What did Magellan, Fay Fuller, Walter Raleigh and Tenzing Norgay all have in Common?

None of them had a GPS or a Smart phone and yet managed amazing feats of exploration and adventure. For those of you who have never heard of Fay Fuller, she was the first woman of European descent to climb Tahoma. Tahoma is the local name of Mount Ranier, one of Washington States great volcanoes. You can read more about her at this link: 

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7786

I've been reading various websites and posting to several forums and while I must say there is tons of information out there about where I want to go, I just wonder if we're all losing our sense of adventure by being plugged in while traveling.

For example, one of the reasons I've taken to bicycle touring and spend less time in the back country is because I meet more people.

when I was trying to find my warm showers host in Portland on my rented bicycle, I knew I was in the right neighborhood but couldn't find the street. I stopped to ask a guy sweeping his sidewalk. It's a small thing but had I had my own little GPS or smart phone and simply looked myself, I would not have had that moment of contact with a complete stranger. As we were talking, a friend of his pulled up in a car (a much older gentleman) and they chatted. The older gent told a story about how he had helped some young hoodlum years ago to stay out of trouble by having the kid help with his house. Years later, the older one could no longer do some of the work himself and one day a young man showed up recently to help him. Guess who that was? 

All I have to say is that's why I ride...I meet so many people and they all have a story about someone else and don't you know once again I learn we are all really connected. 

Family on vacation
I asked if I take this photo to use just like this. They said it was OK. Nice people really.
Are they connected? To each other?

Humans are community oriented. And while there are "online" communities, I have to ask the question: are we in danger of losing proximal contact with each other in order to do everything for ourselves?

I've considered getting one myself recently and I go back and forth about it. It's $99.00 with a 2 year contract, 29.00 a month for data or WiFi etc. I don't really want to spend my travel money on it. perhaps an I pod touch or an I pad? WiFi enabled...OMG!

I've been traveling for 30 years all over the world...