Stick that cellphone away
Smartphone zombies are the worst type of tourists, writes Lorna Thornber.
Of the infinite ways to offend on holiday, fixating on your phone has to be the most insulting to locals.
Swim in an ancient fountain or stand naked on a sacred mountain top and you’re almost certain to upset someone. But at least you’re showing your appreciation for the place. Glue your eyes to your phone, however, and you’re saying you don’t give a rats about the place and people around you.
A recent video uploaded to Facebook showed a group of tourists staring vacantly at their phones on a gondola ride through Venice. Commenters were aghast that the quartet could travel to the famously beautiful city, pay the hefty fare for a gondola ride and simply let the sights pass them by. On the clip, none of them looked up once.
Corriere columnist Aldo Cazzullo congratulated the gondolier who filmed the tourists for highlighting ‘‘the dangers of living a virtual life instead of a real one’’. I’d like to as well. The whole point of travel is to have new experiences in new places and you can’t do that if you’re living in a digital bubble.
Feel free to grab a selfie with Saint Mark’s Basilica and boast about it on Facebook once you’re back at your hotel room, but keep your feet firmly planted on solid ground while you’re exploring.
It’s often the unplanned moments that prove the most memorable: the amazing meal you enjoyed in a family-run restaurant down a dimly lit alleyway; the secluded bay you came across on an aimless hike; the private tour that charismatic local in a bar offered to take you on ... These are the moments that make your holiday and not some pale imitation of what a break in a certain destination should be. If you don’t stay alert to your
The whole point of travel is to have new experiences. You can't do that if you're living in a digital bubble.
surroundings, you won’t discover anything the guidebooks haven’t already directed hordes of tourists to.
There is no point in posting envy-inducing pics of yourself living it up in some exotic locale if you were just ticking off must-see sights without really taking them in. The only thing you’re living then is a lie.
Cities such as Venice are so overcrowded with tourists, it is discourteous, if not downright indecent, to take up valuable space if your heart, body and soul is not into it. Do the real travellers a favour and stay home. At least you’re guaranteed a good wi-fi connection.