Regardless of where you decide to go travelling, technology can immeasurably improve and enhance the experience. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the noisy, distracting world of phones, computers and televisions. At the same time, though, it’s hard to argue against their benefits while away from home.
You can capture the magical moments on digital camera, plan and write about your adventures on laptops, and, in emergency situations, you have your mobile phone. What’s more, if you make the most of your favorite piece of technology, you could save substantial amounts of money too.
Planning and preparation
Before setting off, make sure you visit comparison websites for flights, accommodation and insurance. If you’re willing to leave it until the last minute, significant savings can be made.
There are also numerous smartphone and tablet apps that enable you to input flight information, accommodation details, travel itineraries and contact details as well.
Documenting and recording your trip
Even though you’re bound to be visiting an outstanding sights and attractions, you’ll want these memories to last forever. This is where technology really comes into its own.
Take your laptop with you and write a travel journal or diary. Go into detail about each experience and encounter or put into words how you’re feeling each day. Friends and family back home or even other travelers would love to read your anecdotes on a blog like this one.
Don’t forget to take plenty of pictures with a digital camera either. Nothing can quite replicate what you see with your own eyes, but photographic evidence of a particular landmark or activity is the next best thing.
In some situations it might easier to carry just a smartphone or tablet, but laptops and digital cameras are far more flexible when it comes to writing extensive notes, taking high-quality photos and uploading your experiences to the Internet.
Ongoing assistance and saving money
From locating a local restaurant to translating a menu and knowing how much to pay, smartphones and tablets are fairly indispensable travel accessories. Most navigation, translation and currency apps are free to download too.
Although several destinations in Asia tend to be quite cheap, you can still stick close to your budget with the assistance of technology. Here’s how:
- Eat local — Fast food chains are easy to find, but seeking out some local eateries on your phone will undoubtedly save you lots of money and be a much more authentic experience too.
- Travel at night — Inexpensive overnight buses and trains are all over the place in Asia, so look up timetables and routes on your laptop to reap the rewards of low-cost travel.
- Haggle – Always try to negotiate a bargain with market traders and taxi drivers. This is how things are done in Asia, so make sure you’ve got a digital phrasebook handy.
Escaping technology can be quite enjoyable from time to time, but having a smartphone, laptop and digital camera in your possession while travelling is absolutely essential.
Image by Walt Stoneburner, used under Creative Commons license.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
