I was lucky through December to do quite a bit of travelling and I have to admit, it takes a while to disconnect, to slide into travel mode and just disconnect.
I will tell you this, it’s hard not to ditch the phone at an Indian wedding.
One of the things I’ve noticed in all my travels is that where ever you go there is a stack of people on their phones.
But did you know Smart phones are smarter than us? We are just not thinking enough about how we use them. Scarily, most don’t understand that in fact, their phone is using them.
Here’s what I saw during travel:
- People send a text to ensure that you know where they are within a 4 m² radius at the Qantas club in Melbourne
- It reaches panic mode when they sit on the plane waiting for the hostess to say…
- ‘Please turn off your phone’, which a lot of people try not to
- Plane hits the ground and we scramble to turn them on
- Go to any major attraction and it’s the same – people sitting on their phones
Tourists are the worst – so busy telling their friends where they were that they stopped actually being where they actually were .
By the time we got home I was starting to look at my phone with contempt. How much time I waste on it? How little time I spend being where I am? Up at Mount beauty for Christmas I left the phone in the bedroom.
It was only then that I started to realise just how beautiful downtime can be. That allowed me to look at the mountains for 20 minutes. They are beautiful. Watching the rain roll in – stunning.
Going for a kick of the soccer ball the park with my daughter and I left the phone at home. It was awesome. I took my daughter on Puffing Billy. It was beautiful. Clear blue skies, cool breeze. Having had this phone realisation I was becoming keenly aware of how much people are using their phones.
The worst was the tourists on the train; all four of them never put down their phone or their camera. Taking selfies, video footage of another corner, video footage of more trees next to another railway track.
You just don’t need 78 photographs of Puffing Billy. Maybe one cheesy shot, but then again, do you really need that? Do we care, or we just want to be liked?
Sorry, of course, we need to document every second of our lives for whatever reason?
The phones are getting that good that you can no longer be where you are if your phone isn’t there.
The best way to ruin a holiday could well be to take your mobile phone.
So this year no telephones on my dinner table home. If it’s park time it’s park time and that’s it; cradling my phone whilst I push the swing is done. Emails don’t need to be checked 6 PM (Even though I’m my boss, it can wait until tomorrow). Sorry roomsXML staff – no phones on desks this year.
So what is the hot travel tip of 2016? How do you get the most out of a holiday? The best advice you can give to your customers?
Turn off your phone.
Be where you are.