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In January, Soraya Lemboumba, 40, a project manager in Switzerland, spent 10 days in Panama on a phone-free trip. 鈥淚t was absolutely life-changing,鈥� she said.

She said she awoke to the sounds of nature, not an alarm, and didn鈥檛 spend her time composing captions for social media in her head or use her phone to fill the silence. 鈥淚 spent days immersed in pure presence,鈥� she said.

Thinking of disconnecting for your next trip? Here are some steps to start:

Decide your rules:聽Before leaving for the airport, decide whether you鈥檙e bringing a laptop or tablet or nothing at all. A laptop performs all the functions of your smartphone, but you鈥檙e less likely to bring it to the dinner table or the beach.

Then, if you鈥檙e bringing a device, write down a list of rules to govern your tech use throughout your trip. For example:

• I won鈥檛 use electronics for entertainment on this trip
• If I can鈥檛 hail a taxi, I鈥檒l use my laptop for Uber
• I鈥檒l use my tablet only an hour per day for researching activities and lodging

A list codifies a system and eliminates temptation during those bored, anxious moments that arise inevitably聽during travel, which prompt you to grab your device.

You can modify the rules throughout your trip if you feel they鈥檙e not working.

Downloading app blocker extensions, such as Freedom, ScreenZen and Opal, can block apps or websites like YouTube, Instagram and X for preset periods of time. Temporarily deleting apps is another effective way to prevent mindless scrolling.

Navigating the airport:聽Most anxiety from phoneless travel centres on logistics, such as that which can happen at the airport or train station, where there are schedules, and possible delays and cancellations. As a rule of thumb, allow ample time for transportation 鈥� at least an extra hour to buffer against scheduling mishaps or contingencies.

Without a phone to display e-tickets, you鈥檒l need to rely on paper boarding passes. Most airlines will print them out for you at the kiosks free of charge. But be careful, some airlines, charge a fee per person, per direction, to print boarding passes. Avoid this fee by printing them out beforehand.

With no airline app, you鈥檒l need to remember to keep an eye on those monitors throughout the airport for delays and gate changes, and don鈥檛 hesitate to ask the gate attendants and airline employees for help or directions.

Catherine Price, the author of “How to Break Up With Your Phone,” reminds us that digitized travel isn鈥檛 always desirable. 鈥淧eople forget that you can rely on paper,鈥� Price says, 鈥渁nd the feeling of freedom outweighs any minor inconvenience.鈥�

Getting your bearings:聽When you arrive at your lodging, introduce yourself to the front desk and concierge, addressing them by their first names 鈥� a scientifically proven way to curry favour, which can be helpful if you need directions printed or taxis hailed throughout your trip.

To orient yourself near your hotel or other lodging, walk in increasingly larger concentric circles outward. Use paper maps and expect mistakes. The beauty of phoneless travel comes in the hiccups, as wrong turns often lead to incredible memories. You鈥檒l find that you learn a city faster by relying on your wits and not GPS, which is a thrilling realization.

Write down the full address of your accommodations and keep it safely tucked into your wallet in case you get lost. Worst-case scenario, show it to a taxi driver or a local. In place of a translator app, pick up a phrase book to carry with you. (Lonely Planet鈥檚, in numerous languages, cost around $12.)

If you adopt a conversationalist鈥檚 mindset, your trip will blossom in special, unforeseen ways. If you鈥檙e confronted with a QR code for, say, museum entry, merely explain your circumstances to the person behind you and ask to tag along, giving them cash for the ticket. This is how you unexpectedly make friends and access the serendipity of travel.

Taking pictures without a phone:聽Purchase a disposable camera or a digital camera for $50, and practice a philosophy of intention 鈥� take one picture of something you want to remember, then put your camera away.

鈥淓very time you take a picture on vacation, you take yourself out of the moment,鈥� Price said. 鈥淵ou get too wrapped up in photos, especially if you鈥檙e taking them to post on social media for others. Don鈥檛 perform your vacation! Live it!鈥�

Writing in a journal at the end of the day can solidify the memories you鈥檝e made. Instead of looking back through pictures on your phone, you can read your vacation and relive these cherished memories in a more illustrative way.

Taking 鈥渕ental snapshots鈥� helped Lemboumba internalize memories by mindfully soaking in experiences as they happened. 鈥淭he moments I didn鈥檛 photograph are 鈥� now the ones I remember the most vividly,鈥� she said.

Handling emergencies:聽The prospect of an emergency keeps many from attempting phoneless travel, but real emergencies are rare. The emergencies you鈥檙e likely to face are practical ones, such as missing a train. These may seem catastrophic in the moment, but, with the right attitude, they鈥檙e nothing more than speed bumps.

Since you won鈥檛 have Apple Pay or similar services, in addition to a credit card, carry $200 to $300 in local currency in a secured travel bag that straps across your body. (Cash is handy for extricating yourself from sticky circumstances.) For female solo travellers who are anxious about phoneless travel, buy a prepaid burner phone for $40 and stick it in the bottom of your backpack. You can always borrow a phone in a time of crisis, and always let loved ones know your itinerary ahead of time.

If phoneless solo travel feels too daunting, consider joining a group. Grace Borges, a 35-year-old research analyst from Washington, attended a five-day phoneless trip to Cuba last year with FTLO Travel, which specializes in group travel for young professionals. The tour guide handled logistics, and because she was in a group, 鈥渟ticking to the phoneless ethos was easier because everyone was in the same boat,鈥� she said.

Remember in moments of stress: Everyone travelled this way just a few decades ago.

This article originally appeared in .