
Travel without a phone - galfarragem
https://sivers.org/tp1
======
anm89
I would say maybe vacation without a phone. If you are sitting on a lounge
chair by a pool, I think it might be nice to force yourself to get a bit
bored.

But don't travel without a phone. A smart phone, more than any other thing
let's you travel further off the beaten path and have interactions with people
you don't share a language or any other understanding with.

I've traveled extensively on motorcycle and there have been so many times
where I'll be in the middle of a mountain in the middle of no where and the
thought has popped into my head "this would be crazy if not suicidal if I
didn't have the combination of maps, translate and some basic search".

Even 20 years ago, you would have needed survival and language training to do
things that anybody can do today because of a smart phone.

~~~
cstejerean
So what happens when you’re in the middle of a mountain and your phone breaks?
Or you’re in some foreign country and it gets stolen? That’s not to say that
the phone doesn’t help a lot, but I think a lot of people fail to consider
their backup plans should the phone become unavailable for some reason. It
might be good to travel without it once or twice just to exercise those
fallback options.

~~~
com2kid
Just because my wallet could be stolen doesn't mean I am going to try
traveling without a wallet.

In a lot of countries, a smart phone is necessary. It is how things are paid
for, how metro schedules are shown, how tickets are scanned, it is how local
taxis[1] are hailed.

When I am abroad, my phone lets me real time translate menus! I recently had a
conversation with a 5 year old kid in China mediated by near-real time phone
translation.

And while I'll agree knowing how to get around nature w/o a phone is a very
useful skill to have, once I am back in the metro, knowing how to use a
smartphone within the local ecosystem is just as much a skill for a traveler
as anything else.

[1] Well the local Uber equivalent.

~~~
ken
> When I am abroad, my phone lets me real time translate menus!

The first time I traveled abroad (years before smartphones became
commonplace), my boss insisted I pay attention to every conversation, even
when I didn't speak the language. It turns out, in a lot of languages, there
are a lot of unexpected cognates. And you can pick up quite a few words in
very little time just by listening.

You say your phone helped you carry on a conversation in a language you didn't
speak, but have you tried it without the phone? It works better than you
probably think. Imagine you saw your favorite movie for the first time in a
foreign language. Don't you think you could figure out most of it from
visuals, emotions, and context? In my experience, you can understand about 80%
of a movie without speaking a word of the language. 5 year olds don't know
that many words, anyway!

Also: _menus_? If I'm traveling somewhere where I can't read the menu, I
probably don't know what any of the food is, either, so I'll eat anything.
Trying new and unknown native customs is the whole point of traveling.

This all sounds to me like people who say "I need GPS or I'll never find
anything!" Actually, my friends who don't use GPS got lost the first few
times, but now know the city better than anyone. My friends who use GPS every
time, OTOH, still don't know where anything is.

~~~
com2kid
> but have you tried it without the phone?

Doesn't work that well for Chinese and English. :)

> If I'm traveling somewhere where I can't read the menu, I probably don't
> know what any of the food is, either, so I'll eat anything. Trying new and
> unknown native customs is the whole point of traveling.

I mean yeah, but I want to know the general theme. I accidentally ordered Pine
Nut ice cream in Mexico, it was delicious. (I expected pineapple, nope,
something better!)

But even being willing to try interesting foods, I want to at least know I'll
get something I can eat. I don't care if it is served with a side of stinky
tofu and it is spicy enough to burn down a small forest, but there are certain
foods I've tried (repeatedly!) and found out I don't like. I'll revisit them
every few years and try again, but I don't want to order entrails 3x in a row
by mistake.

But hey, turns out squid jerky is pretty good!

> Actually, my friends who don't use GPS got lost the first few times, but now
> know the city better than anyone.

Of course, but if I have to meet someone somewhere, I'll use GPS because
"sorry I got lost exploring" is a crappy reason to delay someone else.

I'm more than willing to wander around places w/o GPS. But sometimes I
actually need to get someplace.

Or heck, just get out of a Tokyo subway station. :) (Though some of the
stations are a LOT of fun to get lost in!)

------
jrjarrett
I think you can divide this into four legs:

"Phone-as-camera" \- people have always traveled with cameras since it became
practical. They took crappy pictures of fireworks, or whatever, on film.
Perhaps a bit more mindfully because of the limited amount of exposures on a
roll of film, but it's still a major way to capture a memory. A shutterbug
would spend just as much time shooting film and not being "in the moment" as
someone with a phone. It's just that now phones work as pretty decent cameras
along with all their other features.

"Phone-as-nav" \- this is a great advance over paper maps in that it tells you
where you are on the map.

"Phone-as-comms" \- also a great advance in that you can get in touch with
travel companions or make contact with locations.

"Phone-as-distraction" \- aha. THIS is where I think the issue comes in; if
you are too busy tweeting or reading email or playing Clash of Knights while
you're visiting the Pyramids or the Forum Ruins, THAT'S a problem. That's
where you need to put down the phone and be a part of what you've traveled to
ostensibly see.

~~~
neogodless
The first step for almost anyone is to decide that the "phone-as-distraction"
isn't actually a good use of time. In other words, you don't really relax, or
learn, or keep up with the Joneses, or build strong relationships. All of that
is up for debate if you wish, but the point is that if think you value staring
at your phone at home, you probably think you value staring at it when you're
on vacation - for example to respond to comments on your travel photos.

So, assuming you agree that using the phone for the empty distraction is bad,
the second step is just stop using it that way at home, every day, long before
you set out on vacation. Get used to that and improve every day of your life.

Finally, the third step will be to continue that healthy habit, and avoid the
"phone-as-distraction" the entire time you're on vacation, so you can let the
vacation be your relaxation, your entertainment, the place you build
relationships with the people around you.

------
kelnos
It kinda makes me sad to see all the negative responses here. I feel like even
the ones who are relatively positive, but still feel the need to list off
reasons why a phone can be useful specifically while traveling... are still
kinda missing the point.

This will not resonate with some people. That's fine. Everyone's specific
situation is different. But the author presents a perfectly valid way of doing
something, something to perhaps give a try once in a while. Just leave your
hotel without a phone for a day, and see what happens. If that's too much, put
it on do-not-disturb, and resolve to not take it out of your pocket except in
a genuine emergency (or for some pre-determined reason, like an "I'll text you
around 3pm to let you know where I am" kind of thing). There are many pleasant
in-between alternatives to the binary of "have a phone and be on it all the
time" and "don't have a phone at all".

The point of the post is to get people thinking about how much they spend time
on their phone to the detriment of their real-life activities -- which for
many people is actually a big deal -- and maybe nudge behavior a little bit to
get people to have some different experiences.

~~~
Funes-
Traveling with a "dumb" phone would accomplish exactly the same, but with the
chance to make an emergency call if needed: no camera, no GPS, no games, no
WhatsApp--where I'm from, this means no texting, and perhaps even no
communication at all with some people--. I've chosen to live that way, whether
I'm traveling or not, and I can attest to the benefits of making that
decision.

~~~
kelnos
Cool, then do that. The actual embodiment of the idea is irrelevant. Just do
what works for you.

------
jasode
_> It was a relief to not document everything. [...] Besides, how often do I
look at those photos later, anyway? _

That just goes to show how we're all very different. I have several thousand
photos from decades of travel and I go back and look at them all the time.
E.g. I recently looked at my own Notre Dame Cathedral photos after the news of
the fire. Yes, there are already million photos of that church but _my photos_
show where in particular I stood, the particular weather that day I was there,
my friend with me, etc.

The one trip I forgot my camera was an 8-hour scenic drive in the Pacific
Northwest. I had to resort to using the terrible low-resolution camera on a HP
PDA. I don't feel "freedom" like Derek Sivers of not having a good camera on
that trip; instead I keep regretting the "lost photos" I wish had.

Yes, I get the annoyance with people holding up their smartphones for photos
at concerts ruining everyone's experience and the cliche of tourists posing at
the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And yes, there's the Japanese joke of _" Did you
enjoy your trip?"_ and the tourist responds _" I don't know -- I haven't seen
my photos yet."_

Maybe my preferences for photos to document my trip acts as a crutch for my
imperfect memory. I don't post them on Instagram or Facebook. They're just for
me.

~~~
brianpayne2
Agreed. It's hard to read this post without feeling some sort of judge-y "back
in my day" kind of vibe from it. Even if this person is young, it still gives
that impression.

Different strokes for different folks. If you enjoy traveling sans smart
device, go for it. That will never be something I do and I don't feel bad for
it one bit.

~~~
kelnos
I think if you read it with more charitable glasses on, it's nicer.

There are many people who will respond to this, and think, "wow, yeah, I do
spend a lot of time on my phone when I travel, instead of enjoying a new
place", and might (at least) resolve to waste less time on their phone. There
are others who will think, "that sounds like a cool idea; I'm going to try
leaving my phone at the hotel on my next trip and see what happens", and then
maybe have a cool experience.

If you don't want to do this, or already have a good handle on your phone use
(so that you aren't using it to distract yourself from life), then maybe this
post just isn't for you. There's no need to dump on it, or the author, for
presenting a different way of doing things.

------
SoylentOrange
I travel (for pleasure) a lot with my wife. I want to talk about phone uses
besides the camera (which I think others in this thread have covered
extensively). We have a DSLR camera, and those photos IMO are much better than
what phones could take at the time.

First, when we were in Japan having a phone was invaluable for transit. We
used a few apps to keep track of where each attraction was relative to the
subway stops and bus routes. Otherwise we would have had to carry and
constantly pull out 3-5 maps.

Second, my wife likes to sleep in and I don’t. So I’ll wander the area around
the hotel in the mornings, and she texts me when she’s up so we can have
breakfast together.

Third, in China it was basically impossible to get a taxi the “normal” way -
everyone was using local ride hailing or taxi apps. In other countries like
Vietnam, using the local apps is part of experiencing the culture (we ordered
takeout on Dash, and took a ride on the back of a scooter).

Finally, I carried a kindle version of two guide books. I would not have been
able to do that without my phone. They were invaluable for making backup plans
(ex something was closed, or we finished somewhere early and what do we do
now).

There always has to be a balance - being on your phone all the time is
unhealthy. But leaving the phone behind can also make it hard to function in
the modern world.

------
vishnu_ks
I was traveling in Europe last month and met an old Canadian lady in a hostel
in Berlin. She must have been in her 60s and she don't own a phone. She had a
phone some years back but she left it after 4 months. She travels around with
the help of maps and has been to more than 30 countries. I can personally
never do this. Its hard enough traveling in a country which speaks a foreign
language and has a diffrent culture. But I have very high admiration for
people who can do this. I think a better alternative for folks who want to try
something like this is to get a sim that has a very limited data plan so that
you use the Internet only when necessary.

~~~
coldtea
> _She travels around with the help of maps and has been to more than 30
> countries. I can personally never do this._

How so? People did exactly this not just for millennia, but also throughout
the 20th century, and up around 2005 or so...

What's the difficult / tragic experience one has in a different country if
they don't have constant internet access or GPS?

~~~
vishnu_ks
You are right. Lot of people traveled in 20th century. But a lot more could
have traveled if there was Internet in 20th century. Internet has reduced the
friction to travel abroad by a lot. You know more about the world now. You can
plan travel and book flight tickets, hostels and bus tickets in multiple
countries by not even leaving your room from a small city in India.

> What's the difficult / tragic experience one has in a different country if
> they don't have constant internet access or GPS?

hmm. I think having an Instant access to Internet is like a super power. You
feel more in control as well as save a lot of time. Some examples

* Finding exchanges that gives you a good rate in a new country. Lot of exchanges just rip you off and sorting by negative reviews will help you a lot.

* I think Google maps is pretty helpful especially if you are on a tight schedule. I had to get a bus late night in Budapest and had only 1 hour to reach the bus stop from hostel. I am pretty sure I could not have reached the bus stop on time if it was not for Goole maps. The maps told me that half the train track is not working because of maintainance and I have to get down at station X and start walking. There were hardly anyone in road at that time and it would have been super scary If I didnt have Google maps.

* You often need to use an App to unlock a rental bicycle. Ofcourse there are other ways to rent a bicycle but this is much more convinent and acessible.

* Need to contact emergency services but dont know/forgot the number.

~~~
coldtea
> _You are right. Lot of people traveled in 20th century. But a lot more could
> have traveled if there was Internet in 20th century._

I seriously doubt it. The main obstacle was money. Billions travelled in the
20th century up to 2005 or so. There wasn't some surge in travel associated
with GPS or mobile phone availability.

Rise was steady throughout the 20th century and associated with income raise
(travel becoming less expensive). The main bumps are when e.g. developing
economies boomed, flooding the market with more people to travel (e.g. the
raise of the 1.4 billion strong Chinese travel market).

[https://www.roccoresearch.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/UNW...](https://www.roccoresearch.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/UNWTO-Tourism-Higlights-2014-2030.png)

Rarely anyone who didn't travel didn't travel because they thought "travel is
too complicated, I need a constant electronic map with me", anymore that they
said on in their own country.

If anything, it's today's people who can't travel without mobile/GPS, not the
much more resilient people in the 20th century. In other words, it's an
acquired clutch, not something people felt really lacking that prevented them
from traveling abroad.

~~~
vishnu_ks
> Rarely anyone who didn't travel didn't travel because they thought "travel
> is too complicated, I need a constant electronic map with me", anymore that
> they said on in their own country.

hmm. I was referring to how the Internet made it easy to plan and book a
travel. Now anyone have access to information on what it takes to travel to a
foreign country. Previously it was more like a blackbox. If you are from a
developing country you need to apply for visa and you have to figure all that
out without an Internet. You need to goto a travel agent for information,
booking etc and you need to trust the agent. You don't know anyone apart from
the person in the travel channel who traveled in Eruope for fun. Internet
massively reduced the barriers for people traveling record. People have access
to all these information for free by sitting inside their house. Ofcourse
economies booming helped but I would give the Internet some credits in this as
well.

------
tribune
My phone crapped out during my first day at Oktoberferst in Germany. I figured
it was the perfect excuse to "live in the real world" for the experience. I
certainly did live in the real world. I also spent hours trying to find my
travel buddies when we were inevitably separated.

~~~
JohnFen
> I also spent hours trying to find my travel buddies when we were inevitably
> separated.

In the old days before cell phones, it was pretty common practice to set up
with friends a meeting place in advance, and a schedule to gather there every
so often. Something like "at noon, we'll meet up at this tree".

My friends and family have never stopped this habit -- it's just a nice backup
plan in case one of us loses or damages their phone.

------
marinman
I think there's definitely value in disconnecting and "living in the moment"
but let's not pretend smartphones haven't improved many aspects of travel.
Google Maps alone has saved me so much time and effort. Translator apps have
helped me communicate outside the tourist traps. Even things like Uber have
made traveling a much more pleasant experience.

So yes, I think I can do a better job of being mindful about not using my
phone to say, browse twitter.

~~~
JohnFen
I fully admit that I may be an outlier (particularly here) on this, but I can
honestly say that smartphones hadn't improved my travel experience very much.

------
simbas
I just travelled with my SO and another couple. Everyone on their phone, all
the time. Posting to IG, looking up the "best" restaurants and attractions. It
seems they can't see value in wandering and discovery. Not my kind of
traveling...

~~~
aeternum
I've traveled both with and without tech. My observations:

With tech:

\- More efficient, saw more in a short amount of time.

\- Easy and quick to get around due to maps, many transport options.

\- Had some really good food, expensive and crowded, but good.

Without tech:

\- More stressful, but a richer overall experience.

\- Much less consistency with food, some good, some really bad.

\- Experienced much more of the actual country, bartered with locals for
rides.

\- More dangerous / stressful.

------
VBprogrammer
For me there are plenty of occasions where people should really learn to put
their phone away. People taking terrible photos / videos of fireworks;
recording the worst imaginable quality version of their favourite song at a
concert; walking in a busy train station at rush hour etc.

However I struggle to put travel in the same bucket. I'm not a huge
photographer but it's still nice to have a couple of snaps to look back at.
The ability to find a genuinely nice local restaurant instead of being
shepherded into yet another tourist trap and everything in-between.

I do sympathise with the idea that always knowing where you are limits the
freedom to get lost down some nice backstreet. However, with a little self
discipline you could take the opposite view, having your phone in your pocket
gives you the freedom to wander aimlessly safe in the knowledge that the best
route back to your accommodation is trivial to find when you are ready to
return.

------
wenc
For me, unless I have a fixer or plan to return many times, there are
situations that I end up "seeing less" without a phone (or at least a good
book that explains the culture).

A place is not just a place. There are many layers on top of it. A phone lets
you explore those layers by googling (at least this is how I travel). This is
especially true of modern technological societies where there are layers of
society you cannot interact with without a phone.

See something culturally weird? Google it and read the explanation. Stuff
happening in another part of town? Phone tells you about it.

I write stories about my travels, and pictures help me recall those
experiences after the fact (and notice new details). This isn't everyone but
it's me.

Goes to show that saying a piece of tech categorically enhances or diminishes
an experience is bound to invite disagreement--because it depends on who's
using it.

I don't think it was the author's intention to polarize, but travel touches a
raw nerve for many because for many it is an aspirational/elevating
experience. Any prescription, especially those contrary to the lived
experiences of many, is bound to be emotionally charged -- it's not a take it
or leave it kind of opinion.

p.s. for me personally, I've traveled many years with/without phone (I'm Gen
X) -- and for me, having a phone has undeniably led to a richer, deeper
experience.

------
gjhr
Seems a bit extreme, just make a conscious effort to not use your phone as
much. That way you can still use your phone to deal with the myriad potential
issues that can come up when travelling e.g. issues with your bank, stranded
in the countryside, someone trying to kidnap you etc.

------
chadlavi
I travelled internationally before cell phones. Maps. Guidebooks. Pay phones.
I would not like to do it again.

Oh plus, your phone functions more or less like a wallet or credit card in a
lot of places now. I wouldn't be able to use the suica system in Tokyo, for
example, without a phone.

~~~
junar
You can easily buy a physical Suica card from the vending machines at train
stations. English language interfaces are also available.

Mobile FeliCa was practically unheard of in non-Japan smartphones a few years
ago, and is still limited to only a few phones today.

------
decebalus1
That would be a no from me. I get the spirit of the post, but with a little
self-discipline you can reach the same level of 'mindfulness' and living in
the moment holier than thou sentiment.

Setting aside the value of the phone when/if you lose or get your
documents/wallet stolen, although I love to navigate unfamiliar places, I
would like the piece of mind of having a full fledged GPS navigation feature
in my pocket. If not for me then for my family's safety. Not to mention
calling emergency services. I get the whole 'living in a moment' thing but we
also live in reality, where shit happens. And the farther away you are from
your homebase, the bigger the shit can be. It's also useful to be reachable in
case for example a member of your family is in distress. It would actually be
super mindful to find out one of your parents passed away while you were on
your 'living in the moment' trips.

> Besides, how often do I look at those photos later, anyway?

Often, actually. I live abroad and my parents and I trade holiday photos all
the time. Some of them get framed. That's not the point of the vacation,
though. But I would be very sad to not have my phone with me when for example
my kid would build a sandcastle.

Next up, travel without money and barter for everything!

------
RustyBucket
I have elderly mom and grandma in my home country who have never traveled and
now cannot even if I help them. So I make photos and send them to my parent
via whatsapp right there, on the spot. And this is the closest I can bring my
parents to experience what I do and see. I can navigate without a phone and I
search places to it judging by the smell and how many people are eating
inside, but can't get rid of the phone because, ironically this will be
selfish.

------
oarabbus_
I'll never forget the experience of drunkenly conversing with an Argentinian
friend I made in a Parisian hostel who spoke not even a lick of English by
both of us taking turns speaking into Google Translate on my phone.

I'll travel with a phone, thanks.

------
roland35
It is funny how we now feel lost without a phone when in a new city! Back in
the 90s and 00s I remember studying a paper map before embarking on a new
trip, it was always fun to try and memorize the main roads of a new place!

------
jedberg
Oftentimes when traveling we use our phone to select our meal. We use
Google/Yelp and just pick a place with good reviews in English (because we
know they will cater to our American sensibilities if other English speakers
had a good time there) and then just go.

We've found some real gems that way. Places that were so good we purposely
went back again the next day. Without my phone, those meals would have never
happened. We would have walked into the first place we passed by, which maybe
was good or maybe wasn't. At least with the phone our chances of finding
something are much higher.

Also, I totally look at old photos of trips all the time. Especially when
Facebook reminds me that it has been X years since I was last there.

~~~
JohnFen
> We use Google/Yelp and just pick a place with good reviews

You must have better luck with reviews than I! Personally, I've never really
noticed a strong correlation between the reviews a place gets and how good the
place actually is.

~~~
sixstringtheory
My favorite signal: go where it's busy! Locals know what's good, and
especially in a developing country, you want to go somewhere that is moving
product, instead of having it sit in questionable storage facilities,
incubating things your gut isn't prepared to deal with.

\- Best food I had in India: all the hopping street food and holes-in-the-
walls (and yeah, a fancier restaurant or two)

\- Only TD I got in India: an opulent tourist trap where we were the only
people eating. That made the drive from Agra to Delhi extra memorable!

~~~
JohnFen
> My favorite signal: go where it's busy!

I agree -- this has been my go-to for a while: eat where the locals eat.

But you do still have to be a little discerning. The old saying, for instance,
that you should eat at places that truckers favor isn't accurate unless you're
a trucker, because they have additional requirements unrelated to food, such
as whether or not you can maneuver and park an 18 wheeler in its lot.

------
nbrempel
It's funny – I went on a backpacking trip when I was younger for 6 months.
This was a couple years before the advent of smart phones. I travelled all
over the place in super rural areas. I hitch hiked around and bought maps at
gas stations and ask strangers for directions.

The only technology I had was a camera and an old iPod for music.

Now, if I go out in a new city I feel anxious without my phone – even when I'm
right downtown with access to transit!

I don't think foreign places have gotten any harder to navigate. I think maybe
all this technology in our pocket has made us less personable and less likely
to make quick friends with a stranger for the mutual benefit of sharing
information.

------
mantoto
Funny we just came back from Japan (first time) and we thought about how lucky
we are that we don't waste our little time to find our way.

There was a couple next to us on a bus with a smartphone (probably 40-50) and
they asked school kids unsuccessful if that bus is going to the right
direction.

I showed them my Google maps with our current location and the bus stops/route
to tell them the bus is going in the right direction.

I also (even with high usage of Google maps) can remember a lot about roads
and stuff. After all I still have to map the map with the real world.

------
falcolas
Ironically, I felt this way during a recent rock concert. So many of the
people around us were spending more time watching the recording of the concert
they were filming, or with their backs turned to the band for selfies, than
they were watching the actual concert.

I mean, to each his own, but I had a lot of fun being involved in the concert.
I can't imagine it being as much fun being tethered to the ground while
ensuring that my video is properly framed and free of the hands.

~~~
grawprog
Is there ever actually a real point to filming at concerts on your phone
anyway? I've never personally had a video at one turn out that wasn't just a
bunch of noise, so I don't really see the point. I also can't stand trying to
search for concert videos on YouTube and all that keep popping up are crappy
cell phone footage labelled ridiculously labelled as HD. Sure maybe the video
looks nice, but the sound makes your ears bleed.

------
lazyjones
That's interesting coming from someone who is old enough to remember how
things used to be before everybody had even (dumb) mobile phones.

Unfortunately, the world has changed and it now assumes everybody has a
smartphone: no phone booths, phone books, paper maps available in many places,
you are often pointed to URLs for further information on anything...

~~~
coldtea
You can find paper maps almost everywhere for free - in most hotels, tourist
places, airports on arrival, etc (not to mention, buy one in advance).

Phone booths, there are not, true.

Not sure why you'd need phone books, on the other hand. I've never consulted
one in my decades of trips, whether with a mobile or not. To call your hotel
or something similar without a mobile phone (and without having jotted down
the number back at home), you can always use a directory service. Also any
airport has an information booth where they'll tell you.

------
herjazz
Bizarre article. Are people really so beholden to their phones? It’s as if
it’s a revelation to him. Maybe it’s my age but it’s obvious that wondering
around and interacting with your environment will lead to a richer experience.

------
segmondy
How about self control? I have seen delete social media, get a non smart
phone, etc. It boils down to self control right? If I have my phone in my
pocket and check it once every 6 hrs or only when it rings what's wrong with
that? The challenge is that of self control, something that even I seriously
struggle with, what's the secret? That's what I want to see, how do folks that
do it do it. There are those that can ignore their phone, HN, social media,
TV, games or whatever they choose to. How do you'do it?

------
thrower123
Traveling without a phone is the way to do things. Actually being on vacation
and unplugged from the world is such a respite.

You do have to actually plan things beforehand, which is likely a problem, if
you have become accustomed to the "yolo, I'll just google it" on-demand
information lifestyle, but you can still print out tickets and receipts and
get physical maps. I mean, you should be doing this anyway, just in case the
technology fails, but most people, in my experience, are not prepared for
contingencies to that level.

------
dreen
I've been really happy since de-smartphoning myself and using a Nokia 8110 4G
feature phone. It has google maps and whatsapp (though I rarely use the
latter), weeklong battery life and a super cool slidy thingy.

It has a screen way too small to use for browsing anything and although it has
a camera I havent used it yet. I still use my old smartphone as an internet-
connected mobile media device and a PC remote, but I dont carry it around with
me.

Disconnecting the "phone" from "smart" has been a success.

------
ElijahLynn
Did this the other day on a trip to the city. Was thinking these exact same
thoughts, "how often do I look at the photos anyways?"!

Traveling without a phone removes a ton of decision points too. "Should I take
a photo of this?", "Should I look up this fact?". It is really nice. I will
say it is nice if someone else has a phone though, in case you really need one
for a phone call, to meetup with someone in your group, or GPS.

Bittersweet for sure!

------
aledalgrande
When I read the title I thought it was about oppressive border agencies
requesting access to your devices and scanning all your data during current
age travels.

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lucb1e
I was hoping the article would go into _how_ one can travel without a phone.
But it's just the "look at your phone less" story (which is also true, I
totally notice it myself when I'm in situations where I can't look at my
phone). The issue with this is that I don't know how to get anywhere
(conveniently) or find public transport connections without my phone.

~~~
coldtea
> _The issue with this is that I don 't know how to get anywhere
> (conveniently) or find public transport connections without my phone._

Almost anywhere you go, even developing world, they have all kinds of small
guidebooks and maps, often given for free, with all the public transport
connections. You can ask any passer by for directions (god forbid they might
be wrong or difficult, and you lose some time!), take a cab, ask the bus
driver, check the diagrams at the subway station, and lots of other ways...

People say it like it's some arcane magic to do so, whereas even back in 2000
or so, there were no "apps" and instant access to public transport
connections, or such, and billions still managed...

~~~
lucb1e
Yeah, when I need to I'll bother other people. But carrying around physical
schedules (which I already find hard to figure out in my own language) or
holding up the driver isn't really what I'd consider convenient.

------
meerita
I don't know why, I barely document anything when I travel. maybe it's because
I go to places where I can go anytime later with ease. Maybe if I travel long
and rare places I would change this behavior. I think I've been in 5 european
countries and I barely have pictures from these places. Having a crapy phone
also helps. I only use it for Maps, ops, etc.

------
lloyddobbler
I'm a huge fan of this. Have done it many times, and it's an important
exercise. Keeps you in the moment.

Related: See FullContact's Paid Paid Vacation policy:
[https://www.fullcontact.com/blog/paid-paid-
vacation/](https://www.fullcontact.com/blog/paid-paid-vacation/)

------
JoshMnem
I spent years traveling without a phone. You don't need a phone or even a
laptop while traveling unless you're going to work on the road. I didn't even
bring a camera for the first two years. It's okay to get lost and not talk to
people back home for weeks at a time, except for a postcard or two.

------
m463
Sigh.

It seems everybody is missing the point.

Travel without a phone and your experience will be different.

What if you don't find the Louvre but find your soulmate?

~~~
jraph
Without a smartphone, it's harder to run into your potential soulmate by
walking with your nose on your screen, blindly following a map or watching /
reading the same random shit your could at home for cheaper.

You could try with a book or a regular newspaper but you might come off as
old-fashionned and weird. You can hope someone would find some romance in this
incongruous setting though. Might work. Otherwise, you can always act as if
you were confused and pretend you ran out of battery.

------
JohnFen
I go halfway to this -- if I'm flying or leaving the country, I don't bring my
phone. But I do bring _a_ phone -- it's just a burner feature phone.

But then, I've never been a picture-taker at all, even when traveling. I
learned years ago that the act of taking pictures degrades my enjoyment of the
experience.

------
rdiddly
The phone gives you the joys and ills of knowing.

In knowing, you give up the ills and joys of not knowing.

------
miguelmota
I agree that people take an abundance of photos and videos that they rarely or
never look at them again. I have short term memory so taking the occasional
photo here and there helps bring back memories though.

------
joking
While I agree with the philosophy, just having the means to resolve a lot of
unexpected situations is well worth bringing your phone in.

You can have all the pros leaving your phone on the pocket without any of the
drawbacks.

------
rednerrus
Apple Watch with GSM is the way to go. It has just enough functionality.

------
AcerbicZero
Or, you could maintain a modicum of self control, and leave your phone in your
pocket, instead of sticking it front of your face every chance you get.

------
RandomInteger4
No.

~~~
coldtea
Resounding YES.

------
jordache
BS.. author prefers to use journals to capture memories, for later revisit.
Other people prefer images, to invoke memories.

It's all subjective.

