So, you’ve made the decision to go global. You’re selling the car, making copies of your important docs and letting friends and family know about your schedule. It’s a wonderful place to be, right?!
Well, yes and no. With the commitment to make a long-haul trip abroad comes the inevitable panic of not knowing what will happen when you get there. As soon as I got to Tokyo I checked my email at an electronics store that (luckily!) happened to be online. I was shocked to see that in more than 3 days, nothing major had changed in the world.
We’re strapped to our computers as a general rule and one key to traveling light and well is to limit our time online. At least as we get settled in to a new place. Being online can be a balm against loneliness. And it can also be a distraction. Take time before you leave your home country to withdraw and if possible, break, your computer addiction. (It’ll make it easier on you and more importantly, them.
If you’re fiending for an internet cafe in Salzburg so you can write home and let you friends know how great the beer is, you’re not tasting the beer. The “instant” part of instant messaging fails to capture the fact that you’re now “instantly” out of one moment (in your active life) and suddenly in another (often numbed-out to the present…I could update my blog with my eyes closed). If you’re a journalist or foreign correspondent, consider carrying old-school implements like a Moleskine, pencil and voice recorder. So retro!
Travel Boundary Practice
Let family, friends and fans know (via the blogs, twitter account or multiple social networking sites you know you’re on) that you’re going on a computer sabbatical. Try it out for the weekend. Just make sure that when you say you’re going to be off-line from Friday night until you run to your computer at 9am on Monday morning, that you’re committed to being off-line for that period of time. If you own an iPhone, stay off-line on that, too. No texting, but talking is okay.
If you suffer any major withdrawal pains or experience any minor epiphanies, feel free to write about them here.
On Monday.
You can do it!
3 comments ↓
That girl in the picture is so hot… I couldn’t concentrate on the great advice : (
Great advice Gwen. I try to camp every couple of weekends and there’s nothing better to break a computer addiction than a few nights out in the woods.
The weekend tech-retreat is a great idea, though I would go a step further and excise the phone as well (if possible). Although, depending on where you go in the world, this might all be forced on you anyways
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