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>It was a relief to not document everything. [...] Besides, how often do I look at those photos later, anyway? That just goes to show how we're all very diffe
by jasode 7y ago
>It was a relief to not document everything. [...] Besides, how often do I look at those photos later, anyway?
That just goes to show how we're all very different. I have several thousand photos from decades of travel and I go back and look at them all the time. E.g. I recently looked at my own Notre Dame Cathedral photos after the news of the fire. Yes, there are already million photos of that church but my photos show where in particular I stood, the particular weather that day I was there, my friend with me, etc.
The one trip I forgot my camera was an 8-hour scenic drive in the Pacific Northwest. I had to resort to using the terrible low-resolution camera on a HP PDA. I don't feel "freedom" like Derek Sivers of not having a good camera on that trip; instead I keep regretting the "lost photos" I wish had.
Yes, I get the annoyance with people holding up their smartphones for photos at concerts ruining everyone's experience and the cliche of tourists posing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And yes, there's the Japanese joke of "Did you enjoy your trip?" and the tourist responds "I don't know -- I haven't seen my photos yet."
Maybe my preferences for photos to document my trip acts as a crutch for my imperfect memory. I don't post them on Instagram or Facebook. They're just for me.
- brianpayne2 7y agoAgreed. It's hard to read this post without feeling some sort of judge-y "back in my day" kind of vibe from it. Even if this person is young, it still gives that impression. Different strokes for different folks. If you enjoy traveling sans smart device, go for it. That will never be something I do and I don't feel bad for it one bit.
- coldtea 7y ago>Agreed. It's hard to read this post without feeling some sort of judge-y "back in my day" kind of vibe from it. And there's nothing wrong with a judge-y "back in my day" kind of vibe in itself... Some things were better "back in the day" while others are improved today...
- kelnos 7y agoI think if you read it with more charitable glasses on, it's nicer. There are many people who will respond to this, and think, "wow, yeah, I do spend a lot of time on my phone when I travel, instead of enjoying a new place", and might (at least) resolve to waste less time on their phone. There are others who will think, "that sounds like a cool idea; I'm going to try leaving my phone at the hotel on my next trip and see what happens", and then maybe have a cool experience. If you don't want to do this, or already have a good handle on your phone use (so that you aren't using it to distract yourself from life), then maybe this post just isn't for you. There's no need to dump on it, or the author, for presenting a different way of doing things.
- mantoto 7y agoMy wife and I both take pictures with heavy to carry around dslrs. Most of our pictures on our walls are from our holidays together and i love them. They remind me about the nicest moments on our trips together.
- thedanbob 7y agoWhen I was in Austria a couple of years ago I had my phone but no local SIM. It was still invaluable to me: * I took a photo of the subway map to refer to later * I had Google Maps in offline mode, while showed my location but no/few labels. So I still got to explore and discover: “this building is an interesting shape, I’ll go check it out” * My photos of course, which I also cherish