I was 24 hours into a two week adventure cruise to Greenland when I finally gave up trying to connect to the spotty Wi-Fi. My out-of-office reply was on, my editors knew I was away—but the idea of being fully disconnected set my teeth on edge. I’d known there would be limited connection sailing across the Denmark Strait with Hurtigruten, but I hadn’t prepared my mind for a complete digital blackout. It took me a few days to let go of my email and, admittedly, my Instagram. I was traveling with my son Vijay who, at 12 years old, didn’t yet own a cell phone; so the only digital addict in our duo was me.
Over the next two weeks—hiking through fields of blooming lupines; curling up in our cabin, lost in the quiet harmony of reading side by side; carving a small icebreaker through the breathtaking Ilulissat Icefjord—I discovered the transformative feeling of being free from the endless stream of notifications.
It should come as no surprise that we are all addicted to our screens; 2024 figures show the average person spends upwards of 40% of their waking hours on an internet-connected screen, which comes out to about 6.5 hours a day. Recent studies have found that excessive screen time may cause long term harm to our learning, memory, and mental health. Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year, “brain rot,” has sparked conversations about the impact of hyper-connectivity and the risk of burnout. The need to fully unplug has never been more urgent. Whether you’re making a personal resolution or a family goal to reduce screen dependency, off-grid locations offer a transformative way to reset and travel deeper.
“I think travelers are trying to remember a time, not that long ago, when there was greater attention paid to self-reflection, slowing down to take in your surroundings, and finding moments of quiet and stillness,” shares Kevin Jackson, co-founder of EXP Journeys, which offers bespoke luxury tented mobile camps in remote corners of Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Vermejo, and Escalante. The camps are designed for comfort, with king-sized beds, en-suite bathrooms, and chef-curated meals, yet deliberately lack Wi-Fi and cell service. “We are seeing more requests from travelers looking to disconnect completely,” reports Jackson. “In many cases, the driving force is coming from parents wanting their kids to be away from the distraction of screens.” EXP Journeys is responding to the demand in 2025 by creating three new off-grid camps in Paradise Valley, Moab, and Yosemite.
