If you were vacationing anywhere in the world by yourself, what would be the one item you would most regret leaving in your hotel room by accident? Your wallet/purse? Your keys? Or your phone?
Granted, leaving behind any of these items would suck. Especially if you’re on vacation and all your money/credit cards, in addition to your driver’s license is in your wallet/purse. But really, I think the majority of us these days, would not only be literally lost without our phones, we probably wouldn’t even know what to do with ourselves a good portion of the time:
Just think about all those lines you’d have to wait in to get food, or to enter a museum, or maybe even to go on a roller-coaster ride. Just think about all the nothing you would be able to do while you were waiting for the bus or the train, and then when it finally came, you couldn’t text your best friend and complain about how the guy who sat next to you smells like he just climbed out of a sewer. Think about all the picture-perfect moments that you wouldn’t be able to capture, all the selfies you wouldn’t be able to take, or that street show that you wouldn’t be able to Snapchat to your family. And let’s not fail to remember how LOST you would get on all those unfamiliar streets without Google Maps telling you which way to go… Scary, right?!
I just recently went on a vacation to Vegas with some friends who are addicted to their phones. Unfortunately, one of them got so drunk at the Electronic Daisy Carnival (EDC), that he jumped into a small pool at a bar because he was hot and wanted to cool down, forgetting that he had his cell phone in the side pocket of his swim suit. Let me tell you, it was DAYS later during that trip, and he was still checking his phone every half hour or so to see if it would work… (Can you envision the face I’m making right now in your mind?)
One of my other friends, upon realizing that she wasn’t going to get service at EDC, dropped her jaw and gasped as if she was in horror over the revelation.
Me and my fraaands in Vegas!!!
Now, coming from a person who is not addicted to her phone, I thought my friends were a bit ridiculous. But the reality is that my two friends are probably just a very tiny portion of the population that wouldn’t know what to do if they lost or couldn’t use their phone for whatever reason.
But despite probably not being able to eliminate whatever life-sucking, psychological draw phones have, I do think it is important whenever you are in an unfortunate situation, to alter your perspective in order to not let that situation get the best of you.
When I misplaced my phone, either the second or third weekend that I was in Dublin, with still weeks left of my internship to go, and a short expedition to Paris, France in my near future, I could have easily let that unfortunate event ruin my trip and put me down in the dumps for the next several days or weeks. (I will admit though, that I was VERY glad I had synced my phone to my computer and uploaded my memories of the first couple weeks in Dublin, just a couple days before I misplaced it. Otherwise, I no doubt would have been significantly more upset over the loss of my phone… Just an embedded life/travel tip for you guys to always backup your shit!)
Long story short, I was honestly not that upset over losing my phone. And here’s 8 reasons why you shouldn’t be either, if it happens:
1. It forces you to pay attention to your surroundings
That’s right! No more keeping yourself occupied while waiting in a long line for something, or standing at the bus stop, or being driven around in a taxi, or even while eating at a restaurant. You may have to actually succumb to people-watching and just plain old looking around! (Or you could zone out). But let’s be real, while I don’t want to ever say that we should be living in fear while traveling, today’s world has proven that it can be pretty messed up sometimes. Therefore, it’s probably in your own best interest to pay attention to people and what’s going on around you… Maybe someday, it could save your life, or you could end up saving someone else’s! And isn’t that sooo much better than checking your email or Instagram? Besides, people-watching can be quite interesting sometimes, and even comical!… Nearly naked elderly men trying to get money… Yes, that is a thing.
2. It will enable you to be more social than you (already) are
Let’s face it, some of us get pretty awkward when we don’t have the option of whipping out the usually reliable, good friend, that resides in our back pocket, whenever we just feel like avoiding eye contact or conversation with others. But the truth is, some of the most compelling and enriching moments of our lives can potentially take place just by putting the phone away and making yourself approachable for someone to start a conversation with you. Granted, leaving yourself vulnerable to a colloquy with a stranger can definitely also lead to one of the most bizarre moments of your trip, but if anything, it makes for a good story!
3. You will be less distracted while driving!
I think this one is pretty self explanatory since we should all know of the dangers that texting and/or looking at your phone while driving can present for yourself and others. But just in case you’re one of those who believe they are invincible, distracting yourself while driving in a foreign country (or any area that is foreign to you) can be potentially even more dangerous than usual just because you are not as familiar with your surroundings or the way the people from that country commute. Lots of cities incorporate biking lanes into their high-trafficked streets for those who prefer to cycle to their destinations, but even if they don’t, the chances of a biker popping up out of nowhere is still highly likely. And I’m sure we’re all well aware of the hazards pedestrians can provide. Consequently, it is always best that you keep your eyes on the road instead of your phone!
If you typically use your phone for navigational purposes, but there is no one else joining you on your trip to help lead the way with a map, then it would be best to allow yourself enough time to research the way to your destination and have a good idea of the directions before setting out… But still bring your map of course!! Which brings me to my next point:
4. It will force you to learn a potentially new skill… How to actually read a map!
Not to sound like a complete nerd, but I think this was actually one of my favorite things that took place as a result of me misplacing my phone. Most of us probably think it’s a relatively easy task to read a map… And I suppose that it is, until you factor in that when you first arrive somewhere new, you’re probably not sure of which direction any of the landmarks on the map are, in relation to where you are, and as a result, cannot assure yourself that you’ll be moving in the correct direction once you start moving. But that’s the great fun of it!
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5. You won’t have to worry about any dumb decisions you may make via your phone if you’re drunk!
Are you the one in your friend group who’s infamous for sending embarrassing texts or photos while intoxicating yourself with various forms of alcohol? Are you the one who sends unintentional Snapchats while blacked out, or makes annoying phone calls to your ex telling them how much you miss them? First of all, if you’re on a trip solo, I would HIGHLY recommend not letting yourself get drunk to the point where you begin to make irresponsible choices due to your lack of good judgment. But for those who can’t resist getting a little tipsy, at least if you’ve misplaced your phone, you don’t have to worry about doing anything stupid and/or impulsive with it!
6. It could decrease your risk of illness!
This may be a bit of a stretch, but misplacing your phone might actually help you avoid unwanted illnesses during your special trip! I’m sure you’ve all heard about how phones are one of the filthiest objects that we can come in contact with on a daily basis, and since many of us bring it with us to places where we probably shouldn’t, like the bathroom, there is a greater chance that we are exposing our phones to some pretty disgusting germs. And when you think about the fact that your immune system may already be taking a slight hit from traveling, then not having a cell phone to carry around may actually work in your favor and help you stay just that much healthier during your trip.
7. You won’t have to feel obliged to respond to text messages and/or phone calls or social medias… Because you literally can’t!
If one of your goals during your journey is to completely disconnect yourself from the life you typically live, then losing your phone could be one of the best things that happens to you! Just think about it, for some people, their phone is like their lifeline. It has access to everything and everyone they might need. But if you really want to take a break from the constant group chats, work emails, and Snapchat stories, the best way to do that is to either leave your phone at home, or to lose it! Once you go without your phone for a certain amount of time, you will feel like you are on a different planet, living a different life. And let me tell you, it’s sooo refreshing! Perhaps some will have withdrawals at first, but if you go without it long enough, I truly believe you will begin to understand the beauty of being disconnected, and how our phones can really just be so unnecessary sometimes.
If you’re worried about people not being able to get in touch with you after misplacing your phone, call them using a landline at the hotel you’re staying at, or Facebook message them using your own computer or a computer at a public library. There are so many ways for people to get in contact with you these days, so if you lose your phone, it’s really not the end of the world.
8. It will allow you to live in the moment
Last, but certainly not the least, I feel like not living in the moment is one of the biggest tragedies that has come about since the invention of the iPhone. Most people on any form of social media feel like they need to document their entire lives just to prove that they aren’t sitting at home living the lame life. Whenever we go somewhere, even some place as basic as the grocery store, we feel compelled to take selfies or capture photos of the food we’re buying. If we attend a concert we must take videos of the artist singing our favorite song, and even if it’s not our favorite song, we still get the urge to capture the moment through our phones so that we’ll have the ability to “re-live” it over and over again. But before we know it, we’ve paid however much money to view almost an entire concert through the screen of a phone! I am guilty of it too, and I honestly hate myself whenever I do it. Because by “not wanting to miss anything”, sometimes we actually end up missing out on more. Yeah, sure, it’s exciting to be able to share moments of our lives with others, but wouldn’t it feel good to not have to worry about getting a recording, and instead, just enjoy it hands-free? When we get to experience something solely ourselves, it can actually make a moment that much more special because no one else will get to experience it just like we did.
So there you have it! Eight reasons for why losing your phone overseas is really not the worst thing in the world. I hope if anything, that it has made you open to thinking more positively about the situation, so that when it does happen, your trip won’t be ruined due to poor mentality.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
-Brianna-Marie
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