How About A 'Phone-less' Holiday?

 

Living a life with NO MOBILE PHONES?  Oh no, tell that to the marines.  NO sirrrrs, I DON'T intend to stir a hornet's nest here because 99.9999999% [and that includes moi] are all dependent on mobile phones.  I just CAN'T imagine not having one right on my bag OR pocket.  Yesterday, after buying some pastries from a local bake shop, after stepping out, I realized I left my phone behind.  Thanks God, it was still there [a minute after I left it]💧💧💧

For clarity here, I am NOT espousing that we throw our mobile phones out in the window ASAP and PRONTO as in NOW.  NO sirrrrrrs.  That's unacceptable as unrealistic as it can be because these days, we're end-users of mobile apps for Grab, Uber and all those foodies for home delivery.  Even our e-Wallet apps are in that mobile phone.  BUT IF we're going on a holiday, can we leave the 'normal' phone we use [in our everyday daily life] behind WHILE we can bring a spare phone purely for purposes of that holiday?  I know we will face resistance becaause in today's hyperconnected world, travelling without a phone seems pointless OR lets say, it's just impossible💥💥💥

BUT I've talked to some WHO did this and their feedback, it was 'rewarding and rejuvenating'.  BTW, rather than just peddle this out, I did 'walk the talk'.  I did go on a two-week holiday without my business phone.  BUT this is NO easy task UNLESS we prepare for it.  HOW did I do it?

• I shortlisted the possible numbers I need for the duration of my holiday, name it, my hotel etc
• I ensured that I won't use my mobile apps to draw out money.  ATM cards are sufficient, right?

• I made sure I WON'T need OTP's from apps
• Set a fallback if you need to 'google search'
• ICE [in case of emergency], of course I got to keep those numbers within reach

One realization I had was that a 'physical list' codifies a system and eliminates that temptation during those bored, anxious moments that inevitably arise during our travels/holidays WHICH may prompt you to grab your device then❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  That very remote prospect of an emergency during your travels/holidays is WHAT really keeps many of us away from attempting a 'phoneless travel' BUT let me share you my experience.  For easily more than the past 2 decades I've been like a 'road warrior', good grief, I never encountered a sinlye 'emergency' situation.  Of course, the emergencies we're likely to encounter are those practical ones, LIKE, missing a train.  These may seem catastrophic in the moment BUT with the right attitude, they're NOTHING more than those 'speed bumps' on the road.  As travel has normalized, almost all major countries offer mobile wifi and burner phone rentals right at your airport of arrival.  IF still a phoneless travel seems daunting, let's look back, EVERYONE TRAVELLED THIS WAY [just a few decades ago]😌😌😌