Digital Detox – Fly Away From It All

Don’t know about you guys, but for me being online, posting or looking on social media, searching the web or randomly scrolling through Pinterest is part of my daily life. When I get bored I go on social media or I do some online shopping, before realizing I got addicted to digital everything and taking a break from it all became a must do, at least while on vacation. Here is how I do it!

Closing the internet connection when I get to the airport.

Even if nowadays I can use the internet connection without additional costs in Europe I still try to follow the old rules, so I close the internet connection when I get to the airport and I try to stay away from the temptation as much as I can. Doesn’t mean I don’t cheat, or that I don’t add a new pic to Instagram, but even so, I will not check my phone every 5 minutes.

Taking a physical book when traveling. 

Even when traveling there will be dead times, maybe I will wait for the train or for the bus, there will be times when I would like to do something, read a blog or scroll through the Facebook thread, to prevent this from happening I take a “real” book with me. If you think you would need to take 5 books with you, because you will read a lot, an alternative would be an e-book reader. I try to avoid taking it since I will have to carry it all the time if I don’t have a safe box available.

Going completely remote.

There are places where the SIM cards from Europe will not work, one of those places was Thailand. Still, we needed a phone, for safety reasons, but we didn’t want to use it much, so apart from going on Google and finding routes we keept the internet connection off. To make the detox even better, we went to a remote location on the Phi Phi Island, stayed in a bamboo bungalow and had a private beach. After the 3 days that I spent there, I felt no need to verify the phone or social media.

Use a DSRL instead of your phone’s camera.

When using the phone for photos I have a reason to have it glued to my hand and also I easily get caught in editing the photos and posting them online, whereas, with the camera, I don’t bother to look at them or to post them, since I know I have to get them off the camera, edit them, put them on the phone, etc. so I don’t bother to do it before I get home. The photos look better and I have more time to enjoy sightseeing, so I feel like I kill two rabbits with one stone.

Leave the phone in the safe box when going to the beach.

Sunbathing is one of those dead times, where I can either relax, meditate, read or stay on the phone. I have to admit that I am weak and if I have it near me, I will take a peek that can last up to a few hours, so I like to leave this temptation in the hotel in a safe box. Furthermore, I don’t have to worry about it when I run in the sea, so a win-win situation.

For me traveling is that time when I can detach myself from what is happening at home, at work, and/or on social media. I like to think of this time as me time when I can be 100% present and I can stay away from all the digital areas. What are your ways of doing digital detox while on vacation? Can you stay away from the “phone” temptation?

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