Tech-Free Vacations Are Gaining Popularity — Featuring Hotels Without Wi-Fi and Multi-Day Retreats That Prohibit Phones

Would Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love," have been so enamored with Neapolitan pizza if she had been snapping pictures of her meal for Instagram? What if Steinbeck had traveled with Charley and relied on Waze? Nowadays, iPhones, laptops, and tablets are everywhere, making it nearly impossible to fully disconnect.

“There used to be a clear divide between home and away,” states Trine Syvertsen, author of the 2020 book "Digital Detox: The Politics of Disconnecting," which explores the fading of that boundary. Today, Syvertsen notes, “people engage in various strategies to limit their media usage,” such as disabling notifications or activating airplane mode while on land. The desire to disconnect is evident on Reddit, where forums like r/nosurf and r/PhonesAreBad facilitate discussions on effectively logging off during vacations.

Now, travelers can select from an increasing array of deliberately tech-free retreats. Take, for instance, the startup Italian travel agency Logout Livenow, which arranges one- to five-day escapes in Sardinia where guests store their phones to hike, kayak, practice yoga — and reconnect with themselves.

Cofounder Gavino Puggioni observes that guests often arrive visibly anxious as they surrender their devices, frequently touching their empty back pockets out of habit. However, they soon forget about their phones and start engaging with one another, says a recent participant, Mauro Luzzu. “It felt like we had seven days instead of three,” recalls the Graz, Austria–based software engineer. “Time truly expanded.”

Tara Cappel, founder of FTLO Travel, has observed a similar trend. After implementing a no-phones-at-dinner policy on some of her company’s group tours, she has introduced a range of “phone-free trips” to places like Costa Rica, Cuba, Iceland, and Portugal. (Digital cameras remain permitted.)

“Without that distraction, the experience becomes infinitely richer because you are fully engaged,” Cappel states.

Hospitality brands are also adopting this trend. Eremito, located in the hills of Umbria, Italy, has no Wi-Fi but features a heated plunge pool, yoga classes, and candlelit vegetarian dinners. High-end spas like Rancho La Puerta, in Baja California, and Miraval Resorts, with three locations in the U.S., discourage the use of phones and laptops in shared spaces.

In the U.K., Unplugged has established a network of 19 tech-free cabins within one to two hours of London or Manchester. These have become especially popular among couples, notes cofounder Hector Hughes. “People in long-term relationships often haven’t spent a single day together without their phones,” he remarks. In the U.S., the company Getaway provides a similar concept, featuring hundreds of tiny-home retreats close to major urban centers.

Many experts stress the importance of fully disconnecting. “The most effective retreats occur when you’re entirely unplugged,” asserts Melissa Huey, a behavioral scientist. I learned this lesson the hard way during a two-week writing retreat in the Georgia woods. With Wi-Fi only available in one location on the campus, I found myself fixated on when I could check my messages, rather than embracing the chance to log off. “It’s an addiction,” Huey admits.

For London-based photographer Elena Bazu, a solo weekend in an Unplugged cabin proved to be highly rewarding. “The first day was daunting,” she confesses, “but by the second day, I felt fine.” Since then, she has dedicated herself to weekly phone-free walks. “I feel so much better, both mentally and physically, when I'm not constantly checking it.”

This article first appeared in the March 2024 edition of Dinogo with the title “The Lo-fi Cure for 2024.”