Should travel companies ban the use of mobile phones?

While travelling without your phone may seem unbearable, one travel company says it’s key to an amazing and immersive travel experience.

And TBH, disconnecting from back home is exactly what travelling is all about, right?

World Expeditions certainly thinks so: the group’s school and youth division, World Youth Adventures, has recently developed a mobile phone policy to help students, parents, teachers and schools curb the use of excessive mobile phone use on school trips.

According to World Expeditions CEO, Sue Badyari, the policy is designed to help students understand the benefits of disconnecting from the online world to maximize the benefits of the travel experience.

“Most students travelling with World Youth Adventures are travelling to a destination they have not travelled to before and taking part in new and different activities,” she said.

“They are being given an opportunity to make long-lasting friendships with their travel companions, to learn new skills and understand themselves a little better.

“They gain important values of teamwork, build self-confidence and develop an understanding of other cultures and ways of doing things. To maximize the benefits, students need to be free to be fully in the moment, engaging in the activities on offer and focusing on the people they are travelling with.

“Quite simply, they need to be off their phones,” she added.

Basically, when phones are down, eyes are up, and students are free to look around and notice things.

They are open to receiving information from all their senses, allowing them to fully engage in the travel experience and to maximize the potential for learning and growth – and the same goes for travellers of all ages.

“Taking a break from online communication is a rare privilege in this day and age. Many of these young people have not known a time without the pressure of constant online communication,” Badyari said.

“We’ve got plenty of anecdotal evidence that a whole lot of stress relief is felt by students who have adopted this no phone policy.

“They are really cherishing the time away, being completely absorbed and in the moment, which makes us very happy as that is precisely what these travel experiences are designed to do.”

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

mobile phones world expeditions World Youth Adventures youth travel