I once had a ripe sense of adventure.

Many days, the rising sun would wake me from my deep, hard-earned slumber ‑ often enjoyed in the back of a 1978 Toyota Corolla station wagon ‑ and my daily mission consisted of repacking my backpack and heading to my “office” to retrieve long-awaited and eagerly anticipated letters from loved ones and friends. I charted my travel itinerary based on the next closest, and logical, American Express Travel Services office I would come across, because the power of my personal mail was my only tangible connection to the goings-on back home. Other travel essentials consisted of an earmarked and highlighted Lonely Planet travel guide and a phone card to fund my weekly calls home – often made from a desolate pay phone or packed phone bank.

I lavished my independence and willingly embraced my ability to completely separate from reality.

Lonely Planet recently launched lonelyplanet.tv, an online destination – and companion to lonelyplanet.com – for travel enthusiasts who long to view clips, trade travel tips, post classifieds, discuss underground haunts and more with independent souls traveling the world. The site is intriguing, informative and engaging. I have spent many hours obsessing about how my travels would have been impacted by the recent onslaught of technological advancements and growth of social networks.

Fifteen years later, my heart races when technological challenges or simple scheduling conflicts impact my ability to seamlessly connect with others. I have three e-mail addresses and two cell phone numbers, and I research and book all travel online. I regularly share photos via Snapfish and Flickr, gather all daily news through RSS feeds, communicate with friends daily via e-mail and only gather my snail mail when I remember to visit the mailbox.

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