Traveling in the Information Era

I have been in the US for three years since 2003. During these years I traveled whenever I had spare time to do so. I enjoyed observing people around me while traveling. Through what they do I try to reason about how they live and think, and what is the meaning behind these small things. Sometimes from tiny observations I build up my new understanding about the world, and this is part of the fun of my trips.

My latest observation was the needs for travelers has changed. The change is not due to a temporary frenzy for hot technology or superficial popular culture, but more roots at fundamental changes in the way people live their lives. There are a lot of small pieces of evidence here and there. Throughout the trip I observed, and based on these interesting small things, I could see much more clearly then before that the information era has truly arrived.

An always-connected life style

People say that the Internet is the most important invention in the late 20th century. It makes people more connected then they ever were. Through the information highway, a user can virtually be wherever he wants to be. One is able to visit other cities and countries, search through thousands of libraries worth of information, and hear from people at any corner of the world, without leaving his daily routine. The capability of the virtual infrastructure is ever expanding, and there is never a single day that people become less dependent on it.

This sounds cool, but there is fundamental issue: The same technologies that enable you to visit wherever you want without leaving your daily routine can in turn make you unable to escape from the daily routine wherever you go, whether it is against your will or not. Sometimes, it is so convenient and natural that people start to take it for granted to be connected, and start to feel uneasy when they fail to do so.

And as time goes by, the difference between where we physically are gradually fades away. As people now live part of their lives in the virtual space, the weight "locality" carries in life is getting light. Yes it is still important, but perhaps much less than 20 years ago. I had noticed several incidents along my trip: At the motel I stayed at Hatch, Utah, one young traveler asked the owner about wireless network so he can check his email. While I was taking in the great view at the Sunrise Point at Bryce Canyon National Park, a mid-age man spoke on cellphone probably about work next to me for more than 10 minutes. Obviously, both of them did not come all the way so they could catch their work at a nicer setting. However, since getting in touch or keeping updated is considerably easier than it was before, it is now almost subconscious that we we try to do it.

This subtle trend not only changes how people behave, but also changes how hotels run their business. A couple years back when I traveled I used to see hotels put up signs saying "HBO/ESPN/free breakfast/pool" to allure customers. Nowadays, in addition to these traditional treats, free wireless network is on top of the list. I took this shot at the intersection of Utah 12 and Utah 24, close to the west entrance of CapitalReef National Park.
and this shot at GreenRiver, Utah
In both cases WLAN is at the top of the list. This only happens within less than two years or so.

I am not against wireless network or ubiquitous computing/communication. After all, this is my research area and it is only to my benefit if the concept takes off. However, during this trip I really felt I could remain connected to my contacts through e-mail and phone if I wanted, and actually I really tried to stay in contact as much as I could. I checked emails maybe 10 times a day during the trip so I felt comfortable. It was perhaps awkward considering I was on a trip, but the technology has become so convenient that I felt I should do so, and people would expect me to do so. The information era brings along a lot of convenience, but with such convenience there is an invisible web that we cannot get away. It doesn't matter where I am, it doesn't matter what time it is, and it doesn't matter what I am doing. As long as I take action I can stay in touch, and it is so convenient that I might as well just do so. The idea of "get-away trip" is diminishing, at least I feel so.

Probably I am just afraid that one day the information technology becomes so advanced that the physical location no longer matters. Envision a future when people live a great portion of their lives in virtual spaces. While being anywhere is equivalent to being everywhere else in the boundless virtual space, when that day comes, in the physical world nowhere can ever be somewhere. That would mark the end of the concept of traveling. I just hope that day will not arrive too soon.

How I did it during the days?

I think I have become a bit too attached to the email system at least. In the last year or so I had developed the tendency of checking the email very often, perhaps on hourly basis. I become uneasy when I am "offline" for extended periods. As the trip is concerned, I also had to stay in touch so that people didn't get worried.

I set off with my laptop computer and a new cellphone I got one month before the trip. The phone has GPRS so I can check my mail on the road, and take action if needed - it turned out nothing urgent came up, but with this phone I felt much easier on the road, just because I am now "always connected".

However this is only part of the solution. I can check mail, but it is not so convenient to write mails or use browser on the small phone with number keys only. Luckily the phone also has a bluetooth connection, so I can hook it up with my laptop computer and use it as a modem. Through the trip I was able to access the Internet at hotels most of the time trough the cellphone, where WLAN connectivity is not provided. With that, I could send mails, book hotels for the coming days, or contact friends at Gainesville to arrange my future settle-down, all at my finger tips in the hotel room.


It was a unique new experience to me and amazing in two ways: (1) The cellphone dial up works at the speed of a modem, and I was forced to painfully recall how slow the modem was. Modems were widely used just less than 10 years ago. However, the technology has advanced so fast that what was state-of-art 10 years ago has become intolerable. (2) In the movie "Mission: Impossible" released on 1996, one interesting scene is the agents in the movie trying to send some data through cellphone connection before their train moves into a tunnel. It was considered cool and futuristic at the time. Ten years later, I, a normal graduate student, is able to use what was considered high-end service only for top-secret agents. Again, the technology has advanced so fast.

I really had mixed feelings toward the technology that enables all these services. It can be nice to have, but it can be a burden to have, too. I guess this is something we have to live with, and eventually get used to, in the great information era.