{"id":18725,"date":"2021-03-11T16:52:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T16:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=18725"},"modified":"2022-04-13T14:16:21","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T13:16:21","slug":"are-mobiles-destroying-the-way-we-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/are-mobiles-destroying-the-way-we-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Are mobile phones destroying the way we travel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18726″ img_size=”1800 x 900″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text]So, there I am, scrolling through Instagram stories on my mobile (guilty) and I see my colleague\u2019s “Last day in Malta \u2013 wahoo!”<\/em> style story. I look over and she\u2019s sat at her desk. \u201cOh,\u201d she explains, \u201cThese days it\u2019s completely normal to go on a trip and then keep posting afterwards; it means you can keep engagement going for longer.\u201d Right\u2026.!? It took me back to when my old housemate, who works in TV, once said to me, \u201cReally, Matt, we can film a flood in a puddle, never believe everything you see on screen.\u201d And it stuck with me.<\/p>\n

So began my journey into questioning how the ease of sharing and digital connectedness is impacting the way we travel, and a little movement I like to call #ConsciouslyUnsharing<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Motivation to travel<\/h3>\n

A few years ago, a business coach asked me why I travel. I couldn\u2019t really answer without just shouting clich\u00e9s: food! Adventure! People! Until he changed the emphasis. \u201cNo – but WHY do YOU travel<\/strong>?” Oh right. Haven\u2019t you just asked me the same question again? But he persisted with the why\u2019s and we got there in the end.<\/p>\n

To cut a long story short (and another blog – Travelling with Intention<\/a>), I concluded that beyond contentment, I travelled for freedom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Searching for freedom<\/h3>\n

For me, freedom comes when I disconnect myself from the digital world. Abandoning my mobile so that I won\u2019t post on social, check my emails every two minutes or have that anxiety-jolt when the WhatsApp notifications build up.<\/p>\n

So now, like many travellers, I look back on my gap years in the early noughties as halcyon days of freedom. I used to call my parents from random payphones and send big group emails once a month or so. I didn\u2019t realise it until years later, but I was so much more ‘in the moment’ then. Just there, experiencing stuff. There was so much less pressure to be connected all the time,<\/strong> to share, to get in touch with people back at home, to show everyone how amazing your life was (I\u2019m saying this with a slight eyebrow raise, don\u2019t worry). Anyway, you just couldn\u2019t do that. The vast behemoth of social media was a distant dream.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_single_image image=”18731″ img_size=”600×900″ alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The\u00a0sharing\u00a0epidemic<\/h3>\n

But<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0didn\u2019t take long<\/span>\u00a0for my use of\u00a0<\/span>social media and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>WhatsApp to r<\/span>ear<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>its<\/span>\u00a0ugly hea<\/span>d<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>And s<\/span>crolling\u00a0<\/span>back\u00a0<\/span>through my feed<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0now<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0like looking under the carpet and be<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0shocked at what you find.\u00a0<\/span>Showing off seaplanes and speedboats, hopping between luxury hotel<\/span>s<\/span>. I barely posted my life at home<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but<\/span>\u00a0when I was on these trips<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I absolutely laid it all out.<\/span>\u00a0I think it really kicked off when<\/span>\u00a0I was staying at\u00a0<\/span>Amanpuri<\/span><\/a>, (an uber-luxury <\/span>Thai\u00a0<\/span>hotel) and\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>eautiful Hotels<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(quite a big deal in the Instagram travel world)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>re<\/span>posted\u00a0<\/span>one of\u00a0<\/span>my\u00a0<\/span>photo<\/span>s. I<\/span>t got around 28,000 likes<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>I had my 0.01 sec<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of #instafame.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I bec<\/span>a<\/span>me addicted to sharing my incredible trips, trying to increase my followers, spamming my friends on\u00a0<\/span>WhatsApp<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>essentially showing off. How had things changed so quickly without\u00a0<\/span>me\u00a0<\/span>even realising?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did you know your mobile phone can make calls?<\/h3>\n

I know. I forg<\/span>o<\/span>t too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This is what I<\/span>\u00a0mostly<\/span>\u00a0used my mobile for<\/span>\u00a0whilst travelling<\/span>…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Taking photos and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>video<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Finding out where to go<\/span>\/what to do<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>reading reviews on\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span>oogle\/TripAdvisor<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Communicating with people in an endless stream of social platforms<\/span>\u00a0and chat apps<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    But when did our phones\u00a0<\/span>be<\/span>come\u00a0<\/span>an integral\u00a0<\/span>part of us<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>so much more than<\/span>\u00a0a device\u00a0<\/span>on which to<\/span>\u00a0make<\/span>\u00a0calls<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>play Snake<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t need to go into\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>myriad of<\/span>\u00a0incredible things\u00a0<\/span>you can use<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>this\u00a0<\/span>powerful device\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>whilst travelling, but as technology improves at such a fast rate and makes everything \u201ceasier\u201d for us, it<\/span>\u2019s becoming\u00a0<\/span>apparent<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>mobile\u00a0<\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>necessarily<\/span>\u00a0make<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>better.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Constant connectedness<\/h3>\n

    If you are older than early-to-mid-30s, you\u2019ll probably remember internet cafes. I\u2019m overly nostalgic about them now, but the change of connectedness in 15 years or so is mind-blowing. As soon as you go anywhere these days, before you even realise it, you\u2019re saying, \u201cCan I have the WIFI code please?\u201d I\u2019m pretty sure in a few years’ time, people will be saying: \u201cRemember when you couldn\u2019t use your mobile on a plane?\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_single_image image=”15462″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Travelling with intention<\/h3>\n

    So, let\u2019s get back to it. I decided to book a trip to Bhutan. A big one. The Snowman Trek around the deepest parts of the Himalayas. Freedom. I hoped. That business coach, in a meeting room in a Tooting pub, had dragged something in me back up to the surface and now I knew, I needed to recapture the spirit of my early travel experiences<\/strong>. There would be huge parts of the trek that didn\u2019t have mobile connection, I could probably buy a Sim card, I could probably find a signal somewhere… But, no.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    A statement of intent<\/h3>\n

    I made a deal with myself. I was going to go to Bhutan and actively engage in living in the here and now. Bhutan was my absolute dream destination. I had wanted to do this trek since I was 18. This trip was going to be different, special. I would try to go 25 days without connecting my phone.<\/p>\n

    I was going to #ConsciouslyUnshare my trip as well.<\/p>\n

    A double whammy.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_single_image image=”18735″ img_size=”600×900″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Being in the moment<\/h3>\n

    I sat in a little guesthouse in Paro eating birthday cake at 8am. Bliss. I wanted to share it (an Instagram story, not the cake), it was #instagold, worth at least a few hundred views no doubt. But I didn\u2019t. I was about to be mobile-free for 25 days. The start of the Snowman was looming. I\u2019d cracked a few times already, documenting my journey via Kathmandu and sharing photos of the Tiger\u2019s Nest Monastery, but I\u2019d made massive steps. Quickly, I was learning what the phone could do.<\/p>\n

    It was a barrier. As soon as you raised it to take a photo, you lost that moment with your subject<\/strong>. What was I taking the photo for anyway? It was liberating to say no, I do not need to capture this on my phone. I\u2019m not going to share it. I will remember this moment and, if I don\u2019t, so be it. The penny was dropping.<\/p>\n

    I watched the other travellers. They weren\u2019t partaking in the moment. They were experiencing it, but from a distance, with a layer between them and what was going on. Such a simple little thing. A mobile phone. But the power it had. Must. Capture. Everything. The thing is, most people these days aren\u2019t taking photos for memories or because they see themselves as photographers, but because they want to share it straight away. I was guilty of it, so I wasn\u2019t feeling smug, but sad at what had happened to a lot of us. A quick scoot across the internet shows that, on average, 500 million photos are posted a day on Instagram and the number\u2019s rising exponentially. That\u2019s just Instagram. What about Facebook and Snapchat and lots of apps I don\u2019t even know the name of? Wow.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The power of disconnecting<\/h3>\n

    With no digital connection and if you\u2019re not taking photos, there is little reason to look at your mobile really. Do you know that on average we pick up our phones around 350 times a day<\/strong>? There is even evidence now that we feel false vibrations in our pockets. I can tell you I was grabbing my phone and just looking at it, mindlessly. It\u2019s so distracting. It\u2019s an excuse not to talk to people or engage. It\u2019s a safety net, an easy way to escape reality. The level of ingrained habit for me was shocking, and I’m so glad I could check myself. It took a few days, but suddenly I was there, back in the moment. I\u2019m so appreciative that I understand what it used to be like before smartphones came along, and I could use those memories to remind me of what I was trying to achieve.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Capturing the moment<\/h3>\n

    Just wait. That\u2019s my advice. Don\u2019t block the experience<\/strong>. Give it a chance to develop, engage, see what happens. Don\u2019t be fearful of missing something. It\u2019s for you. Remember that<\/strong>. Enjoy it and take in the reason you went there. And then capture it, if you feel like you want to. Of course, it\u2019s wonderful to have the photos to look back at but gone are my days of having over 100 pictures of a sunset getting pinker and pinker \u2013 a few will do. It\u2019s liberating, trust me.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Currency and validation<\/h3>\n

    I realised that if I posted and shared a lot of my experiences then I didn\u2019t fully own them anymore. If we look at them as a valuable currency, then why are we happy to give them away so easily? Why should an algorithm end up dictating the way you experience something \u2013 even how you feel about it? The right light, crop, filter, hashtags. The right way to portray yourself.<\/p>\n

    I hadn\u2019t really examined why I posted, beyond recognising the buzz of showing off. But then I read \u2018Ten Reasons to Delete Your Social Media Accounts Now<\/a>\u2019 and it was a revelation. Jaron Lanier tells us that social media platforms are built with the same mechanisms that drive gambling sites. No wonder they\u2019re so addictive and potentially damaging to your mental health.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    #ConsciouslyUnsharing<\/h3>\n

    So back to my little movement. Give it a go. The wonderful thing about consciously unsharing is you get to own the memory, you get to share it when you want, with the right people at the right time. Telling stories in real life is very nuanced, it\u2019s layered and dynamic. There is reciprocation and it\u2019s much more rewarding. Take back the power from social media.<\/p>\n

    The next time you go on holiday, perhaps check yourself before you ask for that WiFi password. Do you really need to digitally connect?<\/strong> Ask yourself what you\u2019re really missing out on, what will tempt you away (Candy Crush, anyone…?). Try and live in the \u2018here and now\u2019. Talk to people. Ask for – and give – stories. Watch, wait and engage before whipping out the phone to take a picture. Just see what happens. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be surprised.<\/p>\n

    I can\u2019t sit here and say I’ve deleted Instagram (I do genuinely love #travelporn), but I’m in a happy place with it. To be clear, I was never an influencer or anything like that, but social media and digital connectedness had genuinely changed the way I travelled, and it wasn\u2019t for the better. It\u2019s getting harder and harder to switch off these days and that was what holidays were once about for most of us. I\u2019m glad I\u2019ve taken a step back and I’m relishing my newfound travel freedom.<\/p>\n

    So, all together now, let’s not allow mobiles to destroy the way we travel.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    CURIOUS TO KNOW MORE?<\/h3>\n

    To get in touch with Matt about any of the themes explored in this article, you can reach him via email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Alternatively, find out about the ETG approach to holidays<\/a> on our website.<\/p>\n

    [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Does travelling through the lens of a mobile camera take away from the experience? Discover the #ConsciouslyUnsharing movement…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":18726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1344],"tags":[1392,1333],"coauthors":[912],"class_list":["post-18725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-etg-take-on-travel","tag-digital","tag-planning"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":2715,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18725"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=18725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}