The Do’s and Don’ts of Teen Cellphone Use While Traveling

Common Sense Media estimates that on average teens spend more than seven hours a day on screens, not including time spent on schoolwork or listening to music. When that is added in, the time jumps to nearly ten hours.

It’s no wonder that many parents want their teens to take a break from technology and interact with the real world (Cue the viral Iceland commercial poking fun at Mark Zuckerberg). Traveling certainly provides opportunities to get away from screens, particularly in remote locations without internet access.

Before the journey even begins, there are steps families can take to find a healthier balance between technology use and real-world living. Here are some ideas on what families can do before, during, and after a trip.

Before the Trip

Encourage Self-Monitoring

Families can easily work on keeping track of their phone usage. Aside from the apps that do this, there are functions like the iPhone’s “Screen Time” option in settings that make this easy. Here the time spent on a phone is tracked, along with information on where that time is spent and how many pickups of the phone occur during the day.

Parents can use the family screen time option if they want to keep tabs on their child’s phone usage. Overall, awareness is helpful since it can be surprising when we all realize how many hours we use our phones and for what reasons.

Use a Phone for Preparation Purposes

When the phone is in use, it’s beneficial for that time to be well spent. This can reinforce the notion that technology should be used as a tool and not a crutch. Preparing for a trip can help with this, and get teens off Snapchat and onto more educational sites. They can:

• Work on language skills – Apps like Duolingo make learning fun and will give a teen practical skills they can use if they’re traveling internationally. Duolingo also encourages users to keep streaks going, which motivates many teens.
• Learn about the travel destination – Teens can use TripAdvisor and other travel apps and websites to learn about the place where a program takes place.
• Improve their geography skills – Students can use Google Maps or Google Earth to see where they’re going. Even better, they can try apps like Maps of Our World or Geoguessr.

Check Your Phone Plan

Before a teen travels, it’s important to understand your phone plan. You don’t want to unexpectedly end up with expensive international roaming charges because your teen was keeping up with his or her favorite Youtubers.

Make a Communication Plan

It may be worthwhile to make a plan for how often teens and parents will attempt to communicate with each other during a trip. With that said, it’s good to keep in mind that sometimes it may not be possible to send a text and no news can be good news.

Set Up Helpful Traveling Apps

Before traveling, you can download the airline’s app so a teen has easy access to boarding passes, airport maps, and flight information. Weather sites can be used as an extra guideline for packing. A temperature converter can enable you to see the temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Travelers also can use an app like Currency or My Currency Converter if they’re interested in seeing currency exchange information.

You also may want to consider downloading the apps listed in the “during the trip” section below if there’s a desire for some limited cellphone use while traveling.

During the Trip

The hope is that students will get away from their phones for much of the journey. Rustic does not allow cellphones during program portions, including meals, service, and group discussions. If students do pick up the phone on other occasions, hopefully they’ve done enough self-monitoring before traveling to use a device for a real purpose.

Here are some select cases where a phone may be used for a good reason:

Language Help

During a trip, teens can use a language translation app like iTranslate if they need to interpret a sign or prepare words for a conversation. It isn’t necessary since students tend to master the art of using sign language and/or body language to communicate. However, if they hope to improve their language skills, a translation tool may help.

Photos

Students may want to take a select number of photos with an emphasis on select. Experiences are certainly more meaningful when they’re not viewed behind a lens. Therefore, teens may use an active summer trip to break the habit of constantly taking photos amid concerns about their social media status.

To make things easier, Rustic is experimenting with offering photo packages next summer that will take the pressure off of students to capture a moment while also giving parents visuals of what their teen experienced.

Aside from travel photos, some teens may want to occasionally use an app for reverse image options if they have a particular educational interest. For example, apps like NatureId: Plant Identification can identify about 10,000 different plants and iNaturalist helps identify plants and animals, along with connecting with people interested in biodiversity.

Journaling

A student can certainly bring a paper journal and pen to capture thoughts everywhere they go, but if that’s not appealing, there are apps that are designed to encourage the writing of ideas. This includes ones like 5 Minute Journal, which gives a guided gratitude journaling experience.

Put the Phone Away for Everything Else

Aside from these limited uses and maybe a few text messages to the family, teens can put their phone away for the rest of the trip. It may be eye-opening to see how there really is no need to keep up on social media or even text friends at home during the trip. Travelers will be busy meeting new people and having new experiences.

If they need encouragement to do this, here’s just one take on how much better a program was when a student put down the phone: What Happened When I Put Down My Cellphone During a Rustic Trip.

After the Trip

Hopefully after traveling, teens will be less inclined to be living life on their phone. To keep that idea alive, they can get involved in volunteer work, including becoming an Impact Ambassador for the Rustic Pathways Foundation.

Aside from this, they may use technology to:

Be Creative

When students do use technology post-trip, hopefully they’ll be more inclined to use it for creative endeavors. This can include:

• Making a post-travel photo album
• Creating videos about their travel experience
• Typing stories or poems about their journeys
• Writing songs about traveling
• Programming a new travel video game
• Using graphic design to create pictures or other artwork to commemorate the trip

Stay Connected

This is what social media after all was originally designed to do. Students can use technology to stay connected to their fellow travelers via text, Facetime, or social media. They also can follow Rustic’s social media channels to keep up to date on what is happening in the world of travel. This includes Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook.

To read more about Rustic’s stance on cellphones, please read our open letters to parents and students.