I’m sick of having to download new apps in order to travel

I just collided with a person on the street who was so engrossed in their phone, scrolling while strolling, that they had no perception of the people around them.

Walking to the shops became an obstacle course with the advent of the smartphone. But it’s worse now.

Last year there were an estimated 6.8 billion smartphone users in the world, according to Virgin Mobile.

Fifty per cent of Americans spend five to six hours on their phones each day. From what I’ve observed, I’d say that figure is higher in Australia and Asia.

Many of us just can’t leave them alone. Many of us want to. But, through a diabolical combination of flashy graphics, tantalising gossip and essential information, our smartphones are completely addictive, as adorable as a newborn baby, constantly in need of regular feeding with our attention.

Repeatedly checking our phones can lead to sleep deficits, lower concentration, reduced cognition, impaired relationships and dysfunction in the neurotransmitter that leads to substance abuse. Nice.

There’s even a defined psychological disease, nomophobia – the fear of being without a mobile phone. I suspect more than a few people I crash into on the streets have this affliction.

Even those who feel they have it under control complain their attention spans have shrunk so much that they can’t finish books any more.

I’m the last person to make any judgment on this as I watch TV with my phone by my side, so I can check the previous films of a director on IMDb, or find out where we’ve seen that actor before.

The solution is easy enough in principle: ditch the smartphone and buy an old-fashioned stupid phone – one that only takes calls and maybe emails. A few people are trying it, especially parents alarmed by the potential dangers of social media for their children.

When we travel it seems the perfect opportunity to put the phone away and drink in the destination through our senses, not a screen.

I don’t know about you but I’m finding it impossible. The reason is this: apps, apps and damn apps.

They’re driving me crazy. Each trip involves the downloading of a new app to manage my journey. My screens are mosaics of little squares.

I try to delete apps once they’re no longer needed but for my next trip it’s a requirement that I download the following: four airline apps, a travel portal for itineraries, the apps of the two companies I’ll be touring with, my travel insurance app, a dedicated app for the conference I’m attending, booking.com to track my transfers, and the Jetpac app for my travel sim.

That’s not to mention the stalwarts – Find My to track my AirTag; Wallet for my boarding passes; Bitwarden for passwords; Bose for my earbuds; Otter to record interviews; Uber, Google Maps, Translate, Flightradar24, Optus, Telstra, Kindle, Zoom, WhatsApp and my banking app.

Then there are the entertainment and social media apps I like to access when travelling, including Netflix, TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Podcasts, Chrome, Good Food, IMDb, Amazon, Substack and PressReader.

I’m not anywhere near finished. I have library apps, messaging apps, government apps, utilities apps and verification apps. I have my email app. And, most time-consuming of all, my camera and Photos app.

I don’t even have all the clever apps experienced travellers are supposed to download, like Xe currency exchange, Skyscanner and TripIt. There’s an app I’ve downloaded called Spotted by Locals I’ve never used.

I’m travelling for work, and many of these apps mean I can do business on the go. It’s not all bad.

But it’s getting ridiculous. Even the airline apps have additional apps for their entertainment offerings. And every time I buy a new electronic device, recently a thermometer, it has its own set-up app.

It’s impossible to have a “digital detox” when you’re being constantly asked to check in, verify your information, make a comment, rate a service, complete a transaction or connect to Wi-Fi to watch an in-flight movie.

In season three of The White Lotus, guests had to give up their devices at the start of their stay at the resort so they could rediscover the wonders of frog sounds and sunsets not seen through social media. I relate to the character who had a complete meltdown over this.

While I wouldn’t dispute the usefulness of some of these apps, the way it’s going, travellers will need an app just to wake up and smell the daisies.