08 June 2022

No-phone road trips

A couple of years ago, a friend and I took a three-day road trip to the Texas Hill Country. We lived on different continents at the time, and we both had jobs that involved at least eight hours a day in front of a screen. Our goal was to reconnect with each other and the non-digital world around us.

We decided to ditch our phones and all internet-connected devices. We left Austin in a borrowed Mazda 3 with a map, a list of places that seemed interesting, and some mixtape CDs.

Our list of places quickly fell by the wayside. We embraced whatever could be found at the end of a wrong turn. Wandering this way bore fruit: a rainy drive down the Devil’s Backbone, the spiciest bloody mary I’ve ever had, a street of brilliant Christmas lights against a black country night.

Not having our phones forced us to rely on strangers when we needed directions or advice. Everyone we met was supportive. Chance conversations led us to a barbecue lunch I still think about and a town where the only buildings are a post office, a general store, and a nine-pin bowling alley. On our last night, we bowled at a different spot – ten-pin – and were invited to join the birthday celebrations of the family in the next lane.

Just before starting home, we visited a cafe to reflect on our phone-free journey. We asked our waitress the best route back to the highway. She pulled out her iPhone to check.

Our trip was a huge success, in large part because of its format. Here are some tips for organizing a no-phone road trip of your own:

• Bring your phone, but leave it off and at the bottom of your bag. It’s useful to have in case of emergency.

• Make a rough itinerary that you are prepared to abandon. Arrange accommodation ahead of time unless you are truly adventurous. Print out important documents and write down contact information.

• Buy a good map of the area and get familiar with it. Don’t be afraid to mark it up.

• Burn CDs, load up a USB stick, or buy a music player for when you exhaust local radio stations.

• Bring some extra food and water just in case.

• Talking to strangers is what makes the trip, so do it often.