People turn their phones off? We must know different people because everyone I know has their phone switched on all the time.

Not all travel has to be to wilderness, there's just as much enjoyment to be had in visiting regular places, not just middle if nowhere kind of places. They might be boring to you, but that's a very narrow kind of thinking to assume that of others.

And unless you're spelunking, there's a very good chance that GPS is available. It's designed for the military, so reliability and accessibility are important. There are very few places on the earth that cannot see enough satellites to get a decent fix.

Not all developed countries are boring! It's just as much of a jungle in NYC as it is in any South American rain forest.