There's a Digital Detox Summer Camp for Grown-Ups

By Katie J.M. Baker | May 24, 2013 | 9:40pm

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Do you find yourself refreshing and refreshing and refreshing your email/various social media feeds until you’re not even sure what you’re hoping to find other than an antidote for your sense of impending mortality? “Camp Grounded” might be just the place for you.

The urge to disconnect is certainly commendable (and relatable), but these digital detox getaways sound a little New Age meets Brogrammer, which sounds a little horrifying. From Travel Weekly:

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The first Camp Grounded will take place June 14 to 17 in Anderson Valley, Calif., at a former Boy Scouts camp. Some 250 campers have already signed up, and there is a wait list of more than 100 people, according to Felix. The cost is $340 per person, including open-air cabins with bunk beds (or participants can bring their own tents); all meals; and a host of low-tech workshops as well as old-fashioned activities such as archery, roasting marshmallows, hiking and sing-alongs.

and

Boutique yoga and wellness vacation company Via Yoga goes so far as to offer travelers a 15% discount off the package price if they are willing to give up their cellphones, tablets and laptops.

“We decided, let’s make it a challenge and incentivize some of our guests,” said Via Yoga owner Suzie Cavassa.

The company provides an emergency contact number that guests can give friends and family who might need to reach them, then confiscates their devices. The accommodations don’t have TVs or radios in the room. Cavassa said that only about 10% of guests take advantage of the digital detox program.

and

…hotels, too, are jumping on the trend, offering digital detox packages that enable guests to lock their devices in their safe and focus on disconnecting, relaxation and rejuvenation. The Westin Dublin, for example, has a digital detox package that includes a “detox survival kit,” complete with a Dublin walking map, a newspaper, a board game and a tree-planting kit to take home.

I dunno. Do we really need this much hand-holding? I’ve personally been working on keeping my phone in my purse during my two block walk to the subway in the morning. (Baby steps, right?) Maybe I should start humming Kumbaya, too.

[Travel Weekly]

Image via Jim Golden Studio, Ltd. Portland, OR