I miss the days of paper guidebooks and hostel bulletin boards

Back in 2015 I was backpacking through Thailand and I'd just grab a lonely planet from the hostel shelf, scribble down the page I needed, and ask other travelers for tips face to face. Now I rely on my phone and Google Maps for everything but it just feels less real somehow. Last trip to Chiang Mai I spent more time looking at my screen than at the actual street signs. Anyone else feel like we lost something good?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora53524d ago

Missed the whole point of traveling when you're glued to your phone lol. Paper maps and asking randoms for directions made me actually learn the cities instead of just following a blue dot. Hostel boards were where I found the best random stuff like secret rooftop parties or someone needing a travel buddy. Now everything's curated and it takes the fun out of getting lost.

robinc6623d ago

Yeah that's wild to think about, @nora535. I remember one time in Prague I just followed a guy with a cardboard sign into a basement and ended up at a jazz show with like 8 people total. Now I usually just google 'Prague jazz' and get the same 3 tourist spots.