22 May 2017

It’s so easy these days to stay connected with your friends and family no matter where you are in the world. As long as you’ve got Wi-Fi and a smartphone, you can call, text, or even have a face-to-face chat with your pals. And trust me, even some of the most far-flung destinations on the planet have an internet café or free Maccas Wi-Fi nearby.

But just because you can stay in touch while you’re away from home, doesn’t mean you always should. Sure, it’s a good idea to drop your mum a line every now and then to let her know you’re still alive. But do you really need to tell her everything you ate that day, or snap your best mate from every landmark you visit?

Being able to disconnect from home while you’re travelling is an important part of the experience, and there’s plenty of reasons why it’s probably a good idea:

1. Exercise your independence

One of the best parts about travelling without your family is the independence you gain. You’re doing it on your own every day – from booking hotels to organising transport to asking strangers for directions.

If you’ve got your parents nagging you daily, asking where you are, who you’re with and if you’re safe, it kind of undermines the whole freedom-and-independence thing. You can’t learn to be your own person if you’re dragging your parents along with you, even if they are 10,000 miles away. If your parents are wanting to Skype you every day, try politely letting them know that you would really appreciate some alone time, and you’ll contact them when you’re ready. Or that you’re going to be out of Wi-Fi for the next few days…

2. Don’t switch yourself off from new people

Talking to your mates back home all the time might stop you from feeling lonely, but it could actually be preventing you from forming real-life relationships with other travellers. You’re filling your daily social quota with conversations with your friends when it could be filled by all the crazy awesome people you meet while travelling.

Don’t use your mates at home as an excuse to not make new friends. You should be telling your travel buddies all your best adventure stories – your friends can wait until you get home or until your next email to get the low down.

3. Honestly, your friends probably don’t wanna know 

Of course your friends care about your adventures. But if we’re all honest, they probably don’t care as much as they say they do. For example, you definitely don’t need to message that you’re standing on top of the Arc de Triomphe right now. Really, the only reason you should be on your phone while you’re standing at the top of the Arc de Triomphe is to take a few quick pictures. Then put your phone away, sigh pensively, and enjoy the view. You’ve come a long way to see it.

Other things your friends don’t care to hear about every day is that amazing pretzel place you found in Barcelona, that cute guy/gal you just walked past on a busy street who you will 100% never see again, or that the guy in your dorm kinda looks like Dwayne Johnson. It just reminds them that they’re not travelling with you, and they might even resent you slightly for it.

4. You’re missing out on the world around you

Okay, you know the drill. Your parents have told you a million times to get off your phone because the world is beautiful and you’re missing out. But when you’re travelling, this is actually really true.

It’s great when you find out your bus from Amsterdam to Berlin has free Wi-Fi, but that doesn’t mean you should spend the whole trip on your phone chatting to friends. There are so many amazing views going on just outside your window! Pop your phone down and just watch that beautiful world go by. Then maybe ask the stranger on the bus next to you whether they want to go for a drink later.