Mobile technology is increasingly interwoven into everyday life practices during travel. This study offers a theoretical extension of previous work on metaworlds by using an interpretive methodology to investigate how individuals conceptualize and mobile devices as technological metaworlds in travel. The findings suggest that while physical and technological metaworlds may initially seem to share some core use characteristics, a deeper dive into the data indicates an important difference regarding the uses and impacts of technological metaworlds. Specifically, concepts emerged which consistently pointed towards some adverse psychological impacts regarding the cognitive dissonance of technological metaworlds in travel. How and why this occurs is discussed through the delineation of a core conceptual category and three associated sub-categories. Finally, implications for theoretical and practical work on the technology–self nexus in travel are presented.