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The sight has become so commonplace it’s no “I think, as a society, we’re going to try and
longer remarkable: Travelers hunched over their figure out, are these devices that we can trust?”
phones as they walk through a foreign street, he said. “I think inevitably we will f igure that
crowded around a piece of art only to view it we can trust them because they offer enough
through a screen, or posed in f ront of some convenience that collectively we’ll f igure out BASICALLY, THERE’S A VERY DIRECT CONFLICT
stunning vista just to grab a selfie. a way to tap into that convenience and still be
confident that they’re not listening to us when RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE BUSINESS GOALS OF
But through the constant glow, a consensus is we don’t want them listening to us.”
emerging: This is not good. This is not healthy. TRAVEL COMPANIES AND THE IDEA OF REDUCING
Travel Loves Tech
“There’s this sort of idea that there are limits, OUR RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY.
and the basic functioning of our physiology is So where does all that leave travelers?
pointing to these limits,” said Christopher J. Lee,
a Lafayette College history professor whose book, Airlines, hotels, and cruise lines are working
Jet Lag, explores the negative implications of harder than ever in 2019 to foster tech-driven
modern technology. “It’s simply important to listen relationships with their customers. They are
to our bodies, sort of identify what’s preventing updating their apps to better track behaviors
us from getting rest. Is it this technology that and tailor offers. They are wiring more rooms
keeps our attention and keeps us awake longer to let guests control lights, temperature, and destinations where connectivity is a challenge. own happy and healthy medium. She offers tips
than it should?” TV settings with their phones. Cruise lines — Intrepid said U.S. bookings to some of those on how to be more thoughtful during trips, such
once known for terrible and expensive internet locales were up significantly in 2018 compared as using a film camera for pictures, navigating
Apple and Google are giving customers tools to access — are upgrading their infrastructure to to a year earlier: Patagonia saw a 114 percent with a physical map instead of an app, or taking
cut back on phone use. Silicon Valley executives keep passengers more tech-tethered than ever. increase, while Mongolia trips jumped 35 percent. a random bus route for unexpected discoveries.
are trying to keep their kids away from screens.
Facebook is trying to de-emphasize mindless And social media remains an important way for “We are seeing an increase in those more remote “I don’t think the answer is either you travel in a
videos. And former tech company bigwigs at the travel companies to promote their products to destinations where you get that opportunity to way that’s super plugged-in or you go on some
Center for Humane Technology are working to consumers. Fewer eyeballs online could mean unplug and reconnect,” said Darshika Jones, digital detox holiday that’s specially structured
combat the problem of technology “hijacking fewer potential guests at a hotel or destination. Intrepid’s director of North America. and your phone gets locked away when you
our minds and society.” arrive,” she said. “There’s got to be something
“Basically, there’s a very direct conflict right now Overall, the tours and activities sector is still in between. I think that sort of has to be driven
Wired wrote in mid-2018 in a story about digital between the business goals of travel compa- seeing rapid growth and significant investment by individual travelers.”
wellness: “Our devices have never been more nies and the idea of reducing our reliance on as consumers shift their spending to experiences
powerful, and people have never been so desper- technology,” said journalist Sara Clemence, rather than belongings. In its 2018 U.S. Affluent Still, some companies are trying to be thoughtful
ate to escape them through ‘digital detoxes’ and author of the book Away & Aware: A Field Guide Traveler Survey, Skift Research found that 67 in how they deploy technology. J. Allen Smith,
‘dumb phones.’ Unplugging is the rallying call to Mindful Travel. percent of high-income travelers said they would CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, said at
of our time.” rather spend their money on activities than a Skift Global Forum 2018 that it was important
In recent years, a smattering of hotels and other nicer hotel room. That number climbed eight to avoid “technology bling,” or the shiny new
Those sentiments build on concerns about travel companies have acknowledged the issue percentage points from the previous year. object that might be fancy but ultimately not
security in light of numerous data hacks. And with tech-f ree promotions, though they are all that functional.
new questions about privacy revolve around often short-lived. A company called Off the Grid The survey also found that 75 percent of afflu-
smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google garnered headlines in early 2018 with a promise to ent travelers had participated in at least one He said one innovation he was pleased with was
Home. Even Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, whose take customers on vacations sans smartphones. organized tour or activity. And since travel the company’s chat service, which can translate
company is installing Alexa voice-powered devic- By late in the year, the company’s website was giants such as Marriott, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor 100 different languages through the Four Seasons
es in hotel rooms, sounded uncertain about the down and its founder unreachable. have all been investing in growing their tours app, WeChat, text, or Facebook Messenger.
technology’s future. business, the sector appears likely to continue
Tour operator Intrepid Travel launched a series to draw customers. “At the end of the day, it’s all about people,”
“I’ve got a couple of the devices still in a box in of “digital detox” trips in 2016, promising to make Smith said. “You can’t let the technology override
my closet at home,” he said during Skift Global cellphones off-limits. While some trips are still A Happy Medium that notion. Everything we do with respect to
Forum in September. placed under that category, the no-phone, no-so- technology is in the quest of serving our guests
cial media part of the deal is no longer enforced. Clemence, the author who wrote about mindful in a more effective way and providing a better
Some customers are similarly uncertain, he said, travel, said she doesn’t expect travel companies to experience.”
wary of having the gadget in their rooms. Instead, the operator is catering to those who voluntarily scale back their reliance on technology.
want a tech break by recommending specific She believes it’s up to individuals to find their

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