Going Wireless
I consider myself tech-savvy, especially when it comes to the web, and I admit to having a slight addiction to connectivity. An Intro to the Digital Age class I took at Johns Hopkins in the summer of 2003 taught me all about blogs, RSS and such, and since then I’ve enjoyed experimenting with these technologies that allow a communications nut like me to stay in contact with folks/news/data all the time.
The web has also opened tremendous doors for me in the past two years — I’ve made incredible new friends and business contacts, and I’ve been able to follow my travel passions and dreams in ways I couldn’t have imagined. My iBook has been my sidekick through it all, searching out free wifi spots up and down the east coast with me, helping me stay online much of the time.
But I had to make some tough decisions when preparing for this extended trip, and my trusty iBook did not make the cut. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t justify hauling it around for five months on a trip that is supposed to be about being in the moment, meeting people and experiencing the thrill of semi-unplanned travel. Interestingly enough, my laptop battery died this week, a sure sign that I’ve made the right decision to leave it at home — the poor thing is tired, worn out and not up for a long lug around Europe.
I know I’ll be staying at some hostels with free wifi where I may really miss not having my iBook around, but my back is excited about the lighter weight of my pack, and I’m convinced my travel experiences will be richer by leaving it behind.
I had been debating what to do about this for some time. Rolf Pott’s Vagabonding, as well as articles and opinions I read on the Boots board helped me make my decision. It all comes down to personal preference, and for at least this European leg of my journey, I choose to go wireless in a different way — I’m not bringing any wires at all! No laptop, no cell phone, not even a digital camera (I know you’re all gawking at me now — crazy girl has lost it for sure, right?)
Well, I’ve never owned a digital camera and have decided to stick with my prefectly fine Minolta 35mm that I bought in 2003. I’ll develop film as I go and get CDs which I can upload at Internet cafes. I’m not worried about it. In fact, I’m excited to keep things low-tech for a change, and maybe I’ll take less photos but better ones? Eventually I’ll go digital, but I’m taking my chances on old-school film for now. I may have a cell phone for part of the trip when my friend CJ travels with me, but for at least the first month I’ll be cell-phone-less as well.
I’m hoping that traveling as “close to the ground” as I can will keep the trip simple and stunning just the same, without worrying so much about gear and gadget stuff. If I was going to live abroad it would be a different story, but this nomadic adventure will keep me moving every few days. The most I’ll stay in one place will probably be a week to ten days, maybe two weeks if I’m lucky.
I welcome these temporary changes to my tech lifestyle while traveling, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be completely offline — Email will be my main way of staying in touch, plus I’ll still write here at least once a week, and at BootsnAll’s Eurail Blog when I periodically check in at one of Europe’s plethora of internet cafes. I’ll write more about my travel writing here and at Written Road next week before I leave. But that’s the plan for now for this wireless wandering woman.
Tags: Europe 2006, Tag Index
Kel
February 9th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
Kel, I’m so excited for you! I can’t believe you’re less than a week away. Good luck & best wishes on your travels! -K2
February 12th, 2006 at 12:10 am
You Go Girl! The Bravest Woman I Know Off to SEE the Wireless World 🙂 Yippeeee!!
February 12th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Kelly — cheers to the great adventures ahead of you! We’ll be checking in to see how it’s going! Take care. K&G