MM Comment Stayingconnected
‘Are we there yet?’ used to be the travel mantra for kids. But now, as MM’s editor, Debbie Orme, found out, a new mantra has taken its place…
When I was a child, I remember my parents dreading the thought of a long car journey with myself and my brother. Like thousands of other parents around the world, they knew that the trip would be a non-stop nightmare of two kids in the back seat of the car, with nothing to do but gaze out of the window and rhyme constantly ‘are we there yet?’, ‘are we there yet?’ ad nauseam. Now, of course, things have moved on
and kids have loads of activities – mainly gadget-related – to keep them entertained for even the longest of trips. That’s why, when I read the results of a recent travel survey, I was far from surprised! The research - by uSwitch - found that
parents are now so reliant on keeping their brood distracted with technology for journeys that they will spend around two hours preparing for flights this summer! This includes downloading movies and TV shows, the latest games and updating Spotify playlists. More alarmingly, uSwitch’s research
found that the thought of an in-flight gadget ban could be enough to force over a quarter of parents of young children to actually abandon flights abroad, so
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dependent are they on using technology as a mid-air Nanny McPhee! I have to admit that I have every
sympathy with these parents, particularly since, for the last couple of months, I’ve been helping my daughter to get ready for a five-week, round-the-world trip with her dad – a trip that will encompass Dubai, New Zealand, Sydney, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. Here’s how the ‘preparation’ for Australia went…
Me: ‘Wow, look hon, you’re going to a koala sanctuary in Sydney!’ She: ‘Does it have WiFi?’ Me: ‘Well, I’m not sure, but just think about it – real koala bears!’ She: ‘Is there a café or restaurant that would have WiFi?’ Me: ‘Yes.’ (I honestly don’t know but the answer to everywhere she asks about WiFi is ‘yes’).
Japan didn’t fare much better…
Me: ‘Gosh, you’re going to see Hiroshima! She: ‘Does it have WiFi?’ Me: That’s where the atom bomb fell!’ She: ‘Does it have WiFi?’
Me: ‘Well, I’m sure it does.’ She: ‘MUM! How am I going to send my streaks?’ Me: ‘What are stre……’ (Nope, not asking – only cue for eye rolling!) She: ‘Does it have WiFi?’ Me: ‘Yes.’
And so, with case packed, off she goes, earphones in, oblivious to anything that the Sydney Opera House, the South/North Korean border and the entire North Island of New Zealand may care to try and offer. Her dad can look forward to days juggling following the British Lions with looking for ‘we have WiFi’ signs and the old adage of ‘are we there yet?’ will be replaced by today’s modern equivalent, ‘can you give me the password for WiFi please?’ While I was packing for her trip, I threw
in a beautiful Paper Chase journal in which I asked my daughter to record every event that she attends and every place of historical or tourist interest on her trip. Call me cynical, but I have an idea that,
when she returns, I’ll be sitting down to a nice cuppa and sixty pages of places in the Far East and Australasia that don’t have WiFi!
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