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Tom checks a map in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
I always travel without a smartphone. For the simple reason that I don’t own one, never have and I have no intention to buy one in the near future. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against technology. I don’t use a horse and carriage to get to places. (Instead, I
Anete and guide riding horses near Copan in Honduras.
In Copán Ruinas, we slept in a beautiful colonial-style guesthouse called Madrugada. It was far from our usual simple and cheap accommodation. Nothing from the outside betrayed that a hotel lay behind the facade — it looked just like a regular yellow house with no signs. But once you gathered
Anete and Tom on the so-called Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi.
Humans are funny. Chalk a line on the floor somewhere, call it a border and you can be sure that everybody wants to take a picture. It doesn’t even matter if the line is painted in the right location, like the Arctic Circle in Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, the
northern lights over Keelujärvi, Finnish Lapland.
In the first part of this story, you could read how the sauna thawed Teemu. Three cans of beer later, he even turns out to be a gifted storyteller. The sauna stones act as an ersatz campfire. “According to a well-known Sami legend, the foxes of the polar region could
Tom with a frosted beard in Sodankylä, Finnish Lapland.
Teemu’s town in Lapland, Finland, has more reindeer than people. Around 22,500 reindeer versus 8,876 people, according to the latest census from 2015. The latter number has been decreasing steadily. The town in question, Sodankylä, is four times the size of Antwerp. The province, not the city. That amounts to

27 Replies to “The art of disconnected travel: Is it possible to travel without a smartphone?”

  1. Susie

    I’m curious, are you still without a smartphone? I don’t have one, and I agree with the reasons you mention for keeping it that way. I used to have one, and it definitely made me more stupid and also less self-reliant. However, someone just told me that apparently now it’s not possible to cross some borders without a smartphone. Imagine! Crazy! Curious to know if you have any post-covid-lockdown experience of this.

    Reply
    • Tom Peeters Post author

      Yes, Susie, I’m still proudly without a smartphone. That story sounds crazy. Not to mention scary. I hope it’s not true. They surely can’t force people to buy smartphones, can they? Let me know if you find out more about that!

      Reply
  2. Zorba

    I didn’t need a smartphone to travel – or for anything else – in Y2K, or 1972 for that matter; and I sure as Hell don’t need one now. Overpriced, stupid, useless gadget as far as I’m concerned.

    Reply
  3. kf

    Hell yes! About to go on my first smartphone-free trip after ditching the horrible device last year. I was nervous and googling “is it really possible to travel without a smartphone” when I found this blog post. Thank you for reminding me of all the reasons why I loved traveling before I ever got a smartphone and all the things that are lost when you remove the happenstance from life. Also, I often feel like you do about how if all technology suddenly disappeared I’d be the only person I know who would still be able to function. Frightening, isn’t it?

    Reply
    • Tom Peeters Post author

      Hi Kayla, how did that smartphone-free holiday go? I hope you enjoyed it! People’s dependence on technology sure is frightening, but I’m happy to know I’ll not be the only one who’ll still know how to function 🙂

      Reply
      • Kayla

        It was great! The hardest part was having to explain to the relatives I was visiting that I did not, in fact, have any device other than a flip phone in my bag. You should have seen the looks on their faces! I have already traveled without a smartphone once more since then and I look forward to doing it again soon. The disconnected life is such an upgrade.

        Reply
        • Tom Peeters Post author

          Oh yes, people are always amazed that you can do stuff in a way that has been done for many years before smartphones existed.

          Reply
          • Kayla

            It absolutely baffles me when I get that reaction from my parents, who lived without smartphones for the first 45 years of their lives!! Truly shocking how easily we become addicted to convenience. My dad was so confused as to why I was okay with not checking in for my flight online a day in advance. He kept offering me his phone and telling me I needed to check in. But like, what’s the point? I was flying from a tiny regional airport that wouldn’t be busy. I wasn’t checking any bags. All I needed to do to check in at the airport was stick my credit card in a kiosk and press a couple buttons to print my boarding pass. That’s literally it. We have reached the point where the types of “inconveniences” smartphones are removing from our lives are incredibly trivial but I guess it’s hard to remember that until you go back to living without one.

  4. Fozzy

    Just was on a completely gadget-free trip (save an alarm-clock) to Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia back to Germany. No worries with anything like border crossings etc.: For the vaccination certificate I brought a printout, the hostels were happy and more competent than me to help in subsequent bookings, and for possible flight changes I checked schedules once in the internet at one of the hostels. Happy to share more suggestions 🙂

    Reply
      • Fozzy

        It will need to work… you cannot force people into a smartphone. If you want to be precautions, it will make also sense to take a printed template of a re-entry form etc. with you that you can fill out in case it is needed. They are offered on the websites of ministries….

        Reply
        • Kayla

          I wish you couldn’t force people into a smartphone but it seems that there are many institutions that are hell-bent on trying. All the paid parking lots in my city are owned by one company and they recently removed the payment kiosks so now your only option is to scan a QR code and be tracked and charged automatically via their app. I’ve had to get very creative about finding street parking whenever I go downtown. It’s such a bummer! Seems quite unfair too – what about elderly people who don’t have smartphones? Or people who’ve simply lost or broken a phone and haven’t replaced it yet?

          Reply
          • Tom Peeters Post author

            Damn, public parking should be, if not organised by the local government, then at least tied to it. As long as there’s no law forcing people to own a smartphone, it should be an option to park without one.

            It’s bad enough that private companies seem to think that everyone owns a smartphone nowadays. There’s this app that my parents use to prevent food waste, where they can buy leftover food from shops or restaurants at reduced prices. I love the idea, but not enough to consider buying a smartphone.

            Sometimes I wonder how much longer until I will be required to buy one. Happy to know I’m not the only one who resists 🙂

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  6. Agnes

    Fantastic read Tom! We shared it at our Facebookpage. As PR agency we work with Travel media and travel bloggers so we thought it is interesting to share.

    Reply
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  8. didi

    it’s my first time traveling without a smart phone I’m scared I’ll feel alone & bored but your article made me feel good

    Reply
    • Tom Peeters Post author

      Thanks for your kind words. I’m glad it helped. Don’t worry – not being glued to a screen might even lead to more social interaction (i.e. feeling less alone).

      Reply
  9. Fozzy

    Definitely, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. You will really BE in a place, not part-time in its digital representation. Unfortunately, nowadays some practicalities become difficult: We should fight for the opportunity to stay clear of a constructed “need” for smart-phones

    Reply
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  11. Deniz Genc

    Wow. Thank you for this post!
    Still everything goilg well without a smartphone?

    I made a year long backpacking journey 10 years ago without a smartphone and can´t remember that I had any problems.

    I am seriously considering it now again, and was wondering, how hard it would be nowadays to get by. In the past there have been enough internet Cafés and public PCs in Hostels.
    Trying to decide between a “tool smartphone” without a local SIM, just for WiFi, to book flights/hotels etc, and a radical approach a la Tom.

    Thanks for your inspiration!

    Reply
    • Tom Peeters Post author

      Hi Deniz

      Thanks for your comment. Yes, I’m still without a smartphone, although I have to admit my girlfriend owns one now. We use it in the way you described – without local SIM, just for wifi. I think the prevalence of public PCs and internet cafés mostly depends on the destinations you’re interested in. Plenty of internet cafés still exist in developing countries (used mainly by teenage kids looking to play video games).

      Good luck and tell me how it goes.

      Tom

      Reply
  12. Ann

    Tom,
    After looking up do I need a smartphone to buy an airline ticket I stumbled on your blog post. It’s heartening to hear you’re living life without one. I still am looking on the particulars on how to do it. I’ve been worried if my mom passes away and I need to travel to be there I really don’t have a clue how to. Its surprising since in my younger days I worked for both for a travel agency & the telephone company. I only have a landline phone and internet service. Now my property management co wants me to pay my rent via an online co. and be able to text(smart phone ugh). Combine that with this gal in california who lost $160,000.00 in her bank account via text last week. Anyways, I need to vent and reading your post helps a bit.

    Reply
    • Tom Peeters Post author

      Hi Ann
      Thanks for your kind message. I completely understand the anxiety that comes with the thoughts you describe — however, you can buy airline tickets on a computer, too. And in case of emergency, I’m sure you could find someone who could help you out with booking the ticket, even while traveling. I hope you can figure it out and wish you all the best.
      Tom

      Reply

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