Offline getaways: places to turn off your phone and put your brain in airplane mode

"We live in a state of modern dissociation, as if we were physically present but mentally absent." The reflection of Julia Pascual, a health psychologist specializing in Brief Strategic Therapy, is devastating and gives a name to a collective feeling: hyperconnectivity is stealing our lives. According to Gabriela Paoli, general health psychologist, expert in technological addictions and author of the book Digital Health, a third of Spaniards look at their mobile phones more than 100 times a day, a habit that has direct effects on mental health. "The cost of hyperconnectivity is devastating and affects all our health plans," he says while drawing a precise map of the consequences: in the mental sphere, it generates anxiety and burnout; physically, it encourages a sedentary lifestyle and disrupts sleep; and on a social level, it causes isolation. "We are trapped in a black hole that absorbs our time and well-being," he says. The problem, Pascual warns, goes beyond screen time; it's a "deeply existential crisis of meaning." The mobile phone has become a refuge to avoid discomfort, an emotional crutch that anesthetizes us. "The more we use it as a refuge, the more we isolate ourselves from real life," he says.

Faced with this saturation, summer presents itself as a unique opportunity to take a break. resetBut it's a double-edged sword: it can be an oasis of disconnection or a source of stress due to the pressure to present a perfect vacation and suffer from FOMO. For those seeking the former, projects and accommodations have emerged that make digital silence their raison d'être, becoming necessary therapeutic allies and refuges where the only notification is the sound of the wind in the trees.

Places to practice a digital detox

One of the pioneering accommodation projects that promote digital disconnection is Unplugged CabinsBorn in the United Kingdom from the experience of burnout From its co-founder, Hector Hughes, the idea arose from a transformative experience. "I returned from a silent retreat in the Himalayas," Hughes recalls. "That retreat was the first time in years that I truly disconnected. It was a revelation. I had the opportunity to think and felt a deep calm wash over me." Their project has arrived in the Catalan Pyrenees, specifically in Ripollès, with two small, minimalist, and self-sufficient wooden cabins (in Ripoll and Camprodon, with a third on the way). The philosophy is straightforward: upon arrival, your phone is stored in a locked box for three days to experience what they call "the Three-Day Effect."

Hughes explains that this is the optimal time for a mental reboot, as the process isn't instantaneous. "It takes about a day for the mind to calm down," he explains, "so for the first day, people may feel even more anxious." It's the withdrawal symptoms of an overstimulated brain. "But then they start to feel a deep sense of calm. We created this experience—they already have 45 cabins in the UK—so people can reach that state and reap all its benefits, rather than rushing back to their busy lives."

Taking a different approach, in Navès (Solsonès), Monte Days offers a similar experience with five isolated tents. Their motto is #LessScreensMoreForest, but they don't enforce any restrictions: "We don't enforce disconnection or ask guests to leave their phones anywhere. There is coverage on the property, although it's quite remote," explain the Forest Days team. They trust that the powerful natural environment will work its magic and that the desire to check your phone will disappear naturally. They consider it a "more challenging, but more dignified" approach, relying on the guest's discretion to self-regulate, stimulated by the force of nature in its purest form. Each tent has a name that invokes a spirit of adventure: Jeanne Baret, Ernest Shackleton, or Robinson Crusoe. "These men and women are our heroes," they explain. The intention is for the stay to be an immersion "in a narrative of exploration and self-improvement."

The vision behind these projects is ambitious. As Hughes concludes: "We see the transformative effect the experience has on our guests. The goal is to reach 6,000 cabins in the next decade. If we achieve this, the impact should significantly change society for the better."

What happens in the brain when we turn off our cell phones?

The benefits of disconnecting are almost immediate. The first, according to Pascual, is "the recovery of internal time. A feeling of mental space, clarity, and calm appears that has often been lacking for a long time." But its effects go much further. Hughes cites a study led by David Strayer, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Utah, who, after three days in nature, recorded a 50% increase in participants' cognitive performance.

Gabriela Paoli details the neuropsychological process that explains this. First, the brain's reward system is regulated. "Each notification or like releases dopamine, which reinforces the habit," he explains. By disconnecting, the dopaminergic system calms down and the compulsion is reduced. Secondly, the attentional system, specifically the prefrontal cortex, which is constantly under overload, finally rests. This allows other brain networks linked to creativity and stress to be activated, as cortisol decreases, and circadian rhythms are normalized thanks to the reduction in exposure to blue light, which dramatically improves the quality of sleep. connected with oneself and with the environment.

How do we maintain it?

A short getaway can be a turning point, but the real challenge is maintaining that peace of mind upon your return. It's not about eliminating technology, but rather, as Pascual says, "giving it back its rightful place: a useful tool, but not omnipresent." To achieve this, Gabriela Paoli proposes a "digital hygiene" with concrete steps.

The first thing is to establish screen-free schedules and spaces, especially an hour before bedtime and during meals. Her "Disconnect BOXIt's a symbolic and powerful tool for this purpose: a simple box to leave your cell phones in, to "prioritize real communication, glances, gestures." Other key tips include disabling non-essential notifications to avoid constant hyperarousal and taking visual and mental micro-breaks every hour. Finally, it's essential to reinforce offline activities, starting from .

Júlia Pascual's conclusion is clear and hopeful: "Living in a controlled manner isn't about living with restrictions, but rather about regaining our center of gravity: letting technology be at our service, not the other way around. Limits, far from closing us off, give us freedom. And they allow us to reconnect with what truly matters."