Above the Fold: Supply Chain Logistics News (April 24, 2026)

By Adrian Gonzalez

I spent six days on a technology detox in Madrid and Seville.

My wife, oldest daughter, and I traveled to Spain to visit our youngest son, who is studying abroad there. But I also took the opportunity to take a vacation from my computer and smartphone.

I didn’t even pack my laptop — I left it powered down on my office desk. And although I had my iPhone with me, I didn’t open any social media apps or check work email the entire time I was in Spain.

The detox actually began a few days before we left. I made a decision to improve my mental health: I need to feel comfortable being bored again — just being present in the moment.

For example, I don’t need to check email or social media on my phone:

While waiting at a red light or crosswalk
In between sets at the gym
In the checkout line at the supermarket
During conversation lulls at the dinner table
While waiting to get through airport security
Whenever I hit writer’s block or want to procrastinate
In the bathroom (yeah, I know — but you probably do it too)

I have to admit, being “bored” in Spain was very difficult. We landed in Madrid last Friday at 5:30 am and were on the go almost nonstop through Wednesday — visiting museums, parks, palaces, cafés, and more. Most days we walked more than 20,000 steps — and in Seville, we walked 23 miles in just two days.

By pure chance, we arrived in Seville at the start of its Feria de Abril, which turns the city “into a week of flamenco, horse-drawn carriages, late-night dancing, and streets lined with striped tents called casetas.” It felt like being transported back to the early 1900s, with everyone — from the youngest to the oldest — dressed in their best flamenco wear. I’ve never experienced anything like it — and I’ve never felt so underdressed in public.

That said, in the rare moments of stillness and silence, I chose not to be on my phone. On the three-hour train ride to Seville, for example, I looked out the window. I read my book. I fell asleep for a bit. I wrote in my journal. Just me and my thoughts.

Now we’re back home, and the technology detox continues.

I still need my computer to get work done, of course — but I keep email shut off for most of the day, and I keep my phone in another room instead of in my pocket.

Every day, I feel lighter.

If you’re thinking about doing a technology detox, you can certainly do it from the comfort of your own home. But if you have the chance to travel to a place where horse-drawn carriages fill the streets, women wear flowers in their hair, and the sound of guitars and handclaps is everywhere — well, you won’t want to be on your phone anyway… even if you happen to be bored.

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Considering I’ve been off the grid for most of this week, I’m still catching up on the news. Here are some of the headlines that have caught my attention so far: