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Dad Takes 18-Year-Old Son On Month-Long Trip To Mongolia To Get Him Off His Phone

Dad Takes 18-Year-Old Son On Month-Long Trip To Mongolia To Get Him Off His Phone

The pair travelled across the country on a massive adventure

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Most people are guilty of spending a bit too much time on their phone, but one dad went to extreme lengths to get his son's eyes off his screen.

Jamie Clarke, from Alberta, Canada, put his son on a forced digital detox when he felt he was losing touch with the youngster, and instead took 18-year-old Khobe on the adventure of a lifetime.

Feeling that he had begun his son's addiction by giving him a Blackberry at a young age, adventurous Jamie took him all the way across the world so they could bond.

Instagram/Khobe Clarke

Having already climbed Mount Everest twice, Jamie decided his next trip would be to travel across Mongolia on a motorbike - and this time, he wanted Khobe to go with him.

Not exactly the worst alternative to scrolling through Instagram constantly, is it?

Khobe had been to a remote ski lodge with his family for his dad's 50th birthday, and on that occasion he found not being able to use his phone difficult.

Speaking to the BBC, Khobe said: "I had never before that experienced a weekend without my phone, essentially. It was very weird for me."

Jamie then put the idea of the month long trip to Khobe, who initially, was not feeling it at all.

Instagram/Khobe Clarke

Khobe said: "I said no pretty quickly. But it kind of turned into this fun idea... it became such a thing of preparation that it was very exciting to go do it."

They left at the end of July, travelling more than 2,2000 kilometres (1,367 miles) across Mongolia.

Although they took photos while they were away, they refrained from using the 'gram until they got back. But Khobe isn't a total convert.

He said: "I think the whole time I was pretty consumed by missing my phone. You realise how boring everything gets. When I'm bored I can just turn on YouTube or watch Netflix. What am I going to do, look at the stars and twiddle my thumbs?"

Instagram/Khobe Clarke

But Jamie said he saw a new side to his son, saying: "It helped me see Khobe in a new way. I saw him as a kid who kept leaving his jacket on the table, not cleaning up the dishes.

"And I was able to see him step up to being a young man, and I was impressed by how well he was able to perform under pressure."

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Khobe Clarke

Topics: Interesting, travel