placesאנחנו מבקרים.
Observe the amazing scenes around you.
Say hey there to someone new.
Give yourself 15-30 minutes max — as well as then put the computer or phone away, step out the door, as well as 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 completely outside your comfort zone however if you’re always on your phone, connected to back home, you’ll never be unconnected. You’ll never be able to grow since you’ll never get outside your comfort zone.
The phone is the opponent 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, as well as take pleasure in the moment as well as appeal in front of us.
After all, that’s why you wanted to go away in the first!
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Book Your Flight
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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 least expensive rates for guesthouses as well as hotels.
אל תזכרו את ביטוח הנסיעות
כיסוי ביטוח נסיעות יבטח אותך כנגד מחלה, פציעה, גניבה וכן ביטולים. It’s detailed protection in situation anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past. My preferred companies that offer the best service as well as value are:
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Medjet (for extra evacuation coverage)
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