A vacation isn't really a vacation if you're on your cell phone the whole time. But disconnecting takes some serious dedication, or at least a few stellar apps with offline capabilities.
Then again, the best way to ensure you'll stay disconnected is to make sure you go on a vacation where internet isn't even an option. Here are nine great places to go for a digital detox:
Cuba
A wealth of classic cars and communist propaganda aren’t the only aspects of Cuba that make visitors feel like they’ve stepped back in time. America’s favorite pseudo-forbidden fruit is an internet black hole.
Yes, Cuba’s connection to the information superhighway has been increasing over the course of the last year, but it’s still such a pain to use the internet that you’ll think really hard before logging on. That means more time for drinking daiquiris and smoking cigars.
National Parks
Photo courtesy of istock/sarkophoto
Celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial by pitching a tent under the stars. Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite are nice this time of year, but if you really want to get off the grid, consider visiting a park you've never heard of – like Lassen Volcanic or Congaree.
Adult summer camp
With events in rotating locations, Camp Grounded offers dozens of activities ranging from nostalgic to spiritual to completely ridiculous. Think slip n' sliding, meditation and "gaga." Whether you want to get in touch with your inner child or your inner hippie, Camp Grounded's got you covered. And yes, there's a talent show.
Just like camp when you were a kid, there are lots of rules: No digital technology, no networking, no talking about work, no clocks, no FOMO and no stealing underwear from the girls' dorm!
Detox safari
Brad Cohen — Photo courtesy of bradleydcohen.com
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be donnnne! And yet we're addicted to our cell phones. That's why Jacada Travel wants to take you back to a time when there was no room for technology in the Circle of Life.
Jacada's detox safaris in Tanzania, Botswana and Zambia are intentionally set in locations with no internet and little-to-no cell service. What the safaris lack in technology they make up for in, um, lion watching. So instead of watching cat videos on Youtube, you can make big cat videos in the Serengeti. You'll just have to wait until you get home to post them on Instagram. #hakunamatata #canyoufeelthelovetonight
Yoga retreat
Photo courtesy of The Yoga Forest
Neck sore from leaning over your computer all day? Time for you to align your body – and your chakras – with a week's worth (or month's worth) of headstands and downward dogs.
Of course, these days it's hard to find a yoga retreat without internet, so you'll have to really get off the grid. We recommend Yoga Forest in the western highlands of Guatemala, an all-inclusive retreat that includes food, lodging, yoga and epic views of Lake Atitlán and surrounding volcanoes. Seriously, check out that view in the photo above.
Surf camp
Photo courtesy of istock/Denis Moskvinov
There's no better way to make sure you stay off the internet than to exhaust yourself crushing waves all day. Well, besides staying somewhere that has no internet. Costeño Beach – an oceanfront coconut-farm-turned-ecolodge/surfcamp in Colombia – offers great waves, killer views and an internet connection so terrible you won't bother trying to use it.
Burning Man
Massive explosions? Check. Buses that have been converted into fire-breathing dragons? Check. A real-life Thunderdome? Check. You can find just about anything you want at this week-long social experiment in Nevada's Black Rock Desert – anything, that is, except for internet.
Black Rock City, the temporary home of Burning Man, has its own airport, its own mini version of New Orleans' French Quarter, and God-knows-how-many generators. But unless you're P. Diddy or one of the city's tech superelite, good luck finding Wi-Fi or a cell phone connection, which is all for the better.
How are you going to find serendipity when you're logged on all day?
Secret Beach
Private islands and secret beaches aren't only for celebrities. There are little slices of disconnected paradise all over the world. One of our favorites is Butterfly Valley. Set between two imposing cliff faces, Turkey's Butterfly Valley is a secluded stretch of sand that's accessible to anyone, as long as they're willing to take a boat.
This national preservation area was created to protect its endemic species of butterflies. It also happens to have high-quality scuba diving, gushing waterfalls, delicious food, a cliff-side bar and quite possibly the most beautiful beach in Turkey. What it doesn't have is internet (at least not internet the staff will let you use).
A resort without internet
Going off the grid doesn't have to mean slumming it. There are a crop of 5-star resorts offering packages to keep you off your devices. Take, for instance, the "One with Nature" package at Singular Patagonia, a 5-star hotel in the heart of the Andes and Torres del Paine National Park.
The hotel offers stunning views of Hope Sound and a spa that will make you forget your phone even existed. And if you really need to check your email, you can connect for a half hour before or after dinner – but shame on you!
Sleep on the side of a cliff
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Are you the kind of person who didn't pee in their pants just from watching the above video? Well, congratulations. Not only are you not the author of this article, but you might have what it takes to spend the night on the side of a cliff at Skylodge Adventure Suites in Peru's Sacred Valley.
While you're inside this transparent capsule, enjoying sweeping views of the valley below, the last thing on your mind will be your cell phone. Probably because you'll be busy trying to convince yourself that you're not about to fall to your crushing end.
