Last Autumn, I was taking the ferry from the tiny island of Lokrum to Dubrovnik, as part of a Croatian holiday. As the water was lapping against the boat and the wind blew through my hair, my boyfriend sitting at my feet as we watched the waves our ferry made—I remember feeling really present, and happy, in that moment.

Then, my phone pinged.

It was my sister, who just wanted to check in. But I immediately jumped straight into texting:

What’s new?

Nothing, just in Croatia!

Jeez are you never NOT on vacation?

Nothing was urgent; it was just a check-in. But for the rest of the boat ride—and I’ll admit, the bus ride home—I was sucked right into the world on my phone. And when I look back on that moment, I think that my sister definitely could have waited a few hours—but my own lack of controlling where my attention span went had meant I’d become less present in that wonderful boat ride.

It can be pretty tempting to stay glued to your phone—especially if you’re new to travel, somewhere you don’t speak the language on the signs around you, or feel lonely as you explore solo. Our phones contain our communities, endless information, and are our centres of entertainment through carefully-curated feeds on Instagram and Tiktok.

You might even tell yourself, this is helping me! I’m looking up restaurants nearby, what their patrons are saying on Yelp, and finding the fastest route to get to them. But all that time walking and staring at a screen will deprive you of the sights, sounds, and smells of the new place you’re in. Being glued to your phone can also make you a target for pickpockets, who might be scanning crowds for distracted targets. So how can you avoid the trap of having your eyes glued to your phone?

Get rid of temptations. The easiest way to do this is to keep your phone in airplane mode as you travel, which will stop not only incoming alerts, but also, roaming charges. If that’s too drastic, you can take half-measures—if you’re prone to getting sucked into social media, consider deleting the Tiktok and Instagram apps from your phone temporarily. If you don’t want to get distracted by work emails, delete Outlook. You can always re-download these apps at a later date!

Set screentime limits. Maybe you need to check the weather every day, or check in to work to make sure nothing urgent comes up. Within these limits, set yourself a goal—for example, I’m going to allow myself 30 mins on my phone in the morning and 30 minutes at night. You could even think about when you’ll actually need your phone (as opposed to just being distracted by it), like when you’re going to or from major attractions, and resolve to only use your phone under those circumstances.

Find alternatives for the things you want to do, if distraction is something you’re prone to. So for example—if you know opening your phone will suck you back in, figure out what need it’s serving, and find another way to have that need met. So for example—are you a shutterbug? Try a digital or disposable camera instead of constantly turning to your phone. Are you in need of a map? Grab an A-Z for the city you’re in. Need a digital wallet? Use the physical cards.

If you must navigate somewhere, try using the voice feature. Of course, it’s not ideal to be walking around with your ears plugged any more than it is having your eyes glued to a phone as you walk—but if you have to use a phone to know where to go, Google Maps has a turn-by-turn vocal instruction feature.

Remember that boredom is a good thing, especially when you’re somewhere new. Boredom is something that we all avoid, and it might not be something we’re used to. But it’s often in the moments of stillness and silence that we’re able to be present; and when you’re travelling, boredom can lead to exploration, discovery, and excitement.

How do you avoid distractions while on holiday? Let me know in the comments—and as always, happy travels!