Random Thoughts - Going Analogue during Vacations

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As digital technologies and devices continue to take over our daily lives and habits, I now try to "digitally detox" myself whenever I travel. While my work dictates that I cannot fully rid myself of my digital communications channels even when I am on vacations, I have tried to limit time spent on my digital devices in my recent trips. And I will continue to do so in the future.

Work aside, I believe we had all spent a fair bit of time reading news, checking in on social media and even doing some online shopping while we were traveling. Besides, what was there to do if we happened to be chilling out in a cafe in a nice Tokyo suburb or dining at an eatery by a picturesque riverside along the Mekong River?

Enough of that, for me at least. I have decided that books and journals are the way to go when I travel. Conversations with people around me; with my travel partners, fellow travelers, folks working at the cafes or the locals. Through conversations, I discovered whole new worlds. I got to know people of different cultures, interests and perspectives. It widened my views on life and the world around me.

And on days when I do not feel like talking to anyone, there were always my journals where I could pen down my thoughts; conversations with myself. And I meant hardcopy journals on which I physically wrote with a pen or pencil. Not the digital versions. No batteries required.

Coffee at a cafe, Miyajima (Itsukushima), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (2019)


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