Lost In The City!

[bingus_baby]

So yesterday I had a scary moment! I was at an event out of town when I lost my phone! It was at that moment when it truly sunk in how scary it is to be thrown off the grid without a moments notice. No one there with me, no way to find my way home, no way to call for help... I was truly an ant in the big world. It was scary, man. Just me, my beanie baby, and a credit card. (And a few other misc items.)

It seems like a topic Melonland would like, similar to ones in the past. How would you deal with being without ANY phone in a big city? The scary part was no GPS to find my way home. I can live without a phone mostly, but GPS is important, as I have no sense of direction. And I also parked a few blocks away in overflow parking and couldn't remember what direction that was ;;;; Even if I knew how to get home, I couldn't find my own car!

Also, the city isn't built for "offline use" so to speak. Not a SINGLE payphone or courtesy phone!! AT ALL. You have to pray that someone will be kind to let you use their own personal phone, or find a business to let you use their phone. After a while I went to a hotel. The front desk guy looked at me like I was a freak ;;;;;; And I kinda was, crying, sweaty, holding a frilly cosplay outfit. But he let me use their phone, which helped a lot. Kinda awkward though, that he heard the whole conversation.

Without posted maps, signage, or payphones, it was a scary situation to be in. I got my phone back (eventually) but it really hit me how much society is different than previous decades. Especially since asking for directions was no help, no one knew where anything was! I kept getting different answers each time I asked!

Older users, how did you navigate travel and such back then?

Younger users, how would you handle being lost with no phone in an unfamiliar area?

[elliebees]

What a stressful experience    ! Glad you're ok 

Back before smartphones were a thing I got lost allll the time as I have no sense of direction. I once ended up several suburbs away walking to my school which was basically a straight line from my parents house (for context I had walked it all year and was like 17 years old  )

I rely a lot on Maps apps to get around now, but I had a bit of a similar getting lost experience last year. I was on my way to trade school and my bus didn't stop at my bus stop and went one stop further. Usually it would have been fine and I would've just backtracked but there was a massive construction site in between me and my actual stop, and my phone wouldn't connect to the internet for Maps.

I wandered around the edge of the construction site for a while and then found what I thought was the way back (it was, eventually) but it involved walking down an on-road bike path the opposite way of traffic. It was very stressful but I eventually got to class and was even on time because I'd left so early. 

While it was a scary experience, it actually boosted my confidence afterwards because I found out I actually can kind of navigate my way around in an emergency without having to use my phone. I hope your experience can lead to a similar boost in confidence, because you can do it too !!

Luckily the shops across from where I now work has a payphone ! I've never had to use it but its a comfort knowing its there if I need to.

[xXWebMasterXx_Gina]

Glad you got through it without too many hiccups!


Late 20's user here for context. Growing up in a city; I got around fairly easily without a map or phone. I was never proficient enough to give good directions but I had a good internal sense of where I was based on familiar landmarks and which basic direction to walk in to get home. While I now basically only use my phone specifically for the GPS, I'm confident I could still find my way around my home city without my phone if need be.

Now, a different city? That's a whole different story. I've traveled to a few cities for events and work. I admit I heavily rely on my phone's map to get a better sense of the area and direction. (looking like you know where you are going is always important when traveling!). And in the odd case; a phone is necessary to get some kind of car service as taxicabs aren't as common anymore.

My advice? Assuming you aren't in a country where you don't speak the language and aren't on the absolute edges of the city you are in, your best bet is finding the nearest public transportation or hotel. Metro's often have maps and the lines they operate on can be somewhat simple to navigate if you do your research in advance. Bus lines can be a little more complicated but every bus has a driver and I'm sure they can point you in the right direction. Bonus points if you can find a a bus or train station; these are usually somewhere in the heart of a city so there will be more transit options available.

And of course hotels! Cities are full of em! The front desk will almost definitely be able to print you out a local map. If the staff is nice, they might even let you use a phone!

[alexela64]

My advice? Assuming you aren't in a country where you don't speak the language and aren't on the absolute edges of the city you are in, your best bet is finding the nearest public transportation or hotel.

Seconded! I was about to reply this but then I read your reply. There have been a couple times that I've been lost & off the grid, usually due to a judicious case of Forgot To Plug In Phone Because I Don't Really Use It.
Most of the time I just know off the top of my head how to get to where I need to be, but the bus/metro stations have big maps where I am, and knowing your way around the public transport system is really useful, even if you drive most places.

[BlazingCobaltX]

Losing your phone or a dead battery is a good reminder as any to not be entirely reliable on electronics to get around somewhere. Within the country I am not necessarily nervous about either of those happening, as I generally know my way home through public transport even if I am on the other side of the country (the advantage of living in a small country). At worst, I barter a phone call somewhere and call a family member. If I also lost my wallet in the process, I will do some emergency fare dodging.  

The only time I felt a bit nervous about getting stranded somewhere was after a festival when the trains broke down. None of my family members happened to be in the country at that moment, and I was not sure who my emergency contact could be in case I got stranded for the night. I decided that, worst case scenario, I would just book a hotel and try again tomorrow. Thankfully everything worked out later and I got home.

As for abroad, that's definitely a tougher situation. It's probably why, in any foreign language class, they always teach you phrases like "I am lost" or "My wallet got stolen". It would be best to scope the area for stations, payphones and other landmarks the moment you get somewhere. Get familiar with how to find the police station or memorise your hotel number. The severity of the situation depends on whether you have any other things connected to your phone, like payment and public transport cards. My advice is to always have multiple modes of payment on you, so if worst comes to worst you can at least pay someone/something to take you to your lodging.