How to reduce screen time as a solo traveller

If you've been searching for practical ways to reduce screen time while travelling, you're definitely not alone. Whether you're a digital nomad juggling work on the road, a solo traveller relying on your phone for maps and safety, or simply someone who wants to feel more present on their adventures, learning how to limit screen time can completely transform the way you experience a destination.

The irony isn't lost on me that I'm writing this 'online' as a travel writer, content creator and part-time digital nomad. My job quite literally revolves around being online. From editing videos and answering emails to navigating unfamiliar cities and sharing my travels in real time, my phone is an essential part of my work. But it's also taught me something important: just because technology makes travel easier, doesn't mean it should become the main way we experience it.

I'm as guilty as anyone of reaching for my phone without thinking. I'm certainly not anti-technology, but I've realised that if I'm not intentional about putting my phone down, I can travel halfway around the world and barely remember what it felt like to actually be there. After a long travel day it's all too easy to collapse into bed and disappear into an Instagram scroll-hole, or spend an entire train journey catching up on emails instead of looking out of the window...

But over the years I've realised that the trips I remember most aren't the ones where I captured every moment, they're the ones where I was fully present for them... As a creator, I'm learning to be more balanced and only capture what I need, so I have a chance to put down my phone and soak up the experience, and I want to encourage you to do the same.

If you're planning a solo trip, don't forget to read my guides to How to Prepare for First Time Solo Travel and How to Safely Solo Travel as a Woman for real, raw, honest advice from someone who has spent over a decade travelling the world solo (and doesn't believe in telling you to stay home!). If you're worried about taking a first solo trip, you need to read Scared to Travel Solo? Here's how to be brave.

Why reducing screen time actually makes you a better traveller

Something I've always been grateful for is that when I first started backpacking solo nearly 12 years ago, we lived in a completely different digital world. While yes, I was still using wi-fi and naturally spent a certain amount of time online when I started my blog and booked travel. But, I was also using my Lonely Planet guidebooks to plan my trip, I was booking accommodation on arrival and would wander along the beach on an island to find a place to stay.

I would buy a local SIM card (it was before eSIMs were a thing!) and often I would run out of data or have to rely on wi-fi. While I posted on social media and my blog enough for them to become a business, I also didn't feel the need to be chronically online every day and would regularly disappear for days at a time and enjoy offline time or road trips with no phone signal and new friends.

I loved that slow travel lifestyle and while I appreciate taking a year+ off to travel isn't realistic for everyone, I do believe it is possible to replicate that more mindful approach to travel even if you're taking a shorter trip. One thing that I am passionate about is helping you guys to understand ways that you can travel more consciously, be more present and connect a little deeper with a destination and it's people.

Taking the time to put your phone away, smile at people and actually talk to strangers can often be the beginning of your best travel memories. It reconnects you with your senses through the smells, sounds and sights in the streets, and you truly pay attention to conversations with new friends.

The difference between productive & reductive screen time

I found one of the biggest shifts happened for me when I started to break down my screen time into the "productive" and reductive categories which helped me to better understand how I was spending my time.

Productive screen time included creative work activities such as emails, website management and posting on social media. But, it was also the time spent filling up my cup by Facetiming friends, learning something new or completing life admin such as banking.

Reductive screen time was the endless scrolling – whether that was on social media, getting distracted from work, online shopping. The activities where I was mindlessly looking at a screen without truly connecting with what I was seeing.

Breaking down screen time helped me to understand what I gained and lost from each type of screen time so I could be more mindful about the time I spent looking at a screen. It also made it easier to see how making small changes could really help me to appreciate the little things more, feel more present and to revive my sense of curiosity. 

8 tips for reducing screen time as a solo traveller

1. Put your phone on Flight Mode for the first hour

One of my favourite things to do when I first reach a destination. Once you've arrived at your hotel or hostel and you're settled, try turning your phone on Flight Mode. No more Instagram notifications, emails or Whatsapp chats buzzing in your pocket. Now just go for a walk, with no plan to be anywhere. Just wander the streets, grab a coffee and take it all in.

As a solo traveller, I also find this a great way of getting your bearings and learning your way around without relying on Google Maps. I often find I discover lots of lovely local gems this way, I've randomly stumbled into a local festival in Guatemala before without having any idea it was happening just by walking the streets.

2. Set screen time limits before your trip

Taking a moment to be honest with yourself before you travel can go a long way. If you know that you really struggle to be off your phone, it could help you to set limits with your screen time. Your phone should have functionality through iPhone Screen Time or Android Digital Wellbeing to set a limit, but there are also lots of other apps you can use including Freedom App, One Sec, Opal, Forest and AppBlock.

My partner has ADHD and he finds it impossible to control his screen time without using these tools, but has seen invaluable changes since introducing them. There's no shame in struggling to resist your phone, they are literally designed to suck us back in. It's about making conscious choices to turn Instagram into a deliberate activity instead of a default habit.

3. Replace scrolling with an offline hobby

Travelling solo is the perfect time to take up an offline hobby to replace scrolling. With long bus rides and travel days, it can mean a lot of time spent along, so why not put that energy into building a new skill and learning something new? For me, I've always loved reading, writing and photography... so I might spend long journeys delving into a new book or writing something purely for fun.

Other fun hobbies you could try could include writing postcards, journalling, sketching or even colouring (this one is so calming). I know other travellers who plan a musical instrument, love card games or collect items. I always find that slowing down to photograph or write about a place makes me notice every little detail and makes it stay with me for longer.

Start a Watercolour Travel Journal

Before you tell me you "can't paint" – the beauty of a watercolour travel journal isn't creating perfect artwork; it's capturing a moment in a way a quick photo never quite can. Sitting in a quiet café, overlooking a harbour or perched on a clifftop for twenty minutes with a paintbrush forces you to slow down. You start noticing the tiny details you'd normally walk straight past: the colours of the buildings, the way the afternoon light hits the sea, or the sound of conversations drifting through the streets.

The best part? You don't need much. A mini watercolour kit, an A5 sketchbook and a refillable water brush all fit easily into a daypack, weigh next to nothing and don't need charging. It could become one of your favourite things to pull out on long train journeys, quiet afternoons in a local café or while waiting for sunset.

Instead of automatically picking up your phone when eating alone, it gives you a creative outlet and a means to capture the moment in a unique way. You might choose to capture your morning coffee, sketching colourful doorways or making a note of the best meal you ate that day. Months later, those pages bring back memories in a way your camera roll never quite manages.

And don't worry about painting in public. In my experience, people are far more curious than judgemental. It could be a great way to encourage locals to stop to chat, recommend hidden gems or simply ask what you're working on. Those unexpected conversations could become some of your favourite travel memories.

If you're looking for a simple way to reduce screen time while travelling, this might be my favourite recommendation. Not because it makes you a better artist, but because it helps you become a more observant traveller. Sometimes the best souvenir isn't something you buy at all – it's a page you've created yourself, filled with the colours, stories and little moments that made that place unforgettable.

4. Take a digital camera instead of relying on your phone

If like me, you love having your phone for taking pictures, have you considered using a different device? You could get a digital camera, film camera or even a disposable for nights out and leave your phone at home. Personally, I love using my Olympus camera to capture my photos and I find it does slow me down because I spend more time setting up the shot and thinking through the camera settings.

I'm a lot more intentional and photograph a lot less, but the quality of what I capture is much higher. It also means that I notice more and refine my skills with my camera along the way. If you're looking to reduce your screen time but love taking photos, this is is a method I've tried and tested successfully!

5. Download everything before you leave the hotel

This is another of my favourite techniques for limiting my screen time as a solo traveller – I download everything before leaving the hotel. Not only does it reduce my data spend, but it means I have offline access to my maps and boarding passes, my music and even my photos and videos.

Often I love to spend a flight editing photos and videos because if I pre-download everything is is a purely offline activity and I'm simply using the phone as a tool, plus I find this super relaxing. It's also a very nice way to spend a hike – instead of keeping checking Google Maps just use offline maps (which is also a great back-up if you have no signal!)

6. Create phone-free moments every day

Start thinking of your phone-free time as a non-negotiable in your routine. Just like going to the gym, taking your vitamins and drinking your water – schedule in no-screen times to really immerse yourself in your solo trip and leave behind the stresses of home.

It doesn't have to be long, you could go for a phone-free breakfast, sunrise walk or morning workout. You could turn your phone on flight mode next time you're on a hike and listen to the sounds of the birds instead of music, go for a dip in a lake or even spend a train journey offline and enjoy the views. It doesn't have to be all day, start with pockets of time scheduled into your day and you'll be amazed how much you start to crave making them a bigger part of your day.

7. Arrange more in-person experiences

Solo travel can feel isolating at times, but it is also an opportunity to connect with so many other travellers and locals. I personally find that when I travel solo, I meet so many more people than when I travel with my partner or a friend, people naturally find me more approachable when I'm alone.

I always try to schedule in an in-person experience during a trip whether it is a wine tasting, cooking class, guided walking tour or group activity when I can connect with others and perhaps even learn a new skill. I genuinely find these experiences end up being my favourite part of the trip and allow me to connect deeper with a destination. One of my favourites recently was a cooking class in Tunisia with a lovely local woman making Tunisian pastries.

If you're staying in a hostel, you could also enjoy hostel dinners or group meet-ups, volunteer experiences. There's so many ways to connect with other people, just follow your passions and switch off your phone.

8. Remember why you travelled in the first place

I think it's important to take a step back and reassess why you wanted to travel – to experience the world and learn about how others live across the globe. Those who truly travel are the ones who don't just consume but let travel affect them on a deeper level. The ones who truly care about destinations and don't just go for the perfect Instagram shots. 

It's very easy to get caught up in that social media world of travelling and showing off, but really, travel goes so much deeper than that if you let it. Solo travel can be truly transformative, but only if you allow yourself to switch off from the endless scroll and genuinely feel a place. Reducing your screen time as a solo traveller is just one step in that process.