Many people look at travel – and by extension volunteer travel – as a way of escaping everyday life of cell phones and internet and Ipods and DVDs. How can you decide how connected you should be? Obviously some people feel certain they want these amenities, and others feel equally certain that they don’t – I’m not trying to convince any of you! For those trying to decide, here are the pros and cons as a I see them.

Pros

• Much technology is cheap – unlocked cell phones which can use SIM cards can be used in many countries simply by paying about $5 for a local SIM card. Incoming calls are very often free. Note that most or many US mobile phones won’t work out of the country, even if they take a SIM card; incoming calls are most definitely not free if you’re on roaming!
• Being able to get in touch with people easily has many benefits, especially if you’re volunteering. Figuring out how to use pay phones can be hard – plus you won’t have a regular number where you can be reached.

Cons

• Your tech goodies may be damaged, lost or stolen.
• You may waste time and money figuring out how to use them and find you didn’t need them after all.
• You may feel tied to at home responsibilities if you use your phone to deal with them or to keep in regular or frequent contact with people at home.

My personal verdict
Ultimately, you are in control. Yes, people may call you when you’d rather not take their calls. You an keep the volume off unless you are expecting a call. If you don’t want to spend your whole vacation on the computer… don’t! Bringing a laptop is quite an investment; those not using it regularly for work of some kind may want to think twice. I regularly travel with a working cell phone and almost always find it handy or at least not a burden. I spent two weeks in four cities in Turkey with a laptop; I needed it and I don’t regret it but boy, I sure worried about it and it sure was heavy.