Cutting the Cord: Tech-Free Unplugged Travel

[00:00:00] Narrator: Do you dream about your next trip? You're in the right place on the time to talk travel podcast. We come to you weekly to share places to go and what to do when you get there. Let's dive into this week's adventure.

[00:00:16] Nasreen: Welcome back to another episode of time to talk travel . We're going to be talking about a trend, tech free travel. Going on a trip and really being immersed in the people and places that you are visiting versus being on your phone all the time. I'm going to just admit up front. I'm not good at this.

[00:00:34] Desiree: Oh, I'm also not very good at this. Just for the record, I travel with a child who loves to post on Instagram and the photos are everything. I feel like there are two very different camps. There are people who, no way I'm giving up my phone, whether they've got kids at home. for me, I have a mom whose health is dicey and it would make me really nervous.

I guess it depends on how the destination sets it up or the resort, because there are resorts that will take your phone when you check in and will reward you. They'll put it in their safe and if you make it through that first 24 hours, you get a free dinner voucher, you make it for the next one.

They've got an excursion for you the next day kind of thing. So there's a reward system, but also there are just some that where there are some retreats and hotels that people are specifically booking because the rule is. It's totally unplugged and it's a growing trend according to a travel and leisure article I just read came out in March. Places are picking up on the trend and people are booking it.

[00:01:38] Ciaran: I love this trend. I will say my kids go to a camp every summer that is 100 percent unplugged and they've gone for anywhere from four to eight weeks. And it was, at the start, a huge, traumatic ask to give up their cell phones and their, lifeline to their friends and that constant hive mind that they experience in their daily lives.

It has been the best thing for their mental health to just be able to have face to face conversations and, do activities like silly skits and things we did when we were kids. And we didn't have, the constant phone in our pocket. It has been so great for them that I've taken a page from that and tried to incorporate it into some of my travels.

And be more present and you can be present with a phone in your hand with a camera if you're mindful about it you don't have to completely Give up your phone to be present, but it is easier if you have somebody else saying you can't use your phone

[00:02:44] Maureen: I don't think I've ever intentionally done it, been like, okay, I'm going to pick a destination that doesn't have Wi Fi. However, I have found myself in situations without cell service or Wi Fi and have gone tech free for the day or the weekend or however long it is. And every single time we all go, wow, that was so nice.

And it might be that you can check it every now and then. So we went to that cattle country music fest in the middle of a field and there was terrible cell service. There was five couples. All of us have kids. All of us have elderly parents, as you were saying. And it took us a minute to be like, this is okay.

What we found was hilarious is how many things we would normally Google. Like how old is that artist? Where are they from? What's their next album? Like whatever, we had to be like, I don't know, I guess we'll have to ask the Google later and move on to something else.

You know what I mean? So it was a nice break. And I think everybody, would get back. To the house afterwards and then you do your check and make sure everybody was okay. And, you hadn't missed anything in the last couple of hours. But as long as we've let everybody know in advance that we're I can't say out of pocket because the kids called that's something totally different now. But in old people language, we were out of pocket, or out of service. So you couldn't couldn't reach us.

[00:04:10] Ciaran: Do you guys go through like the seven stages of grief when you disconnect? It's like disbelief denial Until you finally are like, okay I can live without Wi Fi.

[00:04:21] Maureen: If you're enjoying another time we were on an island and you had to walk up to the top of the mountain to get basically cell service. So you really had to want to check your phone. But you're sitting, looking at the ocean and you're looking at a beautiful sunset. You don't really miss it so much.

[00:04:36] Desiree: People are very anxious handing over their phones. And for me, it's not even that I use it to call people so much. I listen to podcasts when I'm driving or when I'm walking and I guess it really is about disconnecting and getting lost in the place you are. Not literally lost, but cause then you would want a phone,

[00:04:56] Nasreen: think my issue is I end up completely dysregulated because I use my phone as part of my daily regular life to function and do things. And so it's not just I can't call people. I can't look things up and I can't take pictures, but I have every list of anything on my phone, I use it when I get overwhelmed or overstimulated to go and do something with tapping game or something that will reset me.

I'm taking pictures, not even just to enjoy the experience, but to remember something that's very important for later as a visual marker. When I go back through I use it to categorize things. I just use it so much. And for me. In order to keep myself organized, my phone is also my wallet in daily life.

Like I have the cards in the back of it. I'd have to get used to it because now I'm like, Oh, my phone. Oh, my where's my wallet? Like I put it all together so I couldn't forget anything. And I listen to music a lot when I'm doing things.

It stresses me out to even think about it. To be honest, I'm very,

[00:06:00] Maureen: I think you're going to need to try, give it a try. This is

[00:06:03] Nasreen: I'm very decent at being present, but it's not because I can be present. I can not pay attention to it. I just, I go to it at certain times when I need it and it's there. I'm still very in it. I'm not the most stuck on it person in my family. But it's connected into a lot of other things.

I think it would be difficult. I have timers for medication. I think I'd lose my mind.

[00:06:28] Maureen: Maybe for a whole trip, but it wouldn't be so bad to go to the beach for a couple hours

[00:06:31] Nasreen: Oh yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:33] Desiree: A lot of the destinations say that people who have done these weekend retreats or even just checked in for the hotel for the three days Unplugged, said that times seemed to stretch for them without their phones. The three day thing felt more like. 7 day thing where their body actually did relax and they didn't feel like they were on call the whole time they were there or, and having to be alert.

I was listening to a podcast yesterday where they had a sleep researcher and. And somebody who had done a study with the phones, and he said, we are at a point in our lives. We're training our mind that we need this constant information. It's almost in a casino where people sit down at the slot machines, and they just get a trance when you get in the bed at night, or you're sitting there on your phone and you're mindlessly streaming.

Scanning through everything. You're in a trance. There's a reason you just lost two hours. And he said it's added up to 15 to 20 years of our life. So think about if you're on your deathbed, are you gonna wish, oh, somebody hand me my phone. I need 10 more minutes of scanning or put it down and let's do this.

Face-to-face, eye to eye. It's a really interesting concept and I love the idea of it for vacations. That said, I use my phone for photographs. I would miss having that. And they do allow digital cameras for what it's worth. Every single resort said that they do still allow digital cameras.

Do you guys want to hear about the different brands that are doing this?

[00:08:03] Ciaran: Yes. Yes.

[00:08:17] Desiree: in exchange is essentially the argument. And then Rancho La Puerta in Baja, California and Mirabal resorts has three resorts in the US. They both discourage phones and laptops in the common areas where, you go in a doctor's office and there's the sign, stay off your phones.

People ignore it. But they do the same thing there and discourage and the UK unplugged now has a network of 19 tech free cabins within an hour or two of London or Manchester. And they said, those are super popular with couples. These are people who've been in relationships for a decade and always had phones with them. So it's we really do need to talk to each other now thing. The company getaway now offers something similar. It says hundreds of tiny home hideaways within a short drive of metro areas. But they say you really do have to just totally disconnect. It can't be half assed. It can't be like, I'll do it for the first half of the day. Sort of thing to get the real effect. It really does have to be. The entire time.

[00:09:11] Nasreen: I would be so good at half assing it. The no WiFi thing doesn't bother me as much not bringing my laptop. I've actually gotten better about that lately. I've been to my sister's multiple times to do stuff recently and I just don't even bring it with me because it's silly to lug it around.

No WiFi fine, but little things like being able to still use the phone for the camera or to play games or zone out or just play Tetris at night. Because you're saying the calming down and the quieting, and then we have so many things going on. That's my brain always. Like when I'm trying to fall asleep, it's going to do it with something else. I'd rather do it with a couple minutes of Tetris so I can actually go to sleep.

[00:09:48] Desiree: They did say the phones can run this, phone. I don't carry big books when I'm traveling. I have no desire to add to my Minimalist packing. I'll make sure I have five different books on my phone that I can read when I'm on the airplane. I love that.

So if Tetris is what de-stresses you, there are good things for it. But in this case, they're saying, Nope, bring the big old book and go old school with it. It's interesting. It's interesting.

[00:10:21] Maureen: You know how Airbnbs aren't doing so hot now, and especially in metropolitan areas, they say that those tiny cabin type properties an hour or two outside of an urban area are still the most popular and best investment you can make. There's definitely people looking for that little getaway. I think it's hard to give it up if you have the choice, but if you don't have the choice, you have to make do you have to, figure it out. And you're saying with the couples, I think that's really interesting to have couple time that you're not. You're not standing there looking at your husband going, we said we weren't going to be on our phones and the picture taking thing I think is cute too, my daughters all want to use a little tiny digital camera now and not their phones.

And I keep asking them why because I think it's so retro to have my 90s phone or a camera that I take to the bar. But maybe they're on the right track instead of being on your phone all the time, just take a camera with you, a little pocket one and enjoy it.

[00:11:23] Ciaran: Yeah, my kids bring a digital camera to camp with them and they bring an underwater camera as well because they spend a lot of time snorkeling and skin diving at their camp. And so for them, they're really used to it. And now they love being unplugged. But I am with Des. I do have an elderly mom and I have four kids. The one thing about going to one of these places that gives me extreme anxiety is there could be some kind of an emergency and I wouldn't be reached in time for whatever decisions had to be made or being present.

In fact, when I was a child, My appendix burst at an amusement park in the pre cell phone era and I had emergency surgery like as a 11 year old with no relatives around me. And it was really traumatic, like I could have died and my parents didn't arrive till the next day and thank God I did survive and I was okay. But I would really hate as a parent. To put any of my kids through something like that. We actually did go to my kids camp for four days they have a family camp and we unplugged for those four days and it was wonderful But we did set up protocols like if there are any emergencies This is the number to call and somebody will be able to reach us immediately And that kind of gave me the, I don't know, training wheels to put my phone down and turn it off for four days.

[00:12:43] Nasreen: If those were training wheels, I had itty bitty, bitty wheels then because we shut off our phones for the daily show when we went for the taping, it was like three hours. We texted the kids before because they were all home this is where we are, but yeah,

[00:12:56] Maureen: For two hours I

[00:12:59] Desiree: I do that when I go in a movie theater. When I go to watch a movie, I text my daughter and say, I'm in the movie theater, not gonna be available for two hours. How sad is that? That I've gotten to that point.

[00:13:10] Maureen: Think it's great. And actually your phone can if I have a meeting or lunch it'll ask me if I want to turn it on silent or basically do not disturb for the time that I've put that in my calendar. I think that's yeah that's etiquette too.

[00:13:25] Maureen: For whoever you're spending time with is to give them that time.

[00:13:28] Ciaran: Maybe that's how we train for our trips to this resort. We start using the Do Not Disturb mode more often. Go for one hour, then we can go for two. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:13:38] Nasreen: I can't do that. Okay. But not because I'm attached to my phone. It doesn't even need to be near me. Like I can be playing music on it, not have it on be doing things around the house, but I am the de facto parent that they're going to call. If there is something, I've got four of them.

They're in all different places. I routinely get calls to come pick someone up from school because they're sick or something is going on. And my husband's in emergency services. And they're never calling him. I am always the one who needs to make sure that my phone is on and not on silent.

I think I had it on silent from recording once and missed a call to go get a kid that's homesick from school later that day and didn't realize it for a little bit until they're calling again. And it's just, yeah I don't have a home phone.

[00:14:20] Maureen: no,

[00:14:20] Desiree: What did they do 15 years ago? 15 years ago? We survived. We did it. We didn't have to be

[00:14:27] Ciaran: our

[00:14:28] Maureen: Our appendix burst,

[00:14:29] Ciaran: we had emergency surgeries

[00:14:31] Maureen: Ciaran's got a good story to tell now.

[00:14:34] Nasreen: But it's not the same thing now, like they can't even release a patient under 18, a 17 year old who gets in a fender bender at a car accident cannot be released from the scene until a parent gives permission over the phone

[00:14:47] Desiree: I take it, you know this from personal experience?

[00:14:48] Maureen: If they're unhurt

[00:14:49] Nasreen: No, no from my husband's work, but.

[00:14:51] Desiree: I just say, I do think there is a value in it. I think we are all on digital overload. I think the news stream is nonstop. So many people are just done and they need the break. They want the break. I know I'm at a breaking point. And my head, I feel like there's a Tasmanian devil spinning in my head right now with all the overload of all the things I'm trying to figure out and do and what have you.

And honestly, I was in the car driving seven and a half hours yesterday. And I just listened to a podcast the whole entire time. And that was Zen to be totally honest. It was just, I was educating myself. So it wasn't brainless. I was getting all kinds of good information

I think I would have gone mad if it was total silence, where in the past, 15 years ago, I loved driving in the car, would not turn on the radio because it was total silence. So it's interesting. Yeah. Do we still do that? Does that still do that?

[00:15:48] Ciaran: I like to drive in silence sometimes I still do or just put on mindless music.

But I have a question for Naz. Naz what do you do when you're on an international flight? And there's no wi-fi, say you're on a 10 hour flight. How do you manage that

[00:16:03] Nasreen: I have a problem with no Wifi and I think sometimes people lean into trends too hard, okay? You want to lock my phone in a box? I'm an adult. I have self control. If there's no Wi-Fi at the resort and I chose to go somewhere with not, not too much stuff, you're only making me feel defiant when you tell me I can't do it, okay?

It's that mentality. I don't want to be told, you can't touch your phone the entire time you're here, put it in this box. If you tell me have an unplugged vacation, no phones in the common areas and no wifi. Fine. I know what I'm signing up for and I'm okay with that. Like I can still text or whatever.

If I'm on an international flight, there's a good chance somebody else is in charge. And I know that they've been assigned to specifically be in charge. And if there's no wifi, I'll sleep or I'll watch like an onboard movie or whatever. I don't need to be connected all the time. I don't like to be told that I can't at all. That seems a little overkill. I would be on the trend in the middle somewhere. I'm fine with unplugged, but locking my phone in a box and telling me I can't use it. Like, why am I paying money for that? That's

[00:17:11] Maureen: Because a lot of people don't have self control, that's why they need somebody to take it and lock it in a box.

[00:17:16] Nasreen: No,

[00:17:17] Ciaran: No I'm 100 percent with you on that and I'm so glad you said that I am all for the unplugged vacation, but the aspect of handing over control to somebody else. I'm like, who are they? They're just much more self actualized, better people than me that they can tell me. For anything handing over complete control of anything, like what I eat, whether I use my phone, my schedule. I'm an adult. I can make decisions for myself. We can all be on board for the same thing, but let me do it myself. Don't force me to do it like I'm a child who needs rehab. I don't need rehab. I just need encouragement to

[00:17:54] Desiree: It sounds like we are not their audience, but I will tell you if you go on Reddit they're hot, like cell phones are bad. No surfing. The demand is there. If it wasn't there, these destinations wouldn't be creating it. It wouldn't be a growing trend. So there are people who crave it for whatever reason.

[00:18:12] Ciaran: There's people who crave boot camp too. I don't want to go to a boot camp. I don't want to go to a place where exercise is “give me 20” and somebody yelling at me and making me do stuff. That's just not what I respond to as a human being. I get it that really works for some people. Watch us get invited to the cell phone free boot camp

[00:18:42] Nasreen: Oh God. Oh, that, that would be horrible.

[00:18:46] Maureen: Des and I are going to the cell phone free boot camp, Des.

[00:18:49] Desiree: I think it'd be fun for three days, not seven, three days. I could get through.

[00:18:53] Nasreen: Ciaran and I are competitive. So if it was like, who can last for longer at cell phone free boot camp versus you two, I think we could win.

[00:19:02] Ciaran: We could.

[00:19:03] Maureen: Nope, not after today's conversation.

[00:19:06] Desiree: That’s how we need to frame this trip for you all, because you're right, you are super competitive.

[00:19:13] Ciaran: Like competitive with ourselves too. It's not just

[00:19:16] Nasreen: It's ourselves. Yeah. And that's why I don't want to do something where someone's “you can't do this” or “you have to put this in a box”. I'm capable of doing that myself. I can tell myself I'm not going to use it. I can do it. I am. I really am. Because again, I'm not trying to make this impression that I'm so attached. I utilize it as a tool for a lot of things. I wouldn't like to just have it locked away and not be able to do that. Could I tell myself to stay away from it? Could I pick a destination that I knew was going to have issues with service ? Yeah, because I'm preparing for it. I know I'm going to do it. I'm not going to miss out on a good destination because there's no Wi Fi.

[00:19:54] Ciaran: I think our cell phone addiction though is more an issue of control, like we're control freaks. So like we're leaning into our phones as a tool for maintaining control over our daily lives. Whereas I think these retreats are more aimed at people who lean into their phones as a form of escapism or dopamine.

[00:20:15] Maureen: Don't want to be the point person. I've put. Other things in place so that somebody else is to be reached. Like my husband and I are going for five days. We're going to a remote island. We will be with his business colleagues. We will not be the point person for if someone has to be picked up from school or what have you.

So it's giving control to somebody else for that portion so that you can have time to relax and not be constantly trying to manage everything from afar. That's the difference, I think, between taking a vacation for that purpose or taking a business trip where you are still trying to manage your life from wherever you are.

[00:20:52] Nasreen: And if I'm on vacation, somebody else is in charge. I'm not in charge. That was an example for day to day and just my phone in general. But, yeah, no, I get what you're saying. I wonder how many of these groups going on this vacation or couples going on these vacations are married to a workaholic who never steps away from work and they do it on purpose.

It, to me, it seems a little bit like a ha. I did this. So you can't be on your phone.

[00:21:14] Maureen: Okay. Okay. Okay.

[00:21:33] Desiree: a resort in Mexico where they rewarded people with a free dinner if they stayed off for 24 hours or a free excursion. So it was more families in that case and parents who just said it's the hotel's rules, not mine.

Cause then they're not the bad guy saying you can't have your phone. It's how it is. I think there's definite value in it. I wouldn't have any problem. I know even last night, my boyfriend took me out for a celebratory dinner because I, Signed a deal for Des’ future.

We were having drinks and he asked me about something about a convention, a travel conference coming up. And I said it's in Spain. And he said, Barcelona. I said, no, I'm not sure where it is. So I picked up my phone to look at where it was. He was so offended that I picked up my phone because we have this agreement where we put the phones down.

I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. I was looking up information to tell him. And he's that doesn't have to happen right here, right now. Sometimes it really does help to totally disconnect. And if that's what you have to do in order to make it happen, and it saves a marriage, by all means, go make it happen. Probably not. Probably if you're at that point it's a little too far gone. But. If you're right, if it's a workaholic or if it's a kid, you just haven't been able to get off. They'll see, I survived. I did make it three days. I think there's value.

[00:22:48] Ciaran: My brother who's a neurosurgeon is always going on like the craziest cell phone free Trips when he does get away from work, which you know being a neurosurgeon You're on call all the time. Your patients can have things happen all the time But when he goes away, he goes gorilla trekking, he doesn't mess around with his vacation time

[00:23:07] Maureen: I think when you're in that stressful of a role yeah, you really do need to live a different life for a little bit.

[00:23:16] Nasreen: idea. I think there's a certain clientele for it. I wonder how it works out. There are some families that would probably never be able to do this. In some neurodivergent families, you have a kid with autism who relies on devices and things like that.

This isn't even going to be an option. It's just not because they're calming. So it's an interesting concept to me. I can see why it's a trend for some people. It's not one that I'm going to be jumping on today or tomorrow or anytime soon, to be honest,

[00:23:51] Desiree: Like you said, take some baby steps. If it's something you think would help. I think some people will embrace it. Others self police, as you said, and that's all good. To each his own. A lot of people don't want to go hike Everest.

[00:24:06] Desiree: There are options.

[00:24:07] Nasreen: This has been enlightening. So maybe next time we'll tackle a hot topic of camping without facilities and whether people are going to poop in the woods, because that's another polarizing topic.

[00:24:19] Maureen: no ma'am.

[00:24:19] Nasreen: It'll be glamping versus camping. Coming soon to a podcast near you. You've joined another episode of time to talk travel, where we have touched on tech free travel, unplugged travel, whether it's deciding to go somewhere without wifi or getting your phone locked up by someone and not being allowed to use it. We will be back next week with another topic until then happy travels.

[00:24:43] Narrator: This has been another episode of Time to Talk Travel, brought to you by HashtagTravels. com. You can keep in touch with us between episodes by checking out our site, joining our newsletter, or connecting with us on social. We've always got the information you need in our episode notes. Until next time, happy travels, and thanks for being a part of our trip.