> The feel of travel was different then because no internet, no cell phones.
The feeling of freedom that came from pre-internet travel was a result of being able to leave your home and its associated troubles and constraints behind and go someplace where they couldn't find you. Nowadays, all those troubles and constraints follow you around no matter where you go.
Or go to wild areas without good connection(or power) if you are too addicted.
Trust me, there is still plenty of wild adventurous traveling going on ... even if you have a smartphone.
I travelled to Europe in 1985. When I landed in London I quickly realized that I had vastly underestimated the cost of living and I didn't have enough money with me to last to the end of the trip. Today that problem would be fixed with a trip to the ATM, but back then there were no ATMs. Dealing with contingencies like that was a big part of the experience. When you travelled in 1985 you did it without a net (pun intended) because there was no net. But you didn't have to leave civilization behind. Today you do.
When I did backpacking shortly before the smartphone area, I also ran out of money in New Zealand ... but I ran out completely with only emergency money send option, so I had to discover traveling very low budget style. Hitchhiking, wild camping etc. adventure. (until I got back to australia for farm work)..
But - I still do this regulary and so I can tell that the smartphone certainly changed traveling, but there are still plenty of adventures waiting outside if your are open for it and not just want to impress your instagram facebook peers with cool pictures.
No, of course not. Don't be daft. At that moment I didn't feel free, I felt trapped. But I got through it, had the time of my life, and learned that I could get by on less money than I thought I needed. I don't think I would ever have learned that lesson if circumstances hadn't forced me to.
Some people think freedom is access to unlimited resources. It's not. Freedom is the ability to achieve your goals with the resources you have at your disposal, whatever they might be.
> there are still plenty of adventures waiting outside
Yes, that's true. But nowadays you have to seek them out much more actively then you used to. Simply being far from home is not enough any more.
It's kind of like free climbing versus climbing with a rope and harness. Knowing that you might actually die (or have to sleep on the street) focuses the mind in ways that simply being on a rock (or being far from home) does not. Nowadays you have to work a lot harder to shed the harness.