Smartphones are essential among people who have used them since they can remember. They might feel that smartphones are like a part of their bodies. On the other hand, as for me, I used to feel resistance in using a smartphone on a trip, but I have recently started to use it with a local SIM card. When I was travelling to France in 2019, I booked TGV tickets by SNCF App. However, being involved in the attempted pickpocket incident in Kyiv made me think that I would rather not use a smartphone during a trip to avoid many troubles.
First and foremost, it’s hard to handle having many valuables. I always have to check my luggage one by one, saying to myself “passport OK!, wallet OK!, camera OK!, smartphone OK!”. These checks are such a pain in the neck. That’s why it’s better to travel light.
Second, if I am engrossed in using a smartphone on a street, I might get involved in incidents. When I looked for the location of the restaurant by Google Maps App and I followed the route by GPS navigation, I strayed off into a blind street without realizing it. I can not pay attention to my surroundings when I use a smartphone.
Third, if I understand every little thing on my smartphone, it would reduce the opportunities for me to communicate with locals.
That being said, smartphones are sometimes useful when I need to take a bus. If I just enter my current location and my destination on an App, it shows the optimal route, the bus number and the bus stop where I need to get off. Moreover, it displays the location of the bus at that moment, so it is unlikely that I would miss the stop. For me, who experienced bus trouble in Los Angeles, this App is tempting.