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Traveling without a smartphone

·2 mins
Travel Psychology Personal Growth Digital Freedom
Photo by Leah Newhouse from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-looking-at-the-map-3935702

I just arrived at a cozy Airbnb in Germany.
And I got here… without internet or GPS.

That’s right. I didn’t take the most optimal way to get there – following the purple Waze line on the tablet built in to my car.

I studied the map and took multiple stops to check where the hell I was and whether to turn left or right.

Why?
I got so tired of getting hijacked by my phone.
This “smart” device has constantly been taking charge of small decisions in my life.
Where I will look, what I will think about, what I’ll do when I have 10 seconds of spare time.
It’s definitely a really smart device, because it keeps finding its way to manipulate my behavior and thoughts.

So I found myself a second hand Nokia flip phone and decided I’ll throw myself at the experiment.
For science! (And, also a little bit for my personal happiness and peace of mind)

So how was it?

Aside from the drastic difference in calmness and presence I experience from moment to moment, here are some hugely interesting observations I made:

  • Having a messaging device being a messaging device, and a map being a map, is extremely soothing, simple, and clear. Imagine as you are studying your map, the physical piece of paper, it starts emulating a casino with dopamine-inducing little noises and high potential social rewards “your mom said hi and wants to know if you …” – tap me to get distracted!
  • I learned so much by taking that little bit of extra time to study the map. I could probably blindly make my way here and back again. Brussels -> Liège -> Verviers -> Amel -> Büllingen -> Losheim -> Stadtkyll -> … I kind of just remember and now know where the hell I even am.
  • I paid so much more attention to everything because I had to.

There is something to be said about all the comfort of modern technology.
Hit the button, follow the purple line, arrive at the place, swim in the swimming pool, go home.

But what if I don’t want to shut down my attention, senses and intelligence for the sake of comfort?
Maybe paying attention, focusing on simple problems (turn left or right?), and creatively figuring out a way forward is what makes us feel human. Alive.