I recently traveled to Switzerland to go to the sky-high wellness mecca Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne. As the funicular whisked me up the steep mountainside, breaks in the trees revealed spring-green hills and moody blue water thousands of feet below—but, tragically, I was missing it all because I was frantically trying to check a work-related email that wouldn’t load. Finally, I looked up in frustration and saw the surreal scenery passing me by. What was I even doing? Here I was in an alpine paradise, on my way to a wellness spa, and I was stressing myself out over something trivial that most definitely could wait. I switched my phone to do-not-disturb mode and kept it that way for the rest of the trip.
I’m hardly alone in feeling the stress of constant connectivity, especially when it comes to work and that slippery habit that conditions us to respond, Pavlovian-style, to every ding, buzz and vibration from all of our different devices. According to the 2026 NAMI-Ipsos Workplace Mental Health Poll, which surveyed adults employed full-time at companies with more than 100 employees, 53% reported suffering job burnout, while 39% said they felt so overwhelmed at work that it interfered with their ability to do their jobs.
With such unsettling levels of work-related stress, something has to give, and more and more people are embracing a new coping mechanism called “deadzoning.” While the term may sound scary, the travel trend is actually all about creating a healthy, total reset. I talked to three travel experts who understand the need for a digital unwinding, and came up with some ideas for the perfect deadzoning vacations.
Read on to find out exactly what deadzoning is and how incorporating it into your downtime—even after returning from vacation—could give you a major mental boost.
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The always-on vacation
How many times have you finally scheduled a much-needed vacation, but there’s some looming project, deadline or other type of workplace emergency hanging over your head (and your holiday)? Americans, it seems, live to work rather than the other way around. In fact, according to a recent Expedia Vacation Deprivation Report, we receive an average of just 12 vacation days per year, the fewest of any country surveyed. Even more striking, a 2025 FlexJobs survey of 3,000 U.S. workers found that 23% didn’t take even a single vacation day the previous year.
Why aren’t some workers taking advantage of their hard-earned time off? The FlexJobs report notes that 43% cited overwhelming workloads, while 30% said they were afraid of falling behind at the workplace. The sad end result is that when people do manage to carve out some downtime, the state of their vacations is anything but restful. They’re away but not truly away, still monitoring all those work emails, occasionally hopping on Slack for quick updates or even stepping away from dinner with loved ones to field work calls. Technology has made it so our vacations are no longer true escapes from life’s daily grind.
The deadzoning difference
Deadzoning means unplugging while on holiday by going off-grid or semi-off-grid in order to mentally disconnect from all those digital distractions, from work demands and texts to social media and doomscrolling. The goal is to intentionally remove yourself from the relentless cognitive demand that digital life creates.
“We’re seeing more guests of all ages take advantage of our remote location and truly unplug while they stay with us,” says Will Hensley, general manager of The Meadows on Rock Creek, a guest ranch with limited cell service set on 2,000 acres in western Montana. “In daily life, people feel overstimulated and constantly connected, and there’s something restorative about stepping away from the noise and notifications and settling into the rhythm of Montana.” Real-life connection happens through conversations around the fire or afternoons in the river or saddle. After all, Hensley jokes, “You can’t hold your phone when you’re fly-fishing or horseback riding!”
A recent study in the journal BMC Medical Education explored what happened when participants spent two weeks on refreshing digital detoxes such as these, cutting back on screen time and replacing it with more offline activities. The results showed a broad range of benefits that people could actually feel and researchers could measure, including lower stress and anxiety, better emotional balance, a greater sense of control and even healthier heart-rate variability and reduced inflammation.
Laura Coburn, director of serenity at Inns of Aurora—a property in New York’s Finger Lakes that has a strict no-phone policy in the spa and healing center—explains that “we are built to find balance, and the body/mind is constantly seeking equilibrium. [That] becomes especially clear when we give ourselves space to truly disconnect.”
How to deadzone on your next vacation
What deadzoning looks like can vary from person to person, and it really doesn’t have to mean disappearing completely. Whether you want to go fully unreachable or just keep your phone on airplane mode except during designated check-in times, the goal is ultimately the same: Intentionally create enough mental space to actually feel away.
Ahead are tips for building your own deadzoning plan.
Pick a destination that makes unplugging easier
Sometimes staying offline is a lot easier said than done, which is why environment matters so much. It’s far easier to disconnect when your surroundings encourage it. Remote destinations with limited or even nonexistent phone service or Wi-Fi access can naturally make it easier to create digital distance. I once took the Andean Explorer, a Belmond train, across Peru. There was no Wi-Fi available on this route through the rugged Andes, and I connected with my fellow passengers in a way we wouldn’t have if our phones worked as more than just cameras.
Decide how dead your deadzone really will be
Not every deadzone needs to be total isolation, though it certainly can be. For some travelers, deadzoning may simply mean not reading the news or temporarily deleting work apps for a week, while others may choose to use their phones only for maps, reservations or other travel tools.
Set expectations before you leave
People often struggle with deadzoning because they feel guilty about not being instantly available if someone needs them back home. When I switched my phone to airplane mode in Switzerland, I let my partner know that I’d be somewhat unreachable but would still check texts occasionally.
Before your trip, set boundaries by reminding co-workers, friends and family what your availability will actually look like. For example, tell colleagues you won’t be checking email at all, or let friends know that you will be taking a break from all social media and may not respond to DMs.
Make your phone harder to reach
People often don’t consciously decide to sit and scroll for hours, but it’s easy to do. Creating friction can help break the habit. Deleting social media apps before a trip and logging out of accounts like work email are simple ways to start. Switching your phone to grayscale can also make it less visually tempting.
You can even just leave the phone and all its enticements in your hotel room, opting to go analog with a real camera and good book instead. For those who really don’t trust themselves, there are also apps and devices that restrict phones after you hit a certain screen-time limit.
Keep one emergency lane open
Unfortunately, true emergencies can arise, so it’s worth planning what accessibility to you will look like ahead of time. Maybe you check texts and call family only at designated times. You also might carry a notification-free phone for safety and GPS, or share the hotel number and your itinerary with trusted loved ones.
Replace screen time with travel rituals
Deadzoning can get you out and about to explore your surroundings, giving your brain offline dopamine hits. Rather than scrolling, take a phone-free stroll without headphones, journal at a local cafe or spend an afternoon learning a new skill related to the location.
Don’t worry about documenting everything in real time
Part of the pleasure of travel is sharing your photos with everyone back home, but deadzoning is stepping away from the pressure to constantly narrate your trip on social media. Try waiting until after the vacation is over to post your highlights. Many times, removing the need to create personal content leads to a much deeper sense of immersion in the actual experience.
Change it up
There’s no such thing as deadzone perfection, so don’t be afraid to tweak your plan as you go, and experiment with what works best for you. Perhaps one phone-free afternoon is restorative enough, or maybe avoiding social media during the day or going the week without looking at work emails makes the biggest difference. Remember, ultimately the whole point of deadzoning on vacation is to reduce connectivity so you can really remember and experience what true rest actually feels like.
Destinations to disconnect
Properties are increasingly catering to those who want to digitally detox. At Castle Hot Springs in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, for example, cell service is minimal and Wi-Fi is available in just a few select areas. Still, says general manager Kevin Maguire, the property emphasizes mindfulness around connectivity: “Our Wi-Fi password, ‘RUsureUwant2,’ encourages guests to think consciously before signing in.”
From places that let travelers unplug in more controlled ways to Earth’s farthest disconnected corners, here are some destinations to inspire your next deadzone trip.
True off-grid deadzones
Some places really are deadzones. No phones, no Wi-Fi, no nothing—just immersive travel experiences that might make you forget your digital life altogether.
- Local Living Ecuador–Amazon Jungle: This experience takes travelers deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where they stay with an Indigenous community and have no access to Wi-Fi or cell service.
- Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp: Reachable by bush plane and set amid 4 million acres of protected landscape in Lake Clark National Park, this location prompts guests to swap doomscrolling for wild brown bear viewing and other outdoorsy activities.
- Nordenskiöld Lodge: Accessible only by boat, snowmobile or dogsled, the Arctic expedition outfit Basecamp Explorer’s four-guest-room lodge in Svalbard, Norway, is the northernmost commercial cabin in the world.
- Norrøna Canvas Telemark: Lodgers at this solar-powered yurt retreat in the Telemark highlands, Norway, forgo Wi-Fi and TVs for hiking and biking. Instead of digital distractions, there are only lakes, trails, saunas and bonfires.
- Kitirua Plains Lodge: This private conservancy bordering Amboseli National Park in Kenya is an idyllic off-grid safari experience, featuring stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, game drives and time spent with the local Maasai community.
Lock-away-your-phone deadzones
These places provide a middle ground. Travelers can stash their phones while visiting—without getting too far off the beaten trail.
- Six Senses La Sagesse: This resort in Grenada has a new Digital Detox Program, where guests place their devices in Yondr boxes during communal meals and use conversation cards to connect. Phone-free excursions, board games and storybooks complete the analog experience.
- Ecoventura: Inspired by HBO’s The White Lotus, these bespoke mega-yacht expeditions in the Galápagos Islands offer technology disconnection bags for travelers who want to focus on swimming with sea turtles and waddling alongside blue-footed boobies instead of the outside world.
- Le Barth Villas: Travelers to this destination on the island of St. Barts can seal electronics inside pouches, and Wi-Fi and TVs are disabled throughout the villas. The property even provides a concierge-only phone that’s not equipped with internet access or apps.
Deadzone-lite experiences
Keep your phones, but know that Wi-Fi and cell service are limited and analog activities are encouraged.
- The Point: Built for the Rockefellers in the 1930s, this 11-room hotel in Upper Saranac Lake, New York, limits Wi-Fi to guest rooms only, and cell service is minimal on the 75-acre property. Foraging, canoeing and a weekly black-tie evening encourage human connection.
- Paintrock Canyon Ranch by Ranchlands: The roughly 80,000-acre property at the base of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming is nearly devoid of cell service. Put away devices for expert-led workshops in roping, blacksmithing, painting and other hands-on experiences.
- Las Torres Patagonia: At this family-owned hotel in Chilean Patagonia, there’s limited Wi-Fi beyond the hotel doors. In exchange, you get sweeping landscapes of Torres del Paine National Park and hikes beneath the Las Torres and Los Cuernos Mountains.
- Tides to Pines by Casago: This vacation-rental property-management company in Maine has a property on Matinicus Isle, 22 miles offshore. With spotty cellphone service and few distractions, it’s a great place for a deadzone reset.
- Huttopia: Operating nine rustic destinations across the U.S. and Canada—including the Berkshires in Massachusetts; Paradise Springs in California; and Les Deux Lacs-Laurentides in Quebec—Huttopia’s properties do not have Wi-Fi outside the lodges and have limited cell service elsewhere.
- Civana Wellness Resort & Spa: This property in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is launching its Do Not Disturb initiative this summer, featuring offline communal conversation tables, social hours centered on in-person connection, intention-setting cards and a craft corner designed for screen-free downtime.
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About the experts
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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Will Hensley, general manager at The Meadows on Rock Creek; email interview, May 2026
- Laura Coburn, spa director and director of serenity at Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa in New York; email interview, May 2026
- Kevin Maguire, general manager at Castle Hot Springs; email interview, May 2026
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: “2026 NAMI-Ipsos Workplace Mental Health Poll”
- Expedia: “Expedia Report Finds Americans Win the Gold Medal for Taking Fewest Vacation Days in the World”
- BMC Medical Education: “From screens to serenity: evaluating the effects of digital detox on mental and psychological health”
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