I met Laila in the fourth aisle in the Immaculate Conception Church in Puducherry. In the age of Google maps, she was scouring though a large paper map, with a Lonely Plant travel guide in her lap. She seemed confused, and I thought she was about to break into the Joey’s London act in Friends, of actually stepping onto the map to find her way.
Laila is from Toulouse in Southern France, and earns her pocket money to spend three months in India every year. From the Church, we both decided to Varadaraja Temple in the vicinity. She asked me why I was walking with my head buried into the phone, when the beautiful view of the Bay of Bengal opened in front of us. And then I realised the pleasure of finding your own way, without Google Maps in a new city.
Here are some essential travel skills that we may have lost due to the great help by cell phones and superb internet coverage.
Finding Your Own Way
Image Credit: TV Series – Friends
Earlier, we would actually have to traverse street names and speak to locals for directions when exploring a new place. Now, we just punch it into the Google Maps, and are guided there by a mechanised voice. We may be also losing an innate sense of direction. Remembering street corners, landmarks and other eccentric local marks, can be a good way to immerse yourself in the landscape, instead of blindly criss-crossing the city to check tourist spots off your list.
Sharpening The Language Skills
Image Credit: Movie – Eat Pray Love
Google Translate has made us lazy. Forget learning the bare minimum words and phrases of the local language, now we get by confidently in a new country or place. Not only can this cause funny mishaps, but it can also handicap us if left without the phone. The language of a place holds the essence and eccentric culture. It is an integral part of a travel experience.
Experimenting With The Cuisine
Now we read travel blogs and just hit the recommended restaurants, without exploring the local cuisine. It could be wonderful to speak to the resident on places to eat and foods to try, instead of depending on some blog. It can actually deprive you of some pleasant experiences.
Maintaining A Diary
Image Credit: wanderlust
Now we are so engrossed in creating Instagram and Facebook posts, that we forget to actually put our travel experiences into black and white. A selfie on the Himalayan peak will not capture what you actually felt on looking at the glorious mountains, and how was the experience of trekking till there. We have lost the skill of documentation and narration to mobile pictures and Insta stories.
Relaxing
Surrounded by technology, we have forgotten the skill to relax and enjoy the moment for what it is. We travel like on a marathon to check all the popular places off the list, without taking in the moment completely.
Probably, it would be a good idea to ditch the phones, and travel like a primitive to enjoy a new destination at its best.
