[sivers]

I’d always wanted to go to Korea. I was so excited. I set out to explore and forgot my phone in the hotel.

I walked around Seoul for twelve hours that day and experienced so many wonderful things. I remember them all vividly now, years later, but I have no photos of it.

It was a relief to not document everything. I appreciated everything as a one-step process instead of a two-step process. I could just feel amazed, instead of feel amazed and hold up my camera to record it. Besides, how often do I look at those photos later, anyway? I find it more useful to refer to my journal of how I felt, instead of what I saw.

A few times, GPS could have helped, but because I didn’t have it, I had to go ask strangers for directions. Getting lost led me down some great little back roads I never would have found if I was following the map.

So now I intentionally travel without a phone.

I feel free and untethered. A break from connection.

Where you are is partially defined by where you are not. When you’re somewhere, you’re not somewhere else. But when you use your phone, you’re everywhere. You keep in touch with friends. You hear what’s going on at home. You see the screen exactly as you do anywhere else.

It’s wonderful to be cut off from everywhere else — to be more fully only there.

And it’s so nice to not know the time or where I am. Clocks and maps are useful inventions, but I see a moment better without them.

I appreciate a moment more when I know I’ll never see it again. I remember that day in Seoul better than I remember most photo-filled travels.

[kelnos]

> I remember them all vividly now, years later, but I have no photos of it.

That's wonderful for you, but my brain doesn't work that way. My memories tend to get very fuzzy over time, and photos are a very powerful aid for me in recall. My photos of a trip with my wife to France last summer are already reminding me of details I've forgotten. I just took a trip to Japan last month, and I expect, before too long, that the same will be true of the photos I took there.

> It’s wonderful to be cut off from everywhere else — to be more fully only there.

You can take photos and still fully be there. There are many many points on the spectrum between not having a camera at all, and viewing the world through your phone's screen because you are taking photos or video of nearly everything.

> But when you use your phone, you’re everywhere. You keep in touch with friends. You hear what’s going on at home. You see the screen exactly as you do anywhere else.

It's a shame that so many people have such a bad relationship with their tech that they can't put it away. I absolutely do use my phone for mapping and navigation and other useful tasks while I'm traveling, but I tend to put it on do-not-disturb mode, and ignore it much more than I do at home. I still wander around, without a particular destination in mind, and get "lost" often enough to spontaneously run into interesting things. Sure, I'm not fully disconnected, but I don't see that as a negative.

[stego-tech]

As I prepare for my own round-the-world adventure in the year ahead, I’ve been finding myself spending more time musing on a packing list, than the destinations. The OCD wants to prepare for everything, to have anything it needs on hand and ready to go. It wants to pack my X-Pro 3 and a bevy of lenses, and a flash, and batteries, and my laptop to process it on when I get back to the hotel room, and a backup drive, and-

And then I remember that this may well be the only time in my life that I will see these places, meet these people, and try these things. That the more I bring with me, the less mental room I have to savor, enjoy, and process the world around me in those precious moments.

I’m going to bring either my X100F, or splurge on a GFX100RF. That’ll be it. No flashes, no tripods, no laptops, no international high-speed data plan. Just me, a point-and-shoot, and unlimited EDGE data for the odd GPS route.

I want to use my photographs to remind me of times gone by, traveling alone, when my memory is foggy or old age has caught up with me. I don’t want to be in photographer mode, I want to be in-the-moment mode.

[jakelazaroff]

My wife and I did this last year and it was an incredible experience. A year ago today we were driving up to Cape Tribulation in Australia. Along the way, on a small hike on a boardwalk through the woods, we were startled by a cassowary crossing our path less than 20 feet from us!

We did manage to pull out our phones and grab a video. A year later, I’m so glad we did — even more fun than seeing the cassowary step across the trail is hearing our voices excitedly whisper to each other about how big and close it was.

I’m jealous of your trip. Not a day goes by that I don’t reminisce fondly on ours. And I’m sure you’ll strike the right balance between being a photographer and being in the moment :)

[Karrot_Kream]

This thread is an amazing variety of stances on photography. Some people are convinced you need to leave all lenses at home to plug in and a child comment of yours talks about bringing the holy trinity zooms and a prime to get everything. This forum is a bit maddening in its lack of focus at times.

I've been bit by lens fomo a bit but never as much as this post and the child post seem to be and never enough that I've missed a shot I really, really regret. My "standard" load out is to bring my long 70-180 Tamron f2.8 and a 50 f1.8. If I know the trip will have little downtime I'll pack just the 50 or nothing at all but my smartphone. My smartphone is wider and can capture everything my 50 can't, though it is harder to get the shot I'm looking for with it due to the lack of control.

If I'm doing a photography trip, sure I'll bring my tripod, glass I need, flashes, and strobes. But if I'm just going with family of friends often enough the 50 or just my smartphone is fine.

I just shot a family member's college graduation with my 50 and the 70-180. I did get lucky in that the lighting was fantastic outdoors, but I still have no regrets, missed moments, or shots I couldn't do. A few moments I regretted not having my ND filters to help tone down highlights in the cloudy golden hour sky (or my tripod to grab an HDR shot), but it wasn't hard to mask and bring highlights down in post anyway.

[FireBeyond]

Agreed. I went on a work trip to the islands off of Phuket, and several days in the UAE.

I loaded up hard. R5, the "holy trinity" (15-35/2.8, 28-70/2, 70-200/2.8), 100-500, and an 85/1.2. I used two lenses, mostly one (the 28-70).

I am going on a trip, two weeks in Maui. And I'm going to take an X100VI, for most days, and mirrorless with 2 lenses for 2 or 3 of the days tops. I have an SSD with a CF/SD reader, and both cameras I will have have USB-C charging so I want to enjoy, but not have the experience be secondary to photography.

[stego-tech]

That packing list is honestly why I’m seriously considering the GFX100RF while I have a windfall available. That 100MP sensor allows so many possible shots via cropping, that additional lenses aren’t needed. The only downside is the lack of that sweet, sweet DoF for portraits, but seeing as how every one of my friends loathes being photographed, that doesn’t feel like a downside.

[tayo42]

Have you gone on trips before or is this like your first real trip too?

Sounding so confused like this makes it seem like you don't travel much? If you like taking pictures take them, if you don't then don't. I wouldn't over think this.

If you really haven't traveled much maybe take a trip and see how you feel about it

[dottjt]

I think it depends on what you value.

I think a large part of taking photos and recording things for a lot of people is that they like to journal and record things, in part, for future generations to have.

Like it's great you had those amazing experiences, but in a sense it's as if they're also going to die with you as well (assuming you even have children).

Of course, nothing wrong with what you're describing. I definitely can feel there's value in how you approach it, and I often fantasise about spending an entire year without technology at all.

[drpixie]

I'd rather travel with you, than those who insist on always carrying a camera.

Everyone sees and feels the world quite differently without a camera. With one, part of you is preoccupied and looking for images, not with being in the place and feeling the experience.

I might loose out in the pictures-of-my-trip competition, and in the I've-"done"-that-place conversation. But I don't want to be the person who "did" somewhere. I want to be the person who got to know it a bit, who lived it, who met the locals, and who remembers the place and the feelings.

[dazzawazza]

Getting lost is important in life. As you say, you'll discover more and experience more.

How you remember something has more value than how it was. Over time it will morph in to the truth you experienced. In the same way a painter captures what they see not what is in front of them.

Enjoy the ride. Thank you.

[dewey]

That’s a romantic idea but in reality without a phone it gets hard very quickly if you have to fill out some custom forms, go to restaurants that don’t take cash (in some parts of the world very common) or even have to get public traffic tickets.

[JKCalhoun]

So much wild street food to be found at night in Seoul…