Resorts Push 'Digital Detox'

Guests offered discounts for surrendering gadgets
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 6, 2011 8:58 AM CDT
Resorts Push 'Digital Detox'
"Technology has freed us up in many ways, but there are unintended consequences," a psychiatrist says.   (Shutterstock)

Travelers who have trouble reaching for the "off" switch on their devices when they go on vacation are getting a helping hand from a growing number of resorts offering "digital detox" packages. Guests who surrender their smartphones and other devices upon checking in are rewarded with discounts and offered low-tech alternatives like books and board games, or gadget-free activities like hiking or meditation, reports the Wall Street Journal.

A recent survey found that almost 80% of travelers plan to stay connected during their next vacation. One exec says he decided to go cold turkey on vacation in the Bahamas after realizing that his 4-year-old daughter associated him with his iPhone. He promptly stowed his phone, Kindle, laptop, and BlackBerry in a hotel safe and left them there until the end of the vacation. "Had it not been for my children, I would have fallen off the wagon in a very short amount of time," he says. (More luxury travel stories.)

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