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Off the grid – travel and technology

Emma De Fry | November 4, 2015 | 6:25 am | 4 Comments

One of the things my husband and I disagree about most when we travel is access to technology. For him, available (and preferably FREE) Wi-Fi is one of the main criteria of our destination and accommodation. For me, not so much.

Sure, posting on Facebook and Instagram is fun when you’re on holidays, and I also often work when I am away so internet can be handy.

But I LOVE going somewhere were I literally don’t even have the option. I am OFF THE GRID.

off the grid travel and technology

I read this article the other day from one of my favourite lifestyle bloggers. Chantelle described her anxiety at travelling to Heron Island where there was no connectivity. And the freedom she felt once she got there, and got used to it.

It’s like taking a trip back in time. At home, we pretty much have no choice. With data on our phones and wifi in our houses, we literally step between one connected area into another and we can never escape the emails, Facebook updates or notifications.

But when we travel, we have the option to do just that.

I recently (and sneakily) got my way when we travelled as a family to an island off the coast of Mexico. The hotel only had Wi-Fi in the lobby area and not in the rooms or on the beach where we spent most of our time. I conceded to the small patch in the reception area as I didn’t want to rock the boat too much with hubby (it was his holiday too, and as it was mid-AFL season I knew he would be primarily getting footy scores, and not checking work email).

It was such a release.

I could lie back on a sunlounger, free to think about anything but work and the world outside of my little patch of beach. I could concentrate on my daughter without ‘phubbing’ her (yes, there is a term for ‘phone snubbing’) and I could reconnect with MYSELF. Let my own thoughts be dominant instead of a million other voices, and allow my heart to stop racing with all of the things I normally need to do online.

I feel like the internet has changed the way we travel. I watch people Instagramming and Facebooking their way around the world, not really stopping to see the view from outside of their phone screen. Perhaps our generation has started to see travel as more of a trophy, than an experience? Or perhaps its just an inevitability.

I love taking photos as much as the next person. But when I travel, it is generally through the lens of my SLR camera and not my phone. That way, I don’t feel inclined to immediately upload it to social media, and I also get a better picture.

Each to their own, but I certainly love hearing other people’s thoughts about the topic.

Do you ever use travel to escape from technology? Tell me in the comments below. 

About Emma De Fry

Emma has been exploring the ends of the earth since she was a teenager, notching up adventures in more than 60 countries and living in 5. Now, with a 5-year-old daughter and baby son, Emma is passionate about family adventures. As producer of Places We Go, Emma helps dream up where we go next, and loves to share our adventures through our stories.

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Comments

  1. Samantha says

    November 14, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    Just came back from a week at Lake Mungo NP with no phone or internet connection at all. It was so reliving to not be encumbered by it. We returned to Sydney via Broken Hill for one night and my travel buddy spent most of the time in Broken Hill on his phone checking FB, Email, Instagram etc. and I was a little annoyed by it. However I travelled to Japan earlier this year and was supplied with a Wifi hot pocket and found it invaluable

    Reply
    • Emma De Fry says

      November 15, 2015 at 6:06 am

      It’s quite liberating isn’t it and I particularly love being somewhere where I have absolutely no choice either, because the temptation can always be there! Emma 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marcia says

    November 14, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    I love going away on holiday and one of the best things about that is to be “off the grid” – bliss!! Cannot understand why people want to be always be checking emails, facebook, downloading photos etc while on holiday when there’s so many other activities, places or people to see/meet. Why they need the distraction of technology and being constantly in touch with everyone is beyond me. We’ve twice been to a Fiji island as well as two cruises and never once missed being in touch with family/friends – they know we’re on holiday and won’t hear from us until we get home. Why go to a tropical island where you can really chill out, relax, swim, snorkel, lay on a sun lounge or in a hammock in paradise and want to be always be logging on? We prefer to “connect” with our surroundings and the people around us.

    Reply
    • Emma De Fry says

      November 15, 2015 at 6:07 am

      Great point about ‘connecting’ with something other than technology Marcia! Cheers, Emma

      Reply
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