Your Digital Detox Awaits

Thank you for your attention. There are near-constant demands on it, from the people who really deserve it and from the people inside our phones. Just by reading this far, you’re graciously giving me some of that hard-won attention you’ve kept for yourself.

Estimates indicate that the average person spends a little more than 30 seconds reading an article online before moving on to something else, so I’ll get straight to the point. Your attention, like your time, is a precious and nonrenewable resource. We don’t get those moments back.

What we can do is make the most of them. That can be accomplished over a long weekend spent going Miraval Mode, practicing digital mindfulness at one of Miraval’s properties in Tucson, Austin or the Berkshires or taking part in Mandarin Oriental’s Silent Night digital detox program. Don’t worry, your phone will get a nice tuck-in in its own sleeping bag, and you’ll come back home refreshed and with some new strategies to keep the mindfulness journey going.

When venturing farther afield with the whole family, some destinations make it easy to unplug. A cruise along Alaska’s Inside Passage can take you just far away enough from a wi-fi signal and up close and personal with majestic wildlife in stunning landscapes. At Costa Rican eco-resorts like Nayara Springs, guests can store their electronics in resort safes and spend their time on nature walks, receiving their notifications from hundreds of birds they can’t see anywhere else. While many safari camps now offer state-of-the-art satellite internet, there’s ample opportunity for a digital break. You can still post videos from your game drives when you get back. In the meantime, you can spend those moments connecting with the place and the people most important to you. 

That’s well worth your attention and will yield memories you can replay in your mind over and over. Those are the experiences that last a lifetime, no disappearing after 24 hours.