When you’re traveling, do you spend more time taking pictures of the world than actually looking at the world around you? Do you spend a lot of time writing stories for your travel blog than actually living them for yourself? The internet is a wonderful thing, and our devices, both large and small, can be incredibly useful, but there are times when you really should unplug from wifi altogether.
Here are the reasons why.
#1: You will experience more of the world around you
Traveling is about enriching your soul and not filling up your Facebook and Instagram pages.
So, if you spend more time taking pics of the world for your social feeds rather than actually looking at the world without a phone lens, then you aren’t going to see very much at all. And if you spend more time regaling your friends and followers about the adventures you’re having through your posts rather than actually living out an adventure, then you are going to miss out on loads of exciting experiences. So, think about what you could be missing out on every time you’re tempted to pick your phone up or turn on your laptop. See the world, rather than take snapshots of it.
#2: You will feel the mental health benefits
As discussed here, https://www.thesavvyglobetrotter.com/how-traveling-helps-mental-health, traveling can be conducive to good mental health. You can enjoy the fresh air and the scenery around you. You can remove yourself from the pressures of the world you have at home. And you can take time out to find the inner you, without having to deal with the assumptions and attitudes of others.
However, if you spend a lot of time in your hotel room on your blog, then you aren’t going to experience the air and beauty of the country you are visiting. If you are reminded of work every time you hear the ping of an email, then you won’t forget the stresses of home in a hurry. And if you are still plugged in to the people who try to shape who you are, then you aren’t going to have a lot of time to find out who you are for yourself.
#3: You are putting yourself in danger
It’s quite simple, really. If you are forever walking around with a laptop bag on your shoulder or your phone in your hand, then you are setting yourself up as a target for any thieves or muggers that prey on innocent tourists. And if you accidentally log in to an unsecured wifi network when you’re hopping from one place to the next, you might also open yourself up to the threat of hackers. Businesses go to great lengths to protect themselves from cyber-attacks and data breaches through the use of a sophisticated cybersecurity monitoring service and other such solutions, so why should you be any less prepared in protecting yourself from similar threats?
Besides this external danger, walking around with electronic devices connected to different networks can also be harmful to your body and health. All such devices emit a certain amount of emf radiation, and have metrics known as Specific Absorption Rate that are supposed to be below a certain limit. If so what is Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)? It essentially measures the penetration of radiation into our body, and tells how much of the radiation travels into more vulnerable tissues, like the brain. By carrying around multiple “smart” devices, you are unknowingly exposing your body to this radiation which might cause damage in the long-run.
So, consider storing your devices safely away in your hotel room, and free yourself of any dangers when you’re traveling other countries (and everywhere else too). You will be safer if you do, and you will have more time to enjoy the world rather than spending all of your time worrying about losing your devices, getting hacked, or causing harm to yourself.
However, if you are reliant on your phone, for whatever reason, buy a security belt so you can safely hide it when you’re walking around. As for the radiation, you can use emf protection devices to defend your body against it. And if you do need to use your laptop for blogging purposes in your hotel room or any other internet-enabled location, be sure to use tips such as these, https://setapp.com/how-to/forget-a-wifi-network-on-mac, to ensure your computer forgets any connections that might be considered unsafe.
Finally
So, take your phone and laptop with you when traveling by all means, but don’t become overly reliant on them. You will enjoy your travels more if you do unplug, and you will have more to share with people when you do land back in your home locale.
