Two weeks without my phone in Jebel Akhdar

Before a trip to Oman last winter I made a rule: the phone goes into the hotel safe on day one and comes out on day fourteen. I carried a paper map, a small notebook and an old camera.

The first three days were hard

I reached for my pocket every few minutes. I got lost twice on the terraces above the villages and had to ask for directions, which led to tea with a farmer’s family and a walk through their rose gardens.

Then the trip slowed down

Without a screen I planned less and noticed more: the sound of water in the falaj channels, the cold mornings, the time it takes to climb a village path properly.

How to try it

Tell your family how to reach you through the hotel, print your bookings and take a notebook. Start with a weekend if two weeks feels like too much.