The Best Digital Detox Destinations to Help You Unplug
Digital technology? Couldn’t live without it. But wouldn’t it also be nice to just get right away from it, just for a little while? Tune out from all the replying, liking, sharing, and scrolling of the digitised modern lifestyle, and sync back into some pure, unbridled nature. It’s nice to know there are places where WiFi doesn’t matter. Sandy beaches are way prettier in real life than on Instagram. Cities full of history and culture to explore. Wildlife getaways way off the grid. So avert your gaze from your screen (after you read this), and start plotting your next digital detox.
Luang Prabang, Laos
Misty mountains, a legendary river, an ancient city Luang Prabang sounds like a fictional place, but the old capital of Laos is no myth. As untouched by big-city pressures as you can imagine any capital past or present, it’s a top contender for a digital detox.
Ways to spend your time without a trace of tech: river cruises along the Mekong; watching monks on their dawn rounds, collecting alms; supporting local artists with a visit to Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre; exploring caves and waterfalls; and climbing the sacred Mount Phousi.
Quy Nhon, Vietnam
If it’s beach days that help you tune out the noise, consider Quy Nhon top-tier therapy. Carefree days of swimming and leisurely beachcombing coupled with fresh air and amazing seafood will help you effortlessly reset. There’s more than beaches to Quy Nhon, too. The nearby Cham ruins give you a day immersed in local history, then there’s golfing, fishing, or cycling to make the most of all that coastal air. Or take the old-fashioned approach to detox and sweat it out with a Vo Binh Dinh martial arts class.
Victoria Falls, Zambia
You don’t have to go to extremes to escape technology, but if you did, Victoria Falls is a good place to go. Nature here is truly wild. There are the world’s largest falls, measuring a cool 1.7 kilometres in width. The Zambezi River, for all your white-water rapids-rafting needs (FYI: not phone-friendly). Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, the exclusive Zambian home to white rhinos, plus giraffes, zebras, hippos, and more. Then there are the more relaxing screen-free diversions of traditional village visits and romantic dinner cruises.
Koh Samui, Thailand
If there’s any place a digital detox seems fitting, it’s a tropical island. Down in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui fits that bill with long, sandy beaches and calm, transparent waters. It is literally a tropical island cliché. Swim, kayak or sail offshore, cycle or hike (or golf) through its hilly interior, or take a longtail boat to the ridiculously beautiful Ang Thong National Marine Park.
While Koh Samui gives you all the nature you need to stay blissfully unplugged, it’s no deserted isle. Along its northern beaches, you’ll find waterfront restaurants and bars where you can enjoy a fancy wine or a fresh seafood platter in the most cosmopolitan of company.