Travels without a mobile phone

I was driving past Leicester Forest East Services when I realised. I may be halfway down the M1, but my mobile phone was still attached to the charger in the kitchen!

It’s amazing how vulnerable that immediately made me feel. We’ve become so dependant on mobiles, that you never think anymore about how to contact someone if you don’t have one. Worse, I don’t even remember phone numbers, as they’re all programmed into the phone by name.

So, I was faced with a couple of days away, which were already logistically complicated, without any immediate means of contacting people. The first challenge came when I had to find my hotel that evening. Luckily the directions were pretty good, and I found it quite easily (I’m someone who, as yet, doesn’t have satnav)

The following morning, I had to get from my hotel to my meeting place. It was only across town, and I had directions. It should take around 20 minutes. 45 minutes later I knew the main roads of St Albans better than I felt I needed to, but was still totally lost. If I’d had the phone, I’d have called about half an hour ago, and asked for new directions. As it was, I couldn’t even think where you would find a public phone these days. In the end I had to go to the one road I knew, and follow that in. I eventually arrived to find that the directions I’d been given were wrong anyway!

At the end of the day, I was going to London, and getting the train. PAF* was meeting me at Moorgate station, and I’d given her a time, so I had to get a particular train, as again, no way to contact her. At least this time I had an address if all else failed. As it turned out, after much stress, I caught my intended train, and we met up ok.

The following morning, after an early journey out from London, I made it back to St Albans. I still couldn’t find the direct route, but this time I knew where to head for.

Finally, by one o’clock, I was heading home. What a relief to be going north on the M1, and back to home, and the phone.

*Professional actress friend