Digital detox holidays

Do you dread your weekly screen time report? Are you slightly dumbfounded about the amount of time you spend on social media, or embarrassed that your fingers start to twitch if you haven’t checked Facebook for 10 minutes? Join the growing population who have found themselves wanting to take a digital detox.

The concept of a ‘digital detox’ has been an increasing trend in recent years, as people seek to limit the inescapable levels of connectivity, and growing exposure that they have on their smartphones and on social media. This feeling has primarily been linked to the desire to improve mental health, boosting attention spans, and reconnecting with the real world. What better time to do this than when you are on holiday?

Don’t worry, you do not have to go cold turkey to reap the rewards of switching off. Put your phone on night mode, turn off push notifications, shun YouTube for a great book, yet still allow yourself time to access the internet to check in for that all-important flight, or pinpoint a local attraction.

Here’s our guide to some of our best holiday destinations where you will, and will want to, escape your daily tech habits.

Best for: walking on the stars

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia are the world’s highest and largest salt flats, covering over 10,000 square kilometres and reaching 150 kilometres in width at some points. A stark and surreal landscape that is right off the beaten track.

The feeling when standing in the middle of this salt desert is truly indescribable. At certain times of the year the salt flats turn into a magical reflection of the sky. In this photograph the sky is seemingly so clear you can walk on a reflection of the stars; a truly breathtaking experience.

Travel across the salt flats in style, on your own terms, in a deluxe airstream camper. With comfortable amenities, a private guide and chef, you will start to feel your shoulders drop and begin to live in the moment. For more information about this once in a lifetime trip, contact us on 020 8758 4774.

Best for: wilderness and wildlife

Formerly a cattle ranch, Rancho Humo in Costa Rica has been transformed into a private ecological reserve. It’s a unique area encompassing the wetlands, dry tropical forest and mangroves of the Tempisque River in Guanacaste.

Here you’ll have no choice but to immerse yourself into nature, as this destination is teeming with wildlife including holwer monkeys, iguanas, coatis, ocelots and crocodiles to name but a few.

Switch off your phone and relax in tranquil settings around the pool, seek out adventure on a safari tour in the wetlands or a hike in the Palo Verde National Park.

Best for: a romantic getaway

While away in utter peace and seclusion at Bacchus House on Antipaxos; a GIC The Villa Collection property. With an area of only 5 square kilometres and a population of around 50 people, Antipaxos belongs to a world which is distinct and apart from our everyday, somewhat hectic lives.  With no shops and only four tavernas, you will feel as if you are on your own private island.

Immerse yourself into the culture and mingle with the locals, or take advantage of the natural surroundings - glorious sandy beaches to crystal clear waters. Antipaxos is an ideal place to reconnect with your loved one.

Best for: retreating in the Arctic

For true relaxation, choose to stay at the Arctic Retreat on the shores of the Rane river. This owner-managed accommodation has been built with the utmost attention to detail and with care to ensure the surrounding nature at centre stage.

Northern Sweden is considered as one of the last remaining wildernesses on earth, and Boden is a destination of forests, river valleys and rapids. With so much to see and do, you won’t even think about checking your phone (unless you are trying to catch a shot of the majestic Northern lights). Any stay here includes a guided activity each day such as an exploratory snowshoe walk, a thrilling Nordic ski tour or a wilderness lunch.

Best for: no WIFI at all

For a total digital detox, the Pacuare Lodge is completely cut off from WIFI. This ecolodge is tucked away within 25,000 acres of protected Costa Rican rain forest, on the banks of the Pacuare river, north of the Talamanca Mountains.

National Geographic suggests adventure rules this region, and it begins even before you arrive at the lodge. The reason being is because the Pacuare River is a premiere white-water rafting destination, and guests to the lodge will catch their first glimpse of the elevated thatched bungalows, on a guided raft to this eco-hotel.

You will dive straight into the whole experience the moment you step foot on to that raft, and from then on you can expect authentic Costa Rican hospitality, vibrant nature, indigenous reserves, and a variety of animal encounters.

If you feel as though any of these holiday experiences will spark wanderlust, and a sense that you will be present and live in the moment with either friends, family, or your other half, contact our travel experts today.

Written by Nicole Cunningham