Readers Poll: Are Mobile Phones Ruining Travel? 📵

There’s no denying that technology, and specifically mobile phones, has changed the way we travel. The question is, was travel better before we all had the internet in our pocket?

Many travellers in the South East Asia Backpacker community have experienced backpacking before and after the rise of smart-phone technology. So, we asked you: have mobile phones changed travel for the better or the worse? Here’s what you had to say…

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Backpacking With Smart Phones: Has It Made Travel Better or Worse? 🤳

The Results! = Better

Just over half of people (around 56% of you) said that overall mobile phones have made travel easier and better!

Many of you gave balanced answers to this question, citing the pros and cons of travelling with a mobile. Some of you were adamant that travel was better before instant internet access and social media, and lots of you commented on the loss of social atmosphere due to phone use… so it’s pretty even!

Here’s what some of our community members had to say on the subject…

The Case For Mobile Phones 🤳👍

Many of you reckon that travelling with phones has certain benefits that greatly outweigh any negative aspects. Ease of getting around, booking and staying in contact with people back home are the main reasons people cite. Here are a few of our favourite comments!

TOP COMMENT! 🏆 “I would feel so much more guilty about leaving my family back home if I couldn’t keep in contact with them; this way I can still be a part (sort of) of birthdays, milestones, Christmas and the likes. I’m not sure my mum could take it otherwise!” – Grace

“Overall for convenience of getting around, maps, staying in touch with family, using local public transport etc. they have been a boon. I do miss the chats about what to see, do, miss, look out for, which don’t seem as common and you do need to disconnect, but all in all, two thumbs up 👍👍.” – Mark Seaton

“Google maps, photos, apps and Paypal all packed into one in the palm of your hand. Booking online is more efficient, at anywhere and anytime. [It’s easy to] stay in contact with family and friends at all times and stay up to date from social media.” – Jim

“Banking, accommodation booking, maps, camera, trip/tour booking, flight booking, clock, music, contact with friends all in your pocket. [Phones have] definitely made travel easier, but less social for those that are addicted to their screens.” – Guy Mitchell

UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE 🌟 I’m visually impaired. Without a mobile phone. I wouldn’t be able to travel at all because I would get lost. As usual, technology itself is neither good nor bad. It all depends on how we use it. Unfortunately, without proper education and information, it’s easy to have our lives taken over by it. – Francesca

We loved this comment above 👆 which was an important reminder that mobile phones have made travel more accessible for so many people, including those with certain disabilities… It’s incredible how technology can open up the world in ways that weren’t possible before!

The Case Against Mobile Phones 👎

For oldies (like me) who have experienced travel with and without mobile phones, many of us prefer the days when certain aspects of travel were certainly more difficult, but in many ways more adventurous, mysterious, spontaneous and disconnecting (in a good way!). There’s also the worry that many of us are addicted to the little shiny things and are more concerned with posting on social media than embracing real life experience.

Here are some of our favourite comments!*

TOP COMMENT! 🏆 “I think it’s made it different. Back in the 90s when I first went to Thailand, there was a lot more mystery attached to travelling. You headed off with your Lonely Planet and along the way you got recommendations for places from people in hostels. You turned up at an island, representatives from different bungalows accosted you and you just jumped in a pick up truck and were taken to some place that either turned out to be amazing or not so. I didn’t contact my family for months and months on end, they didn’t know where I was or what I was doing and that level or escape was magical (probably not so amazing for them though!). Phones definitely make things easier now, but I feel some of the mystery has gone.” – Cassy Tapper

“While it’s so easy to be connected nowadays (compared to Internet cafes and hotel landlines of the past) I think cell phones ultimately do the opposite of “bringing people together” in the moment. In daily life they seem to separate the travellers from each other and from locals more than anything.” – Melanie Benszuweit

“Its made travelling very easy which has led to many destinations being overrun by tourists and the local culture being heavily diluted. Pai, Thailand stood out to me the most. The culture there in a very rural ‘hippy’ Thai village, during peak season it’s [full of] gap year students and backpackers in their late teens/early 20s a lot of which go there to get drunk. The average backpacker is no longer a brave, adventurous or cultured person. But rather anyone who has a smart phone.” – Joe Sharp

“Objectively it’s convenient and makes things easier. As a millennial backpacker who has taken trips before and after covid, theres a big difference in the travelers I see on the trail these days. There are less solo travelers, more people traveling in groups, people are glued to their phones, travellers appear less adventurous, less fun and outgoing in general. Idk if it’s the new generation, social media, or a mix a both? Phones are partly to blame for sure.” – Neal McNamee

“Added to the convenience in many ways but taken away the mystery and adventure to a great extent. For many the interaction with people around has taken a back seat to social media posturing and ticking off bucket lists.” – Dilip Lalwani

“Loss of sense of community. Loss of sense of surprise. Selfie, selfie, selfie everywhere. Damn bucket list.” – Anonymous 46-yr old bitter female ex solo backpacker

*Note: It seems that the people who were more negative about mobile phone usage and travel were more likely to comment, which is why there are more negative comments here, despite the 56% positive case.

Here are a few wise words from the balanced wise ones, sitting on the fence, who think that phones have had some negative and some positive effects on travel…

TOP COMMENT! 🏆 “Use it wisely and it’s useful. Abuse it and it is a waste.” – Tshering Sherpa

“All in all I don’t think it has made it worse, it’s nice to have your camera and your guide book in your pocket. I love getting a bit lost and exploring places in the cities that I wouldn’t have. But my sense of direction is so horrible that Google maps didn’t ruin that for me. I miss the days when you didn’t book accommodation in advance and just showed up finding a place to sleep though… And for an introvert like me who’s not thaaat good at meeting new people it’s a bit more difficult to just get to talk to strangers as a lot of solo travelers is just looking into their phones when at a cafe etc.” – Gustav

“I don’t think smartphones have made it worse. I think the people using them has.” – Jonathon Mills

Editor’s Opinion ✍️

I was born in 1984. I’m on the cusp of the generation divide that still makes me a Millennial. I am old enough, and young enough, to have experienced backpacking in two completely different worlds.

One is the world in which I first started travelling at 23. years old A world in which the Lonely Planet guidebook was carried around like a travel bible, backpackers went to Internet Cafés to long-distance call their parents and photos were taken on a camera not designed to share photos instantly online.

The other, is the world today, with instant access to the web in practically every place on Earth and a million different social networks and travel apps aimed at enhancing your travel experience.

Do mobile phones make travel better?

As I travel around Southeast Asia today, I wonder: How much does this constant connection in the palm of our hands actually improve our travel experience? And how much does it deter from the feeling of adventure and freedom that makes us travel in the first place?

Do Mobile Phones Take the Adventure out of Travel?

I don’t know about you, but the desire to travel comes from a hankering within me to experience things for myself. To smell and feel a place.

I want to be challenged. I want it to be difficult. The very fact that you give me TripAdvisor and tell me what the best restaurant in town is, and give me Google Maps to show me exactly how to get there, makes it less exciting for me.

“Just don’t use it then!” You say. Of course, I can ignore it – and I do. I get a kick out of finding backstreet eateries that you won’t find online. Do I enjoy them all the more simply because they are not online? Yes, I probably do.

Now, I know that technology has made travel more accessible and affordable for millions of people all over the world. Many apps make it easier for people to keep in touch while they travel. (I couldn’t live abroad if I didn’t have a reliable way to keep in touch with my Mum!)

And it can’t be denied that all the big travel industry conglomerates that allow you to compare and book cheap hotels, flights, tripa and tours take a lot of the stress out of travel planning. Plus, being able to ask fellow travellers in our Facebook group – “What’s the best way to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao?” is all well and good.

However, when we really examine what human’s want and need to feel happy and good about themselves, is all the information and instant access to the Internet via our mobile phones getting in the way of what we really look for when we travel?

So… Why do we travel?

Disconnection – a break from our normal lives in order to reconnect with something greater.

Adventure – the very word evokes, for me, feelings of the unknown. 

Challenge – this is what makes it all the more rewarding right?

Reconnection – real connection with the flesh and blood humans around us.

Creativity – sat on the train for eight hours looking out of the window it’s amazing what new ideas we come up with when our minds are not distracted.

Peace – a moment where we experience the present moment just as it is. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

Well, I’m not going to be a Luddite. I see the advantages of having technology at my fingertips and believe that in many ways having a mobile phone can make travel safer and even more adventurous if used properly!

However, I am going to try to make sure that in my personal life, I remember what travel (and life) was like before your phone connected to WIFI. (I say try because I’m as addicted to my phone as anyone!) 

I’ll try to leave my phone at home and set off on my bicycle ride not knowing which direction I’m heading. If I get lost, I’ll ask a real person for directions.

I’ll try to have days and nights that are not documented online.

I’ll try to make an effort to go to restaurants, hotels and book tours with companies that aren’t on TripAdvisor. I’ll just go with my gut. If that proves to be wrong, then I’ll have learnt something in the process!

I’ll try to call my friends instead of just giving them a like on their latest Facebook photo.

I’ll try to read books when I’m bored instead of scrolling through my newsfeed.

So, what do you think? Has constant access to the Internet on your phone enhanced or diminished your own travel experience? Let us know in the comments!

Header photo credit: Chelsea MacCarthy.

Nikki Scott | Founder & Editor

Nikki is the founding editor of South East Asia Backpacker and The Backpacker Network. In her early twenties, she left her home in the North of England on a solo backpacking adventure and never returned! After six months on the road, she founded a print magazine that became legendary on the Banana Pancake Trail. The rest is history.

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