No more digital detoxes? Why you should keep your phone with you when you travel

Michelle Girasole thought she knew Rhode Island’s Beavertail State Park well enough to leave her phone in the car. It was a warm summer morning and she wanted to catch the sunrise with her terrier, Scooter. She was looking forward to a digital detox—a few minutes without calls, texts, or notifications.

But when she followed Scooter off the path, she lost her bearings.

“I ended up being stranded with no water, sunscreen, or way to call for help,” says Girasole, a software developer from North Kingstown, R.I. 

She spent the next nine hours lost. It wasn’t until a fisherman spotted her on the shoreline that she finally made it back to safety. 

“If I had my phone,” she says, “none of that would have happened.” 

Girasole’s experience is a warning to anyone considering the travel industry’s latest wellness obsession: the digital detox. Hotels and tour operators are aggressively marketing the idea that the only way to truly be present is to lock your phone in the hotel safe.

TripIt’s latest Travel Trends Report suggests people are buying it. It found that nearly all travelers say they want to disconnect on vacation (98 percent), with 85 percent hoping to unplug from their phones. The intention is understandable: People are overwhelmed and looking for a true mental break. 

But fully disconnecting can unintentionally create more risk than relief. A smartphone is not a distraction you need to escape. It can be a digital bodyguard. And for the average traveler, leaving it behind is more than just inconvenient—it could also be reckless.

Your phone is a safety device

“Why anyone would travel, especially internationally, without their cell phone is beyond me,” says John Gobbels, chief operating officer of Medjet.

He warns that going offline removes your safety net. If you have a medical emergency, you can’t rely on finding a landline or a hotel computer to communicate with your travel insurance company.

“If a member doesn’t have a cell phone, it makes it incredibly difficult to triangulate all the communications needed between hospitals, family, and the crews involved in getting the member moved home,” Gobbels adds.

Harding Bush, a former Navy SEAL and associate director of security at Global Rescue, agrees. He advises travelers to treat their phones as essential safety equipment, not optional accessories.

“Your phone is a powerful safety device,” he says. “Don’t discard it during international travel. Turn off the distractions, but keep it ready for emergencies and the unexpected.”

Disconnected travelers are soft targets

Beyond medical emergencies, there’s the issue of physical security. Rafay Baloch, a cybersecurity expert and author of the book Web Hacking Arsenal, says that criminals specifically look for travelers who appear disoriented.

“Lost and disconnected people become targets for criminals who seek to isolate them,” Baloch says.

When you walk around with a paper map—or worse, just wandering aimlessly—you broadcast vulnerability. A smartphone allows you to look like you know exactly where you are going, even if you don’t.

“The practice of going without technology does not lead to greater presence because it creates a pattern of behavior that criminals can identify,” he warns.

The digital detox is a luxury myth

If going phoneless is so dangerous, why is it being marketed as a luxury experience?

Don Aviv, a security expert and CEO of Interfor International, says the trend is a luxury concept that only works for the ultra-wealthy.

“A true digital detox is a luxury because the wealthy can outsource risks,” Aviv explains. “They have fixers who know the local terrain, drivers who handle logistics, and assistants who monitor alerts. In other words, they can turn off their phone because someone else’s phone always stays on.”

Ari Lightman, a professor of digital media at Carnegie Mellon University, notes that the trend has been commercialized by high-end resorts looking to capitalize on our anxiety. 

“But for the rest of us who don’t have a security team, the phone is our lifeline,” he says.

You may also need your phone for insurance

There is also a practical financial reason to stay connected. Lauren McCormick, a spokeswoman for travel insurance provider Squaremouth, says your phone is the most efficient tool for protecting your travel investment if things go wrong.

“Keeping your phone with you allows you to quickly submit insurance documents, photos, and receipts in real time,” McCormick says.

If your flight is canceled or your luggage is stolen, you need immediate access to your policy information and emergency assistance numbers.

“It gives you access to your important information about the claims filing process and what documentation is needed,” she adds. 

Trying to handle a travel crisis from a hotel lobby computer hours after the fact is a recipe for frustration—and, potentially, another security risk.

How to disconnect responsibly

You don’t have to choose between safety and mindfulness. Lachlan Brown, author of Hidden Secrets of Buddhism, learned that on a recent trip to Kyoto, where he stayed in a traditional Japanese inn. He decided to be “more present” by locking his phone in his ryokan’s safe.

“Within twenty minutes I had taken a wrong turn, misread a wooden sign I couldn’t translate, and walked straight into a residential neighborhood,” recalls Brown.

That’s when he realized that presence without safety is just vulnerability.

Now, he advises a “middle way.” Keep the phone with you, but use it intelligently.

“Put it on airplane mode for an hour if you want quiet, but don’t ditch the lifeline,” Brown says. “For the average traveler, the smartphone isn’t a distraction. It’s a digital bodyguard.”

You’ll also want to be sure that your phone works when you’re abroad. The easiest way is to get an eSIM from a company like Celitech. (You can buy its cards when you book through sites like Kayak and Expedia.)  

Don’t leave home without your phone

The verdict is clear: The “digital detox” travel trend is dangerous advice for anyone who doesn’t have a private security detail.

Whether you are hiking in Rhode Island or navigating the streets of Kyoto, your phone may be the only thing standing between you and a potential disaster. Download your maps, keep your insurance app handy, and turn on “Do Not Disturb” if you must. But it’s a dumb idea to leave your smartphone behind.