|
As with every story, issue or debate there are (at least) two sides to any important discussion. Travelling with your iPod and other electronic tech toys is essential for some and a no-go for others. I can’t live without my mp3 player in my daily life. I listen to it on my way to school, on my way to work, while I’m jogging, while I’m grocery shopping and I usually bring it along on any road trip or vacation. So if my iPod is so integral to my life and the lives of many others, why are more and more travellers leaving their iPods at home when they hit the road?
Side One: I Can’t Live Without My iPod/Laptop/Blackberry
My music is my life. I can’t imagine living without my tunes. I need my laptop to keep up with things at home, like my internet banking, my friends, my family and my baseball scores. If I leave my Blackberry at home, my business will crash and burn.
Our electronics keep us in touch with the world. They wake us up in the morning, help up access the electronic newspaper and keep us within reach no matter where in the world we decide we want to go. No matter where I travel, whether it’s to London for business to Costa Rica for pleasure or to South Africa for a bit of both, you won’t catch me without my gear!
The Other Side: I’m Leaving It At Home, With My Other Problems
While electronic tech toys keep us in touch with the latest podcast, newsreel or important phone call, they can become one of those things that keep us apart from each other. Sounds like a contradiction, but it doesn’t make it any less true. When you’re plugged into the electronic world, you’re not paying attention to the real world!
Whether it’s your favourite song on your iPod or your internet connection, tech toys on vacation put a wall between you and experiences that will enlighten, enliven and help to eat away at all that stress we build up at home.
Consider the ski lift at the local hill or mountain range. When you’re riding solo for the day, it might seem prudent to hang with your favourite tunes, but when you’re plugged into your ear buds, there is an un-spoken social rule that says, “Don’t bug me, I’m busy.” Now imagine for a moment all the interesting people on the ski hill who you might just be sharing the lift with? Potential dates, potential mates, potential best friends and maybe, just maybe, a good laugh.
When you’re on vacation, you want to be talking with strangers who can quickly become your local expert that can guide you to the best food for the best price, a great club or a free couch to sleep on. When you’re attached at the ear to your music, you’re not open for these kind of connections.
Besides, when you leave your electronic gear at home, you can also leave things like power cords, chargers, USB cables, converters and all those other things you need to run your gear so you can travel lighter and with a little less stress.
A Trial Run Without My Tunes
When I took my first trip without my iPod (I will admit that I didn’t leave it behind because I wanted to. In fact, I forgot it, plugged into the wall in the first hotel on my five week trip.) I was pleasantly surprised at the results. Your senses, hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing and touching work together, but when I’m listening to my music, that’s where my attention, both conscious and unconscious, lingers.
Without my iPod and my computer and cell phone (which I opted to leave behind for safety and convenience sake), I noticed things I hadn’t noticed before: like the environment around me, the colours in the landscape and the local sounds music. Also it’s safer to be aware of your environment when you’re not in a place that you are highly familiar with. Not only will you hear that car ripping around the corner, but you’ll also become less of a target for pickpockets and other scams.
But best of all, I made friends on busses travelling throughout México, both locals and other travellers, found people who wanted to chat and share their travelling tips and stories, and made some really great friends who have a couch with my name on it!
Give It A Shot
Go out and see the world without your iPod, your computer and your cell phone for an old school, high senses experience on your next trip!
|
|
|
|
