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Rise of the Robot Travellers: Technology on the Road

Rise of the Robot Travellers: Technology on the Road

As my girlfriend and I sat in the common room of a hostel in Central London I noticed we were the only ones not using a phone, laptop or tablet. I’m not old enough to remember the “good old days” of travelling, when everyone involved themselves in deep discussions around candles and camp fires, but is this new, connected and robotic way of travelling really as bad as the old timers make it out to be?

The word robot actually means slave (according to the movie The World’s End ), and some would say we have become slaves to our devices. I say we, because I’m a very typical example of the modern traveller. Here’s a quick rundown of the gadgets I travel with (Please don’t track me down and rob me!):

  • IPod Touch with a cracked screen (I dropped it on a Romanian train recently)
  • 13 inch laptop
  • DSLR Camera
  • Cheap Chinese smart phone
  • Small speakers for my Ipod/laptop (these are awesome, if you’re about to set out on a trip make sure you get some)
  • Go Pro Video Camera
  • 1 TB portable hard drive

That’s quite a collection of electronic solutions for modern living, a mad scientist could even put together a real robot traveller to replace me (the robot would never get tired, hungover, or miss amazing sunsets because he was too busy watching TV shows).

So, am I a slave to my electronic devices? Do they control me and make me do things I’d rather not do? Well, I recently sat through Transformers 4, so some would say yes, but in most cases my devices compliment, rather than control, my travels.

There’s nothing better after a long day of travelling than coming back to your room and watching an episode of Game of Thrones or Curb Your Enthusiasm, and things like GPS, Google maps and Wikitravel make travel far easier than it’s ever been. Of course, you’ll always get people who refuse to even travel with a guidebook as it’s not challenging/authentic enough, but I don’t pay much attention to attitudes like this, especially when they are used to elevate that person above others. I’d say I’m somewhere in the middle. I have enough social skills to realise it’s rude to be constantly on your phone while talking/eating/drinking with people, but I like having all the electronic comforts of home while on the road.

transformers-ride-singapore

Back to that hostel in London and to what I believe is the real cause of the anti social nature of some travellers. A lot of it has to do with what generation we were born into. Most of the people in that hostel looked between 18-20 years old and were probably partially raised by cell phones and computers. These robot babysitters, nannies and friends have definitely had an influence, and it seems like the younger generation (I can’t believe I’m having an old man rant at the age of 29!) don’t see face to face conversations as any more noble than online ones. This is obviously a massive generalisation, and there are so many reasons why someone might be glued to their phone instead of having a conversation with you. Here are some I just thought of…

  • They don’t like you
  • You’re creepy, or they think you’re creepy
  • They are shy
  • They already have enough friends (as Karl Pilkington says, we only need 7 friends – look at Snow White and her 7 Dwarves)
  • They’re tired and worn out from a long day of travelling
  • There are some particularly hilarious cat photos on Facebook
  • They might have just got wifi for the first time in days

I don’t have a big problem with people’s eyes being fixed on their screens instead of me, not everyone wants (or has the social skills) to be a talkative traveller, and their devices become a shield for deflecting potentially awkward social situations. There seems to be a growing “anti technology while travelling” sentiment, and while I see both sides, I ultimately come back to the same conclusion as I always do: People can travel however they want, there’s no right or wrong way to do it and we should try and refrain on pushing our views on others. There will always be plenty of travellers to meet and countless great conversations to be involved in, so until robots really take over Earth there are more important things to be worrying about, like are they really going to make a Transformers 5, and will I end up watching it even though I already know it’ll be shit? Now there’s a real problem.

What’s your take on the increasing use of technology on the road? Let me know!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

Jeff

Sunday 16th of November 2014

I think that technology has been both good and bad for travel. I kind of miss the days when I was not overloaded with information about where I was going.

Sometimes I think that we spend too much time on our phones and social media to really enjoy the places that we visit. I am guilty of this too but I do try to cut back on it when traveling.

Jon Algie

Monday 17th of November 2014

I guess as travels blogger we kind of have to use social media - if I wasn't blogging I'd very rarely use Facebook and wouldn't have even thought about Twitter and I wouldn't miss it!

Emiko

Sunday 16th of November 2014

What I great observation! I've noticed the same thing recently. I was at a hostel in Portugal last month where I saw 20 people in the common space on their phones. No one was talking! When I started traveling 15 years ago, the common rooms were for socializing.

I guess I feel mixed about technology on the road - I love staying connected and I know I've used my phone to avoid awkward situations because I'm an introvert. But on the other hand, I find it's much harder to connect with people who don't look up from their smartphones.

Jon Algie

Monday 17th of November 2014

Iv'e found travelling in Southeast Asia a lot more "social" than travelling in Europe so far - I think there is a bigger variety of people (and ages),and I've seen less examples of technology taking over a room.