Digital Detox: Ditch your devices on your motorhome or campervan holiday

In the modern era much of our lives are lived online or spent doing other things which involve using our digital devices. In a world where we’re constantly connected via our phones, tablets and laptops, taking a break from the digital sphere is challenging. Emails, social media notifications, news alerts and the potential for work contact are the things that most often tether us to our devices – even when we’re supposed to be on holiday. This can’t be good, can it? Indeed, it’s well known that online social media habits can have a significant impact on mental health and, also, recent studies show that the ‘always on’ work culture is seriously damaging public health.

What if you could really break free, go sort of off grid and get away ‘properly’? A motorhome or campervan holiday is the perfect opportunity to literally switch off from the outside world. Fully commit to the non-digital for the duration of your break, leave all your daily stresses, pressures and obligations behind and truly connect with nature, your surroundings and the people you’re travelling with.

While taking a campervan or motorhome holiday without tech might sound quite scary at first, the benefits will become clear quite quickly. A digital detox helps to reduce anxiety and stress, improves sleep and encourages a sense of being present. It allows you to reconnect with nature, deepen relationships and fully enjoy your surroundings without distraction. Most importantly, it provides your brain, that delicate organ, with a much-needed break from constant waking-hours information overload.

In this edition of our blog, we present our top tips on how to ditch your devices and embark on a full digital detox.

Before you even set off on your campervan or motorhome holiday, make the decision to do a digital detox. Let your friends, family and work colleagues know that you’ll be non-contactable while you’re away and that you will therefore not be responding to anything. This will help you with negating pressure to check your messages or emails as, because you stated your boundaries, people will be less inclined to contact you and you’ll reduce your own temptation to go online or check messaging services. A clear-cut decision to be ‘off grid’ can set the whole tone for your trip and will help you ‘live in the moment’, as the saying goes, and embrace the freedom of it.

However drastic this step might seem, it’s also incredibly liberating. Leaving your smartphone at home is one way to go, though locking it away in a drawer in your vehicle might be more realistic, if you can resist the temptation to unlock that drawer and check it. You could even consider investing in a ‘dumb phone’ in case of emergencies – ie. a very basic mobile that can only make and receive calls and send or receive texts. Without constant social media, messaging and email notifications will remove the habitual urge to scroll. Over the course of your holiday, you’ll recognise how much ‘additional’ time you’ve gained.

Reaching all those fantastic destinations on a motorhome or campervan holiday requires navigation of some kind. While we’ve all become accustomed to relying on apps (such as AA Routefinder or Google Maps), going old school and using a paper map can be a fun and practical alternative. Not only will it provide a degree of physical exercise (unfolding to a huge size – good for stretching; tracing routes with your finger – good for dexterity) it will also provide some mental challenges for you to solve (“Hang on, shouldn’t we have turned left at that junction three miles ago to get to Egremont?” and “Where the hell is Budleigh Salterton?”).

In all seriousness, not only does using a paper map keep you from relying on a digital screen, but it also allows you to experience a sense of discovery and adventure. Getting lost and finding your way using old-fashioned methods encourages problem-solving and ensures a deeper, much more memorable, connection to your journey. You will notice landmarks and your surroundings in a way that’s often lost when you’re fixated on a ‘sat nav’ app on your phone.

When selecting campsites along your route or at your destination, choose stops that offer minimal or no internet access. Many of the more rural sites have very limited connectivity due to their remote location, which means these are the ideal spots for a digital detox. You’ll be less tempted to reconnect if there’s no Wi-Fi available. Instead of surfing the ‘net, you could find yourself walking in nature, playing family sports, animal spotting, gazing at the stars or simply enjoying doing absolutely nothing (without that mindless digital scrolling accompaniment). Staying on an unconnected campsite provides you with the perfect opportunity to savour a quiet and slower pace of holiday living.

Keeping a journal is always a great way to record your experiences, express your thoughts and process your feelings. By documenting your days, your interactions with nature and your other experiences throughout your trip, you cultivate creativity and mindfulness. A journal is a healthy outlet, allowing you to privately appreciate your good fortune in experiencing holiday moments without turning them into something to share them on social media, helping you feel more present throughout your trip.

Leave your Kindle at home (and, of course, because your phone is also out of bounds then your audiobook app is too). Enjoy the tactile and intellectual pleasures of interacting with a physical book. It’s a much more immersive experience without the distractions of push notifications, news alerts or messages. When you’re not multitasking on your digital devices and flicking between apps, you can totally escape into another world, another life, another experience. Venture off to distant planets, fall in love with a Viking, stop a load of bad guys hijacking an aircraft…

A digital detox holiday is a chance to rediscover fun offline activities that you’ve often overlooked. Going for hikes, playing board games, riding off on cycling trips, playing swingball, trying your hand at fishing or birdwatching… Motorhome and campervan trips are perfect for engaging with the outdoors, and being physically active to some degree will make your break from screens even more rewarding. You’ll create lasting real world memories.

You bought your vehicle from Lowdhams, set off on a digital-free trip and now you’re home. At the end of your time away, just take a moment to reflect on how your digital detox affected your experience. Doing this will help you recognise the worth of going offline, and it may even inspire you to make the effort to include similar habits in your daily life.