How to DIGITALLY DETOX

A 2018 Ofcom report revealed that the average Brit checks their smartphone every 12 minutes. We’re addicted to our devices, and that doesn’t change when we travel. Going away used to mean getting away from it all; now it means uploading it all to Instagram.

To state the bleedin’ obvious, the easiest way to ensure a digital detox is to leave your smartphone at home. That way you’re forced to stay in the present; to be immersed in the new rather than dipping back into the life you’re supposed to be escaping. 164 wanderlust.co.uk March 2019

NEED TO KNOW

Many are pulled to their phones by the ‘fear of missing out’. Remind yourself that you’re travelling – you’re not the one missing anything!

Without the internet at your fingertips, you might ask a local for directions, get pleasantly lost or find yourself in serendipitous situations. When freed from your phone, you tend to look forward rather than down, opening your body to interaction. Also, focus improves: you’re not only likely to have more conversations, you’ll likely have better ones; and with no internet to answer every question, discussions can expand and roam. Freed from email and social media, you can forget the white noise and hone in on the things that truly inspire.

However, smartphones are extremely useful, so leaving them behind probably isn’t realistic. So use your smartphone smartly. Disable time-sucking apps and limit yourself to a quick online check every few days. Don’t let a small rectangle of pixels usurp the wonders of the real world.

A digital detox can leave you feeling freer, less stressed, less rushed, better rested and with a better sense of perspective. All the things you travel for in the first place.