Traveling in Asia: Don’t Go Without Your Phone!

Just by the title, I am sure you are thinking “why would anyone do that?” Traveling without a phone was not by choice I assure you! This is not a case of, ‘I can’t live without social media’, this story is about how important Google Maps, my clock, and my camera is and the lessons I learned a long the way.
It started early summer, four days before my big trip to Japan. I had lost my phone and didn’t have the budget for a new one anytime soon. So, there I was in Suzhou, planning everything step-by-step of where I need to go, how to get there and any important information I needed.

Day two without a phone: Shanghai

I stayed three days in Shanghai to get my JR pass for Japan. It’s a handy but pricey all access pass to any JR train, bus, and bullet train, with some exception.  Now, I just arrived at the train station in Shanghai and needed to get to my hostel. I decided to take the metro since I am used to traveling around Shanghai. The difficult part was when I got out of the metro stop and realized I forgot to check which exit I needed to get out of. I spent a good 30 minutes walking around before I asked a local for help.

Lesson #1: Write the metro line, stop, and exit down (there can be up to four or more exits)

Where’s the map?

Now, I wasn’t completely helpless. I did have my laptop with me. Why would I go traveling with it? The main reason was because I had a job interview the day I arrived in Japan. Funny enough, it was with the former IC Chengdu Branch Manager, currently the China Manager. My arrival post and this  post should be proof enough that I got the job!

So, there I was, at the Haneda airport checking which train I should take, to get to my hostel. I honestly thought I was completely prepared. Got my JR Pass, took my train and went my way. After arriving at my stop, I read my notes and I saw that I need to leave through the North exit. After walking around for 30 minutes, I asked a local for help. I was in the complete opposite area!

Lesson #2: Read the map at the train station to make sure what side is which.

Can’t be too harsh on myself for this one though, I had been up for +20 hours and the only thing I can think of, was getting a nap in before my interview. This is where I truly realized how much more researching and planning was going to done.

A picture is worth a thousand words

I never imagined how much I needed my not-so good quality camera on my old Samsung S5 mini. The biggest regret would have been not buying a camera beforehand. My flight to Japan was around midnight (not including the delay) so, I was fortunate to see the sunrise on my flight. Being able to see Mount Fuji during the sunrise was surreal. A moment I’ll never forget, I just wish I had a camera.

Lesson #3: Get a camera to record the beautiful moments of your trip!

Eventually I bought a small Sony camera. It was awkward in the beginning. I didn’t get as much pictures because I’m not used to taking pictures with anything but a phone. However, I found myself enjoying the scenery a lot more.

Tik-tok, it’s check-out time!

For the most part, my sense of time was the most effected. I found myself waking up at the crack of dawn because I was afraid to sleep through the check-out time. Ironically, I didn’t need an alarm anymore! However, I still needed to know what time it was. As a result, I bought a simple watch to keep track of the day. In fact, I am not consistently looking at my phone anymore. This is one of the best habit I took from my trip.

Overall, these were the three things that really stood out throughout my travels. The next time you plan to travel without a phone, make sure you are fully prepared!