Go off-grid
In a world where doom scrolling and checking your SnapChat and TikTok day and night is the new norm, all of us - kids, teens and parents - are feeling overloaded, overstimulated and desperately in need of a break from it all.
According to recent research, UK youngsters now spend at least six-and-a-half-hours a day on screens, meaning they are literally swiping their lives away and the consequent technoference (the way in which technology disrupts our human interactions) means many parents are finding it increasingly difficult to engage with their screen-addicted off-spring.
“Disconnect from devices
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Little wonder that so many of us are choosing to use our precious family holiday time to disconnect from devices and reconnect with each other.
With so much of the world now online, it’s harder than ever to fully escape, but there are still places where it’s possible to unplug, at least for part of your trip.
Switching off
The advantages of switching off are proven to be so great, from better sleep to reduced anxiety, it’s worth getting rid of temptation and staying somewhere where the decision is made for you. Here are my favourite WiFi-free family getaways where the only screen you have to worry about is your sunscreen.
Your own cabin in the woods
For pure off-grid magical, you can’t do better than a family holiday at Hush available through Classic Cottages . This beautiful domed wooden cabin near Okehampton in Devon is the ultimate escape from the rat race and comes complete with hammock, wood-burning stove, pizza oven, barbecue and enough room to sleep four (including two fold-out beds for youngsters). Set in 15 acres of oak woodland and (whisper it) with no screens or WiFi, this is eco camping at its finest. Book this wooden cabin now, from £130 per night.
Cast adrift in Worcestershire
This summer I discovered that a canal boat holiday with Black Prince can be a fun family getaway, with the added advantage of barely-there WiFi. A four-day jaunt with friends along part of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in a six-berth boat this summer was met with consternation by our teens when they learnt on arrival that the WiFi was ‘sketchy’. The result? Phones abandoned and hours spent opening and shutting locks, cooking, chatting, playing Uno on the roof and long walks. Worth every penny of the £716.80 boat hire (includes autumn discount), secure your boat stay now
Go wild in Finland
Best Served Scandinavia’s eight-day Summer Adventure in Finnish Lakeland is a great one to book for an active family that wants to escape from it all - think screen-free sun-soaked afternoons spent lake swimming, fishing, bike riding, taking boat trips and, of course, ending the day with a sauna session. Accommodation for the first two nights is in an Aurinkoranta Holiday Cabin - three of which don’t have any WiFi. Book your off grid holiday from £2,475pp including flights.
Unplugged in Sri Lanka
For a bucket list break that’s free from online distractions, an eighteen-day Digital Detox in Sri Lanka with Experience Travel Group should hit the spot. The incredible itinerary takes in eco lodges, lake safaris in Gal Oya National Park and hikes into the wilderness of the Knuckles Mountains. You and your crew will be so busy spotting Asian elephants, kayaking and visiting temples, there’ll be no time even to check SnapChat. Book this family holiday of a lifetime, from £4,500pp including flights.
Get off-grid in the Gambia
Are your kids aged ten or over? Then make your next adventure a trip to Mandina RIver Lodge on the banks of the River Gambia with Fleewinter. There’s endless wildlife but no WiFi and the stilted floating river lodges, reached by wooden walkways through mangroves, are particularly serene. Days are spent enjoying guided forest walks and river trips by canoe, evenings are spent dining under thatched cabanas and falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle beneath mosquito nets. Secure Mandina RIver Lodge from £1,500 pp for seven nights.
Avoid TikTok in Thailand
No need to go full White Lotus series 3 and lock phones away at Baba Ecolodge on car-free Koh Phra Thong, because there’s no WiFi. This back-to-nature resort, available to book through i-escapei-escape, is the antidote to Thailand’s high-density tourism, with 15kms of empty golden sand beaches, two- and three-bedroom simple wooden houses perfect for a family to relax in and a warm lagoon for snorkelling, swimming and kayaking. The best bit? You can stay in this unplugged paradise from just £81 per night. Book your holiday now.
Banish broadband in Botswana
There’s no choice but to abandon devices and soak up the atmosphere and beauty of the Okavango Delta with a stay at WiFi-free Splash Camp in Botswana’s Kwara Private Reserve. Bookable with Mahlatini, it’s an incredible experience for families (children must be aged 6+), with twelve tented rooms and a main camp area with pool, lounge and dining room. A dream for wildlife lovers of all ages, activities include night and day safaris with a chance to spot African wild dogs, lions and hippo, boat trips, guided walks and Kids’ Bushcraft Camp. Four nights from £12,100 for a family of four..
Away from it all in Andalucia
Take away temptation and book a week without WiFi at El Molino Del Pilon, a charming converted mill house in the Spanish countryside available through Vintage Travel.. Who needs to be online when there’s a swimming pool to splash around in and seventeen wild acres to roam, including woodland, streams and a large natural lake. And five bedrooms (including two guest casitas) mean you can invite up to ten guests, so why not make it a multi-gen getaway and get the grandparents off Wordle too? Seven nights rental costs from £1,298 for 6 guests, or from £1,598 for 7-10 guests.