How to disconnect from technology on holiday
We all know that we need a holiday to de-stress and recharge your battery. But a trip isn’t really relaxing unless you are able to get away from your day-to-day responsibilities and focus on where you are and who you are with. The question is, how do you get away from it all and truly disconnect from technology on holiday? Now with the conveniences of in-room Wi-Fi and global SIM cards, we can stay connected wherever we. So here are some tips to help you put down the smartphone, tablet and laptop and actually get away from it all:
Leave the gadgets at home
It’s going to be really tempting to bring your iPad or laptop along with you. What better way is there to pass the time than to watch the latest movie, or catch up on a series you’ve fallen behind on? Don’t use this excuse to tote the extra weight around. Instead, try bringing a physical book with you. You may just find that you miss the feel of holding a real book over the feeling of a tablet. Plus the battery will never die on a physical book.
Forget about social media
Another tempting option is to spend your downtime constantly refreshing your feed and following what your friends are doing at home. Resist that urge—it can wait. You are on holiday and you are surrounded by tons of sights that you’ve never set eyes on before. Instead of wasting your time with your face in front of a screen, get out of the hotel room, put the phone down and experience the trip.
Unlink work email from your phone
As soon as you leave the office on holiday, go to your phone’s settings and disconnect the email service. Also, remember to set an out-of-office reminder for anyone who emails you with the proper contact information of your stand-in. This way, you won’t constantly be checking your email for things you are missing, things you want to stay in the loop about and all the other things that can wait until you are physically back from your holiday.
Whenever you catch a bar of internet service you can breathe easy and know your phone won’t start pinging and alerting to your new messages. You can close your eyes and work on your tan instead. Your job and its responsibilities will still be there for you when you return, but the beach won’t be.
Pick a time of the day to check in, if you really need it
If you can’t bear the thought of going an entire day without getting online at some point, then set rules for yourself to follow. Figure out what time of the day you will check email and all your social platforms and how long you will have to spend on them. Then tell your travel companions so they can keep you in the present and offline when you need it. Use your time away from work to get away from technology, too.
If your life revolves around checking your notifications and seeing if that email your friend said she’d send has come in, it’s time to take a break from work and from technology. Gets hands-on with your holiday, leave the gadgets at home and be sure to purchase online travel insurance from Cover-More New Zealand.