“Don’t be afraid to live your life with intense and deliberate essentiality, every day, all the time. However you can find connection to your moments, do it.” – Kourtney Thomas, “What I Learned From a No Social Media Vacation“

Whereas tech is a great tool to assist you on vacation (finding places to go, directions, making reservations, etc.), many people let the social media part of tech take over their trip. I once saw a young lady spend so much time trying to create selfies at the Grand Canyon, I wondered of she even noticed the natural wonder in front of her. (And hoped she didn’t fall off the edge.)

Other people cannot fathom going a week without checking email, social media accounts, the news – or most horribly – work-related accounts and apps.

It might be hard to believe, but the world will survive without knowing where you are for a little while. It’s one thing to check in with friends and family occasionally, but for the most part, just go off the grid and remember what vacations are all about.

Leaving that world behind.

Ashlyn Pernice writes:

“Imagine leaving everything —phones, car, home — and traveling across the country on foot. Imagine truly living a simple life, not caught up with friend drama on Facebook or politics on Twitter, not worrying about the future, nor reminiscing about the past. Imagine being able to truly live in the moment and ignore the responsibilities of everyday life, take in all the beauty of new places and new environments, and meet new people without the distractions of technology.

“But how could you travel without technology in the 21st century? This is what truly bothered me. I knew I wanted to travel without a car, but how would I navigate new areas in this day and age without Google Maps at my fingertips?

“I decided that if people hundreds of years before me could find their way around without smartphones, then I could, too. It was just a matter of using actual maps, asking locals, etc. I threw my beloved iPhone into a lake.”

You don’t have to necessarily throw your phone out. However, before you go, deactivate all social media and messaging apps. Buy a map. Use GPS as little as possible. Take spontaneous photos, not staged ones. Immerse yourself in the moment, and wait until you get back to share your experiences.

Maybe by leaving your daily world for awhile, you’ll find the path you should have been taking all along.

“Money, of course, is still needed to survive, but time is what you need to live. So, save what little money you possess to meet basic survival requirements, but spend your time lavishly in order to create the life values that make the fire worth the candle. ” – Rolf Potts