I would like to be able to share a tale that occurred to me on a vacation I took aboard a boat through the Arctic. It sounded amazing, National Geographic trip thru the ice and back with polar bears, and many other species. It would be ice everywhere eyes could see and snow everywhere. Man-made machines were going to battle the elements and make way through the frozen northern desert. It sounded like a huge project, a massive combat with the weather as well as the pole.
I was advised by my boss to bring with me all the technology I could. To extend my working space I packed my laptop. The staff assured me that the electricity was not a problem. I was not aware of the things that were about to happen. Just two days into the 14-day trip, I was unaware of the fact that my Internet connection would stop working and I would go missing for the next 10 day. When it finally happened I was completely stunned. Every travel, however long or challenging is going to cause me to disconnect from technology. Not only was there unfinished business I had to resolve over the next week, but I also didn't prepare myself for the time off.
Nowadays, no one really cares about being forced to shut down. Internet is everywhere. If your home internet connection fails then you could always visit a McDonald's nearby and get the free WiFi connection you require. You can also bring your laptop to lounge at Starbucks all day. But no cafe or restaurant will help up north, hours away from the nearest shack that has electricity generated by the weak generator.. There's no free Internet just around the corner.. There are only two options: get a satellite connection or switch off.
I am unable to afford a satellite phone. It is too costly, especially to get Internet access. Before I go out in the world of unknown, I'll have an extensive collection of audio and videos. The last time I checked, I had two songs. But, they were downloaded accidentally back in the past, and I was restricted in my selection of music to three songs from jazz and one with a name I didn’t recognize. It's that simple. 4 songs for 2 Weeks of Nothingness. I would have prepared for this had I known. I would have loaded my laptop with TV shows, movies, and a bunch of music videos. I could spend hours listening to my most-loved podcasts. It's very easy to download them, convert them to mp3 and save them on my computer. After that, I could simply lie in my bed and listen to the podcasts that I enjoy at home. This would be my "golden hour", or 2 weeks of gold. Instead it was two weeks staring at the ceiling, running to meet passengers each when there's a sound in the corridors.
Both metaphorically and literally In both ways, the trip was empty. I have never been so bored. The ice was too thick, and I was aware that it could be the problem eventually and the boat was forced to turn around and pull back to civilization. youtube converter While this was not unexpected but there were other alternatives. flvto The hours and hours of downtime could be spent listening to podcasts or DIY tutorials on how to fix issues at home, or listening to music. Next time I will convert YouTube videos to mp4 and MP3 formats on my laptop. Music can boost your mood. It is possible to download Netflix and Hulu films to your smartphone to stream offline. These can also be carried along on the long, arctic journey. But don't lose heart. Best of luck!
