Comments on: A connected world means fewer connections http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html Banter between travel writers, travel PRs and travel social media people Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:04:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ferne Arfin http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html/comment-page-1#comment-321 Ferne Arfin Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:49:18 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/a-connected-world-means-fewer-connections.html#comment-321 For good or ill, the technology is with us. As a travel writer, I find I am dependent on it, more and more, and really browned off when I cannot get a decent connection from a hotel without paying and arm an a leg. But, on the other hand, I do tend to think that a certain amount of self-discipline can help. (Difficult, I know, as I sit here in my pjs at a quarter to 2 in the afternoon, typing away. But if it wasn't difficult, they wouldn't call it "discipline"). And, although the technology may be new and more all pervasive, this is by no means a new problem. Some years ago - in the days of film cameras (remember those?), I faced a similar problem. I was a keen photographer with good darkroom skills, processing and printing all my own work. But after my first trip to Europe, from which I brought back about thirty rolls of Ektachrome slides to process, it occurred to me that I was not, myself, in any of the photos. I had taken all of them and had lived my trip through the lens of the camera, rather than through real life. I can even recall, mentally captioning them for my friends back home. It was a sobering experience. Since then, though I am still a keen photographer, I often deliberately leave the camera behind so that it doesn't get between me and the real world. For good or ill, the technology is with us. As a travel writer, I find I am dependent on it, more and more, and really browned off when I cannot get a decent connection from a hotel without paying and arm an a leg.

But, on the other hand, I do tend to think that a certain amount of self-discipline can help. (Difficult, I know, as I sit here in my pjs at a quarter to 2 in the afternoon, typing away. But if it wasn't difficult, they wouldn't call it "discipline"). And, although the technology may be new and more all pervasive, this is by no means a new problem.
Some years ago - in the days of film cameras (remember those?), I faced a similar problem. I was a keen photographer with good darkroom skills, processing and printing all my own work. But after my first trip to Europe, from which I brought back about thirty rolls of Ektachrome slides to process, it occurred to me that I was not, myself, in any of the photos. I had taken all of them and had lived my trip through the lens of the camera, rather than through real life. I can even recall, mentally captioning them for my friends back home.

It was a sobering experience. Since then, though I am still a keen photographer, I often deliberately leave the camera behind so that it doesn't get between me and the real world.

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html/comment-page-1#comment-320 Jeremy Head Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:29:46 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/a-connected-world-means-fewer-connections.html#comment-320 Hi Ric Thanks for your comments. Nice summary of the dilemma. I think I'm old school too - hence the lack of posts at the moment. Lots of ideas for posts when I get back to the UK, but for now I'm not spending so much time on-line... spending time with real people rather than virtual ones! J Hi Ric
Thanks for your comments. Nice summary of the dilemma. I think I'm old school too - hence the lack of posts at the moment. Lots of ideas for posts when I get back to the UK, but for now I'm not spending so much time on-line... spending time with real people rather than virtual ones!
J

]]> By: Ric Garrido http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html/comment-page-1#comment-319 Ric Garrido Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:19:58 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/a-connected-world-means-fewer-connections.html#comment-319 Greetings all. One of the most difficult transitions I've faced being a hotel travel blogger is trying to remain connected while traveling. I spent 40 years traveling while losing and finding myself in travel. The past decade I have traveled and the experience has evolved from being a total immersion into whatever is around me into a type of obligation for documenting what is around me to provide accurate and insightful information to others. Travel changed from an experience to a job for much of the time. I have mixed feelings about the arguments stated. On one hand, I wouldn't be here if it were not for the tweet from Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View a couple of hours ago. We are connected throughout the world through a technological wizardry giving a Sarawak village teenager the same access to you as I have -- through the internet. And here I am in a new social context of travelblather. On the other hand; I have a difficult time remaining connected with technology when traveling. I still haven't been able to merge my online life with my travel life in real time. Like you expressed in your post, I enjoy being connected with the people around me. I want to get a sense of the life people are living in a place that is not familiar to me. As a person and traveler I have lived in probably a hundred places where I felt some connection of common life experience because I was living in the same community, living with common entertainment, eating similar food, and drinking local drinks with people around me. I feel like I can relate to about a hundred places around the world as an insider who relates to the issues of that community. There are still a million places I could see and experience. I work with numbers. I'll never be part of all the places there are right now to be a part of on Earth. Technology helps bring so many of us from diverse regions together on the internet and also allows a traveler to stay in touch with people who want to know our whereabouts. Ultimately I am old school. I weigh in on the side of tune in to the people you are around and tune out from your everyday home life and virtual friends online. I tend to disappear when I am traveling. We share our lives when we share. Our friends will be there to hear our stories when we are ready to tell them Greetings all. One of the most difficult transitions I've faced being a hotel travel blogger is trying to remain connected while traveling. I spent 40 years traveling while losing and finding myself in travel. The past decade I have traveled and the experience has evolved from being a total immersion into whatever is around me into a type of obligation for documenting what is around me to provide accurate and insightful information to others.

Travel changed from an experience to a job for much of the time.

I have mixed feelings about the arguments stated.

On one hand, I wouldn't be here if it were not for the tweet from Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View a couple of hours ago. We are connected throughout the world through a technological wizardry giving a Sarawak village teenager the same access to you as I have -- through the internet. And here I am in a new social context of travelblather.

On the other hand; I have a difficult time remaining connected with technology when traveling. I still haven't been able to merge my online life with my travel life in real time. Like you expressed in your post, I enjoy being connected with the people around me. I want to get a sense of the life people are living in a place that is not familiar to me. As a person and traveler I have lived in probably a hundred places where I felt some connection of common life experience because I was living in the same community, living with common entertainment, eating similar food, and drinking local drinks with people around me.

I feel like I can relate to about a hundred places around the world as an insider who relates to the issues of that community.

There are still a million places I could see and experience. I work with numbers. I'll never be part of all the places there are right now to be a part of on Earth. Technology helps bring so many of us from diverse regions together on the internet and also allows a traveler to stay in touch with people who want to know our whereabouts.

Ultimately I am old school. I weigh in on the side of tune in to the people you are around and tune out from your everyday home life and virtual friends online. I tend to disappear when I am traveling. We share our lives when we share. Our friends will be there to hear our stories when we are ready to tell them

]]> By: FIONA http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html/comment-page-1#comment-318 FIONA Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:24:49 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/a-connected-world-means-fewer-connections.html#comment-318 For those of us who were trekking the planet a very long time ago I am amazed not by the technology (which we all use) but by many of the very ill-equipped youngsters and students travelling around the planet. When we were heading off to Kabul on the Hippy Trail or in Borneo with the Kamodo dragons we were VERY much more savvy and much more respectful of the nature of travel. If you are not prepared it is easy to get into difficult situations - even if you have you iphone with you. More respect for other cultures and the planet might help too. For those of us who were trekking the planet a very long time ago I am amazed not by the technology (which we all use) but by many of the very ill-equipped youngsters and students travelling around the planet. When we were heading off to Kabul on the Hippy Trail or in Borneo with the Kamodo dragons we were VERY much more savvy and much more respectful of the nature of travel. If you are not prepared it is easy to get into difficult situations - even if you have you iphone with you. More respect for other cultures and the planet might help too.

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/travel-internet-reality.html/comment-page-1#comment-317 Jeremy Head Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:48:05 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/08/a-connected-world-means-fewer-connections.html#comment-317 Just back from three days trekking to tribal villages - jungle, scary rope bridges, hot sweaty trekking, homestay in village with mattress on the floor and chickens in the garden. And of course they had a mobile phone - nearest road is a 4 hour trek away. Progress eh? @ Matthew... I agree, but the self discipline thing isn't that easy (see... I'm on the net again now!) and the impact the technologies have on locals has a definite impact upon that sense of 'differentness' that travel brings (or used to at any rate.) ie hearing a Justin Timberlake mobile ringtone in the middle of the rainforest kind of kills the experience. But not much to be done about that and certainly not my place to suggest for a moment that hill tribes shouldn't have mobile phones! I think though that you're writing as a travel writer on a job - where yes, the ability to skype home or whatever is just great for killing that sense of on the road isolation - rather than as a tourist... No easy answers eh? by the way I have taken several cold showers in the last few days... but it didn't really help! @ Stuart - yep. Liberating is what travel should be. And turning off the mobile has been great. Can't see myself not checking email once in a while though... and ironically the travelling I am doing is giving me lots of ideas for interesting blog posts which need to be written in the moment rather than three weeks later when I get back. Just back from three days trekking to tribal villages - jungle, scary rope bridges, hot sweaty trekking, homestay in village with mattress on the floor and chickens in the garden. And of course they had a mobile phone - nearest road is a 4 hour trek away. Progress eh?

@ Matthew... I agree, but the self discipline thing isn't that easy (see... I'm on the net again now!) and the impact the technologies have on locals has a definite impact upon that sense of 'differentness' that travel brings (or used to at any rate.) ie hearing a Justin Timberlake mobile ringtone in the middle of the rainforest kind of kills the experience. But not much to be done about that and certainly not my place to suggest for a moment that hill tribes shouldn't have mobile phones!
I think though that you're writing as a travel writer on a job - where yes, the ability to skype home or whatever is just great for killing that sense of on the road isolation - rather than as a tourist...
No easy answers eh? by the way I have taken several cold showers in the last few days... but it didn't really help!
@ Stuart - yep. Liberating is what travel should be. And turning off the mobile has been great. Can't see myself not checking email once in a while though... and ironically the travelling I am doing is giving me lots of ideas for interesting blog posts which need to be written in the moment rather than three weeks later when I get back.

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