The Leash You Can Do For Your Phone
A simple and clever way to protect your phone while out on the road
The first thing I look for in picking a chill hostel, after ruling out all the party hostels out there, is one with a ton of good cozy common spaces. One of my all-time favorite hostels is in Chiang Mai where I met so many awesome people which would not have been nearly as possible if it had not been for an incredible array of common spaces to choose from where one could pick a quiet corner to read a book, find a bar counter to write a blog post, sit down at a table to share a meal or a drink, or slump down into a wide range of comfy seating scattered around the property to relax and chat.
One of the next essential features that I look for in a chill hostel is a sit down breakfast that’s included with the stay. I’ve met so many interesting and wonderful people at these spots over coffee and breakfast. First and foremost, the type of person that chooses to stay in a hostel is interested in meeting and talking to other people. Second, for us morning people, it’s over breakfast that we can have some of the most enlightening and rewarding conversations (although at this particular hostel, I had great conversations at all times of day and night - one of the reasons I loved it so much). Third, as my family knows well, often there’s nothing better in my book than chatting it up with people I meet when traveling. Add a little caffeine to the mix and I’ve got a great start to my day.
So it was over breakfast that I met a new friend who has been traveling the world full time for the last couple of years after having given up a long career as a manager in the high tech world. As with almost everyone in my blog posts, I’ll use a pseudonym to protect both of our privacies. I’ll call him “Robbie.” He gave up a high paying job in one of the most lucrative markets in the world, Silicon Valley, in his early 50s because life was too short not to head out while he was still young and see the parts of the world he’s so longed to see. Afterall, how much is enough when it comes to savings? If you don’t need to spend a lot to be happy, you’re already rich. With only one life to live, his career was sucking him down into a space where he didn’t want to be, so he jettisoned everything except for what he had in his backpack and went on his way. All sentiments I can relate to as I, too, chose the life of early retirement so that I can see and do the things I’ve been longing to do while I’m still young.
Robbie and I had a lot in common but there were enough differences to make the conversation really interesting. He wanted to know all about my minimalist ultralight travel techniques and I wanted to know all about him and the patterns that he had settled into as a long term traveler. At the conclusion of our wonderful conversation, Robbie offered that there was one thing that he bet I did not have in my travel bag that he strongly recommended I get. I braced myself as I have grown very skeptical and leery of the many articles I’ve read over the years with headlines like “10 Essential Items to Pack on a Trip Abroad” and finding a useless list of junk has no place in my backpack. Unfortunately, I started to tune Robbie out…
Maybe because he saw my eyes glazing over, Robbie peppered in the qualifier that the item would fit well with my ultralight minimalism ethos. It’s light and compact, he said. That brought me right back into the room. My curiosity was brimming.
Robbie shared an awful experience that had happened to him in Cambodia. He was standing on a street corner looking at his phone when some guys on a scooter edged in close and snatched his phone right out of his hand, not to be seen again as they sped down the road. With good technology hard to come by in southeast Asia, it was only with great hassle and large expense that he was finally able to replace his phone. His very next purchase was to buy a phone leash. Robbie strongly recommended, especially given that I didn’t travel with any backup technology, that I buy one of these phone lanyards to protect my essential gear from theft.
The design is so clean and simple. I wish I had thought of the idea and patented it. The kit, which is sold on Amazon but can also be found in small random cell phone stores in Chiang Mai (thank you Robbie!), includes a slip-in credit-card-sized piece of plastic that sits between the back of your phone and the phone case. A grommeted appendage slips through the charge slot at the bottom of the case where the lanyard attaches. The other end of the leash may be secured around a belt or a belt loop on your pants or shorts. Give the phone a tug-tug, and the assembly keeps the phone with you and not heading off down the road on a scooter.
It’s super light, weighing in at about a half an ounce, and folds up into nearly nothing when not in use. Featherweight, yes, but a huge weight off the mind.
Robbie then went on to state another important benefit of a lanyard. No more worrying about dropping your phone while taking pictures in precarious places like…
…over a bridge railing high up over a deep and wide river…
…or over the edge of a look out tower above a dense jungle…
…or from the window of a train as you pass through a crowded and incredibly “tight” train market with lots of potentially grabby hands and obtrusive awnings…
But first and foremost, the lanyard is a deterrent for theft or loss from your own stupidity. Where did I leave my phone? Ohhh…whoops…it’s right here on the end of this leash.
So where did I find myself later that day? Yes, shopping for phone lanyards. I’m still thanking Robbie for such a brilliant suggestion as it’s now found a permanent home in my pile of essential gear.
As with all of my suggestions, before you go out and buy such a leash, stop and think. Would it work for you? Would you use it? Where would you attach the other end? Are you carrying backup alternative technology anyways so a disappearing phone wouldn’t be utterly tragic? As the saying goes “when in doubt, leave it out” and save some money, weight and space.
For me personally, I’m not in doubt on this one. Thank you again, Robbie, for such a great suggestion. I will always think of you now when I clip up my phone! I wish you safe travels and hope to meet up again someday.
