Traveling without Technology

Reflections on 22 Years of Traveling - Part 1

I started traveling at a unique time in our technological history. What we know and love (or loath) about today’s modern technology was very much still in development in the early 2000s. Ideas and innovations were coming online but they were clunky, cumbersome, and many believed just a passing fad. Outside of compact and digital SLR cameras, traveling with tech wasn’t really an option at that time. 

This is why, when I set out to backpack Europe for three months at twenty-two years old and didn’t take a cell phone or any technology with me, the resulting impact of traveling without technology (unplugged) inadvertently shaped my travel philosophy for the better part of the next ten years. As it was, international calling plans were astronomically expensive when traveling from the United States and universal or (E)SIMs weren’t a thing yet.

By 2003, Europe was leading the pack in mobile options for traveling between countries, but I never opted to buy a phone and individual SIMs for each country. Therefore, leaving my flip phone at home forced me to be fully present in ways I don’t experience anymore. For better or worse, it allowed me to explore and imbibe, unencumbered and uninhibited.

Without a cell phone, my options included public payphones (I always carried an international calling card in my money belt) and internet cafes—where you would pay per incremental block of time to Skype, email, or simply game. If you were lucky, the hostel you were staying in might have had a single computer, often with a coin slot to pay for internet usage and control hogging the monitor for long stretches of time. 

As a result of limited connectivity and being thoroughly immersed in my international escapades, my parents eventually imposed a two-week maximum limit for how long I could go between check-ins while traveling abroad. In hindsight, it’s nothing short of amazing that they could tolerate (and forgive) their only child for my lack of communication while on the other side of the planet. 

With each offline adventure and subsequent online return—by then the iPhone had come out—I began to look forward to my future travel plans as opportunities to unplug from a world that was racing toward a finish line that I couldn’t see and didn’t want to reach yet.

While I'm absolutely not tech-averse, I found myself pining for those moments when I was abroad where I could wholly leave the world behind and simply be—wherever I was. The anonymity this presented was its own gift and invited with it, a freedom, to just be yourself in each moment, warts and all.

As time went on and I traveled to more remote regions, I wore my analog experiences as a badge of honor. And yet…given the opportunity to do it all again, with today’s technology, opportunity, and interconnected global community, I don’t know if my forty-four-year-old self today would choose to travel offline again, given the opportunity. 

What I can say is, I’m grateful to have lived both an analog and digital travel history.

My unique experiences instilled a level of confidence and strength that continues to remind me that I am fully capable of navigating life and the world whether I'm plugged in or not.

Have you ever traveled unplugged?

What were some of your best/worst experiences?

I'd love for you to share your travel stories in the comments below!