Could You Travel Phone-Free? One Travel Company Is Challenging Travelers

You just have to look in the streets to see people walking with eyes and thumbs glued to their phones, so could they travel without them?  One travel group is asking that question, by challenging travelers to vacation phone-free. It seems people are taking them up on it! Could you vacation without your tech?

Could you travel without your phone?

Since the advent or the Smartphone and Android, people seem to live their lives through their phone, rather than in real life. You see it so often. Instead of relaxing and enjoying a sunset, people hold up their phones to take a photo or video. When at a concert, they concentrate more on catching the performance on video than just enjoying the music.

This is the modern world we live in, which is sad in some ways – people don’t live in the moment anymore. One travel company has taken note of the current trends and hopes to change this by challenging travelers to go on vacation phone-free.

FTLO Travel is a group travel company, catering specifically to solo travelers in their mid-20s and 30s. They are now challenging young travelers to take a phone-free vacation. They can either go into airplane mode or preferably leave the device at home.

‘Phone-free’ vacations

The company has introduced a series of “phone-free” international vacations this year. It aims to take travelers away from the lure of their cell phones, allowing them to engage more meaningfully with their travel experiences.

The company believes that 63 percent of Millennials would have no problem returning to their analog lives. FTLO Travel explains the charms of past travel, where travelers had to ask locals for recommendations or use their initiative to get around. In those days, vacations were memorable and filled with genuine experiences according to the company.

Speaking to Travel + Leisure, Tara Cappel, FTLO Travel’s founder and CEO, said,“In today’s digital age, we have become increasingly dependent on our Smartphones, and it is negatively impacting our mental well-being and our ability to be present. She added, “By removing this distraction, travelers can fully engage with the destination they’re visiting and build new relationships with like-minded trip mates.”

Explaining the concept, Cappel said:

Trip participants will be required to lock away their devices for the duration of these phone-free overseas escapes. Instead of using handheld GPS and other apps, they will rely on traditional methods, like maps for navigation, pocket dictionaries for translations and “good old-fashioned conversations for entertainment.

Tara said that by eliminating their reliance on Smartphones, the company’s goal is for travelers to enjoy a more “immersive and adventurous journey.” She added that she hopes it will encourage travelers to engage more deeply with the people and places they experience along the way. Meanwhile, this would include ordering an unfamiliar dish from the menu, asking a local shopkeeper for directions, or, probably more importantly, making more eye contact.

According to Tara:

It’s the human interactions and sensory experiences that are the magic of travel. By being more present, I believe cell phone-free trips will foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture they are immersed in, which aligns with FTLO’s fundamental mission.

About the phone-free travel options

When visiting FTLO Travel’s website, various itineraries can be found for phone-free vacations, including the following exciting destinations:

• Havana, Cuba (February 7 to 11)
• Costa Rica (April 10 to 13)
• Portugal (June 16 to 23)
• Tuscany and Rome, Italy (September 15 to 22)
• Iceland (November 6 to 10)
• Oaxaca, Mexico (December 4 to 8)

For those travelers who are fused to their cell phones, the company also offers other solo travel options. They can choose from more than 250 international trips, including new itineraries for summer.

Readers, could you go phone-free on vacation? Let us know by dropping a comment below.