What Technology Should You Take Backpacking?

In the digital age we are able to be online almost anywhere we go, but is that necessarily a good idea when you’re backpacking?

While staying in touch with family and friends, uploading photos or contributing to a travel blog are all positive uses of the Internet while traveling, there are plenty of arguments for limiting the amount of time you spend online. Perhaps most importantly is the idea that the more time you spend staring at a screen, the less time you spend observing and interacting with the environment around you.

Everyone has seen it, the crowded coffee shop where each customer sits staring at a smartphone or a laptop, largely oblivious to the people around them. The same goes for those who are out with friends, with many people roundly ignoring face-to-face interactions in favor of chatting or commenting online.

If the pressure of work or the sense of familiarity provides some excuse for that kind of behavior at home, a similar argument does not pass water while you are abroad. If you have made the commitment to travel somewhere for pleasure, there is no reason to cut yourself off from your surroundings behind a piece of technology.

A smartphone is potentially the only piece of technology most people will need on a backpacking trip, as the majority boast WiFi connections and decent built-in cameras. For longer emails or Skype conversations, you’ll find an Internet cafe. Obvious exceptions include travel bloggers, digital nomads and professional photographers, but for the non-professional backpacker, technological distractions should be kept to a minimum.

Don’t take away from your trip by letting technology steal your attention away from the people, animals and scenery you could be experiencing.