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The closest I’ve come in a while to properly “unplugging” on a vacation was during a recent family trip to Spain. Everybody had an international phone plan, but because I didn’t want to fork out my carrier’s unappealing daily fee to connect abroad, I didn’t. Instead, I spent most of the more-than-two-week-long trip almost forgetting that I even had a device with me as we ambled around various locales. The dramatically reduced amount of screen time undoubtedly better absorbed me in some of the most near-bewilderingly beautiful places I’ve ever been, and gave me — even if it was extremely slight — the digital detox I didn’t realize I needed when I was departing the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for my first layover.
This is, of course, likely not even close to what someone might imagine when they think of a tech-free vacation. (To add to my less-tech corner cutting, I unhesitantly switched on the available Wi-Fi to catch up on a day’s worth of missed text messages upon arriving at a new hotel or Airbnb for the night.) Conceptions of that probably align more with what I, too, think of when I think of a vacation where unplugging is a primary focus: a wellness retreat cut off from the world. A backpacking trip. Renting a quaint house somewhere woodsy — ideally to get some sort of project done, more closely bond with my fellow travelers with whom I came, or simply do nothing.
A 2023 survey from Expedia found that many overworked and overly screen-addled Americans are finding themselves drawn to what it termed “nothingcations,” which amount to time off somewhere new, where breaking free from one’s life back home to essentially do nothing is the main mission. (About 96% of the 4,000 travelminded respondents said they were planning to designate a portion of their next trip to “doing absolutely nothing.”)
Alex Trettin, the president of Travel Leaders — Travel Center Inc. in Tacoma, said over the phone in January that he hasn’t really seen an increase in clients in recent years looking for tech-free or tech-limited vacations, but when they do arise, they’re most likely interested in something like a wellness retreat.
“There’s a number of different countries, like the Maldives and Thailand, that have those kinds of wellness retreats that help facilitate the detox, and not detox from alcohol and drugs, but just that technological-detox scenario and how people can just break away in nature,” he said, noting that ranch-style unplugged-adjacent getaways in places such as Montana see some decent demand, too.
As a travel-consultancy service, Travel Leaders — Travel Center Inc. matches a traveler with the right product and the right experience, and is one place to go locally for those wanting to get outside the Northwest to unwind.
“We spend a lot of time working with our clients and helping them find the best experience — the best value — for what they want within their budget,” Trettin said. As for the screen-weary folks eager to get a headstart on their digital-detox vacation planning for 2025, we also have a few ideas for places that might scratch the itch to get away from it all — in more than one sense of the term.
These wooden, 500-square-foot acorn-like abodes in Sequim were built beneath a small, scraggly mound of hill — a charmingly folksy venue to enjoy some time with a more primordial version of yourself.
Many of us dreamed of having but never got a treehouse growing up. This three-bedroom, one-bathroom spot in White Salmon is one place to make those dormant (or maybe not) dreams come true, hovering 20 feet above the ground and able to sleep up to six guests.
All right — this Washington Coast resort isn’t a designed-to-be-tech-free vacation spot in the traditional sense. But there are few places in the Northwest that are as beautiful for a digital detox. It helps, too, that it’s a close drive to Ocean Shores and Seabrook and has several hikes to spend one’s day doing nothing in close proximity.
Postcard Cabins — the new name of the recently rechristened Getaway House — has locations all over the U.S. that all abide by the same philosophy: providing clients with restorative respites in a tranquil, postcardesque nature escape. It has two stretches of land in the Northwest where a cornucopia of private cabins neatly sits: one in Mount Vernon and the other in Glenwood.
For those looking for a more accessible sweet spot between comfy glamping and pitch-your-own-tent-style outdoor sleeping, KOA’s many amenity-generous campgrounds — Washington locations include Olympia, Bellingham, and Pullman — are ideal if you’re intimidated by the grittiness usually associated with camping but nonetheless are drawn in by its back-to-basics appeal.
Detox across the pond with Unplugged, a U.K. travel agency with nearly 20 tech-free cabins that all sit an hour-ish from major destinations like London and Manchester. Company co-founder Hector Hughes told Travel + Leisure last year that Unplugged’s offerings have proven particularly popular with couples — especially those who, say, “have been in a relationship for 10 years and haven’t spent a day without phones.”
Costa Rica’s Nayara Springs has been named the world’s best hotel spa by Condé Nast Traveler and the best luxury hotel in the world by Tripadvisor. Part of its acclaim comes from the various packages it has designed to tailor to disparate guest needs. One of them — a three-day digital-detox package — asks that guests temporarily sacrifice their phones so that they can better enjoy their private pool, daily yoga and meditation classes, massages, and more.
This rainforest-surrounded wellness retreat near Ubud is celebrated internationally for its throng of holistic-wellness programs, which range from classic meditation sessions to nature walks that speak to the healing powers of the outdoors.
Situated in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, this device-free resort and spa offers not just spa treatments and wellness specialists but also an impressive array of gourmet food. The resort hopes that its approach helps people truly give themselves permission to disconnect.
North Carolina has a unique Airbnb option: a converted bus in the middle of a forest that’s also only about 15 minutes from Asheville. It’s cozy and comfortable; it also doesn’t have Wi-Fi, TV, or any of the other distracting technologies we’re used to in our day-to-day lives.
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