The Signal-Free Flâneur- Reflections on my trip to Europe, Part II

Flâneurmaxxing in Europe

In last week’s post, I reflected on my recent trip to Europe and described what was so impactful about the trip. In this post, I’d like to reflect on an additional aspect of the trip that was just as revolutionary as standing on the beaches of Normandy. I’ll share one final reflection next week.

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I didn’t take cell phone service to Europe. Now, to be fair, this started off as a bit of logistical necessity with my cell phone provider; it’s a long story. Nevertheless, once I realized that taking cell phone service with me would be a serious hassle, I embraced the possibility of a digital detox and the chance to be totally disconnected from the world, knowing that I could rely on hotel WiFi throughout the trip when we returned at the end of each day.

I am here to report that I lived to tell the tale. Consider these thoughts “dispatches from a modern day Flâneur.”

Though I have only been on this side of heaven for 27 years, I’m reliably told that us humans have been wandering the Earth for millennia. And wouldn’t you know it, for the overwhelming majority of civilization, we navigated the world without a cell phone in our pockets. And despite the technology overlords encroaching on all aspects of daily living, one can still navigate large swaths of the world without a smartphone. Here’s how I did it.

The first challenge I would have to overcome would be getting from London’s Heathrow airport to my hotel in central London. To be fair, this was hardly a challenge. All I did was print out from Google Maps the directions I’d need to follow: Take the Piccadilly line toward Cockfosters, and get off at Barons Court. Once there, hop on the Green line toward Upminster and get off at St. James’s Park. Voila, I arrived at my hotel, safe and sound, without using a smartphone.

After checking into the hotel, I decided I’d explore central London with my camera, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to use it the next day during Shabbat. I popped down to the front desk and asked the concierge if they had a map of the area. They did! After reviewing the map for a few minutes, a skill my great-uncle taught me when I was a very young boy, I headed out into the streets, armed with just my camera. It was lovely. I felt present, and was just happy to pop down any street that caught my eye. After snapping some pics of Big Ben and Churchill, I made my way through St. James’s Park and into Piccadilly, where I navigated to Hatchards Booksellers. There was something poetic about entering into a bookseller that has been around since the 18th century without a smartphone, armed only with a map. Maps, might I add, are truly wonderful things.

Throughout the trip, this is how I would navigate all the towns that we were in. In Bayeux, France, where we spent the bulk of our time, I would wander the streets at night, here without a map, knowing that as long as I could see the steeple of the Bayeux Cathedral, I’d find my hotel. These nights wandering Bayeux were some of the best. I allowed myself a child’s curiosity, walking down new streets every night, taking a right instead of a left, seeing different parts of the town spontaneously. And yes, there was one night that I got lost, in a town 5000 miles away from home, without a smartphone. Somehow, I lost track of the church steeple. Ok, maybe a beer or two was at play. Honestly, who cares? I know I didn’t. I didn’t panic, I wasn’t frantically reaching for the phantom phone that I wished was in my pocket. No, I just kept walking until I found a sign that pointed me in the right direction. All was well. The world did not actually end.

In the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, we were given a few hours to enjoy ourselves, have lunch and explore the gorgeous town’s many offerings. I ate my lunch in the town square, next to a statue of General Eisenhower, just enjoying the moment and being present. Our guide, Dr. DeToy, had mentioned that there was a delicious craft brewery in the town, and pointed “that way” when asked where it was. Challenge accepted. I began walking “that way,” looking for the brewery without even a map. And wouldn’t you know it, I eventually found it. A mix of luck, signs and a friendly interaction with a local ended with an ice cold pint in hand. Beer tastes better when you’ve worked for it.

Needless to say, my world did not end without having my smartphone on me 24/7. Quite to the contrary, refusing to take cell phone service enhanced my trip so much. I’m glad I had this experience.

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Broadly speaking, there were three main takeaways I had from this digital detox.

First, every time I logged onto WiFi at the hotel, I was surprised with the notifications that came in: they were mostly crap. Without fail, I would look at the notifications and alerts that came in and say aloud “so this is what I missed today? Nothing of importance.” Sure, there were group chats that I only responded to hours later, and an email or two that could use some amount of my attention. But there was nothing urgent. There was nothing that demanded immediate attention. Never once did I say “I can’t believe I missed that!” This was a very humbling experience, and gave me a new perspective on the types of things we consume on our phones every day. If it’s true that you only recognize what you have when you no longer have it, I recognized that I need to cut out a lot of nefarious noise that pings my phone throughout the day.

Second, being disconnected in the manner that I was revealed a truth about the nature of (at least my) smartphone usage. If it’s true that compulsive smartphone usage is an addiction, I should have fallen into some sort of withdrawal. But I didn’t. There are probably a few reasons why that was the case, but I think the main reason is because of the expectation of connectivity. The nature of smartphones and our digital era is that we are all expected to be on call, expected to be able to respond to a friend’s text or an email right away. But life need not carry that expectation. If you are always expected to answer your phone, you prioritize someone else over yourself. I see no reason to do that. Once I told friends and family that I would not be able to respond to messages right away, and once my brain realized that my smartphone was nothing more than a glorified music player, the compulsion to use it vanished. This was a mind-blowing realization, and I’m going to implement more measures to ensure that I can keep the expectation of connectivity away. Otherwise, we serve the phone rather than it serve us.

Lastly, living without a smartphone in my pocket meant that I was actually interacting with the world. It meant that I had to trust myself. There would not be the crutch of a smartphone and Google to come to my rescue if things went awry. This itself was a delightful experience. We are a resilient species, something that we too often forget when the sum total of all human knowledge is in our pockets. But the world is a bright place, and we miss it if our heads are constantly craning downwards toward our smartphones. You can navigate the London Underground without a smartphone, you can go on a walk in a new town without the fear of falling into oblivion and you can interact with new people with nothing more than a nice smile. I highly suggest you try it.