Recently, Flogas surveyed UK residents to find out what they thought about escaping to the country, and what they would end up missing if they went off the grid. The results were interesting, and found that while 85% of people like the idea in theory, half of the people surveyed said they would miss their smartphones with a week.
Many people assumed that off-grid living means no hot water (something that I also thought), and 50% said that they would be missing hot water before a week was up.
I personally couldn’t even last a week before I missed my smartphone. I’m one of those people who continually checks it, but my excuse is that I live overseas- so I need to continually be able to be in touch with friends and family.
Since I’m also a blogger and freelancer, going without any technology just isn’t possible. I need my laptop, phone, chargers, and good wifi in order to do my job.
Sure, it sounds nice to be completely off the grid for a few days. In fact, I could potentially last 48 hours without any technology at my fingertips (and it would probably be excellent for my creativity and a good way to relax). But any longer than that and I would be itching to check my emails and get back to work.
I like living in the city, and I’ve been known to go crazy in the suburbs, so living off-grid simply isn’t possible for me. Unfortunately, the idea of being away from great restaurants, delivered food, cafes, and clubs just doesn’t sound fun.
It turns out more men like the idea of going off-grid, probably because they’re more confident about being outdoors and looking after themselves. I personally have very few outdoorsy skills- I can’t start a fire, I’ve never planted a vegetable garden, and my mum’s chickens used to chase me around the backyard so I don’t see myself finding fresh eggs every day.
I think for a lot of people, we’re so connected all the time that the idea of not being able to connect and having time to simply enjoy being outdoors sounds glorious. But instead of actually going off-grid, I would probably benefit from leaving my phone in my pocket and going on a hike somewhere beautiful. Or actually taking a whole weekend off and staying away from my laptop.
It’s also important to recognise that off-grid means different things to different people- so many people assume you can’t have any hot water if you’re off-grid, but really these things are possible, they’re just a little more challenging.
I think that’s also another concern. I already find small things challenging (probably because I’m continually doing them places where I can’t speak the language). Things like going to the supermarket, cooking dinner, and keeping my apartment clean simply don’t come easily to me- so why would I want to make life harder by living off-grid?
