So you are looking to try a screen-free family vacation? In today’s tech-driven world, kids and adults spend our days looking at screens. And it often leads us wishing for the simplicity of the summer days of our childhoods-spending our days outside, running free, not a screen in sight! Spending days unplugged from technology and fully engaged in exploration together!
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But the reality of going screen-free can be a little more complicated. Adults may need to keep in touch with work, or family members. Kids may enjoy a daily video game with friends, or watching a show as a part of their daily routine. Screens have a way of sneaking into our leisure time.
Going screen-free, or at least dramatically reducing screen time, for everyone in your family is possible. And we’re excited to tell you what we’ve learned reducing screens on vacation. And how you and your family can finally unplug and live in the moment, fully enjoying your family vacation time together!
Benefits
My experience with screen-free vacationing happened sort of by accident. We took a family vacation in Oregon, which wound up being one of my most relaxing vacations, and the one where I felt happiest and most connected with my family. I realized that we’d barely been able to use screens- our phones didn’t work at the beach, and the internet was spotty at best at the rental house. As a result, we all just accepted the fact that screens weren’t available.
And when we weren’t constantly distracted by checking email, doom scrolling, or games, we could actually be fully present with each other. When I wasn’t constantly distracted by my phone, I could listen to my kids’ sometimes looooong stories without annoyance. I could more easily join into play with them. The kids weren’t counting down the minutes until they could use screens. We were all living in the moment, and taking everything in together. We all felt calmer, happier, and more connected.
After the first trip, we’ve learned that cutting out, or at least massively decreasing our screen time, we can make every vacation that much more fun! And you can too!
Kalaloch Lodge in Washington is a great place to take a screen-free vacation! There are tons of things to do outside making it easy to forget about screens!
Planning
Coming up with a plan ahead of time will help your screen-free vacation go much more smoothly. The first step of your planning process should be asking yourself if the trip you have planned is really suitable for screen-free. For example, phones are basically required while at Disneyland. In Tokyo, screens were super helpful train entertainment and required for helping us get around- so again, not a great place for a screen-free vacation. But camping in the mountains, or a beach trip can be great screen-free family vacations!
Discuss Your Intentions
Setting expectations ahead of time with your family will help everyone mentally prepare for cutting out screens. And it’ll allow you to communicate this intention to anyone else who might need to know. For example- let family members know you won’t be carrying your phone with, or work know you aren’t available or are only available during certain hours. Kids may want to let friends know if they won’t be online at their normal time or won’t be able to text back.
Determine if you are going 100% Screen free or reduced screens
Figure out ahead of time what you are committing too. The parents and the kids might have different rules, and that’s ok. But you’ll want to communicate what the plan is and why.
Bring Alternative Entertainment
Make sure you bring things to do, especially for downtime, that can help replace screens. Books, art supplies, board games, card games, and puzzles are all great options.
The Phone for Pictures Issue
One problem I always have when trying to reduce my screen time is that I want to bring my phone for taking pictures. But of course, if I have my phone, I’ll find my self wanting to just check email really quick or just accidentally, absentmindedly checking social media.
So what do you do to stop this? There are a few options
- Set up screen time limits, or limit certain apps using your phone’s built in limits
- Use an app like Freedom For Android or iOS that can be set up to block any distracting apps
- Just turn your phone on airplane mode.
- Use a regular old digital camera like this one or go with something like a GoPro for great videos and still shots
Screen-free Strategies
In our tech-addicted world, taking time away from screens can be a huge adjustment, and a struggle for kids and parents alike. But, for us, it’s worth breaking free and spending some time living in the moment, untethered from our devices. We have a few tried-and-true strategies to help making a screen-free or reduced screen family vacation a reality for you.
Going screen-free means more time for things like board games! We love this one- King of Tokyo– to play with kids
Set the Limits Ahead of Time
Come with with a plan for screen time rules and limits before you begin your vacation. If you are going completely screen-free, make sure you have discussed this with your family ahead of time. If you are just reducing screentime, have a firm limit on what you are allowing. Will there be limits on which apps are allowed? Will screens be allowed only at certain times of day? How many minutes every day? Can the screen time be used in multiple sessions or one, longer session? Work out all these key limits before your family vacation begins.
Plan some fun activities
It’s easy to go screen-free when you are out having fun. So plan some fun activities to spend your days without screens. This doesn’t have to be anything major. It can be bringing some toys down to the beach, or doing a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood. But if your days are busy, there may not be any time for screens!
Give Each Other Downtime
Because we often use screens in our downtime, it can be tempting to just keep going forever with NO downtime to fill. But the reality is that we all need downtime even if our downtime looks a little different than normal. Make sure you consider what each member of your family needs in their downtime. Maybe its a quiet time to kind of zone out, or maybe it’s just something to do when their body is too tired to run and play. My family loves a little quiet time for reading, or doing an activity book or a puzzle.
Looking for some great screen-free toys for kids? We’ve got tons of great tried and true options here.
Hold Each Other Accountable
When kids are little, its easy enough to simply not hand them a screen. Then they are screen free! But the magic comes when you get your older kids, and yourself- the parents off of your screens as well. That means that everyone, especially us adults who don’t normally have screen time limits, is fully present in the moment. So help each other. Have everyone in the family hold everyone else accountable. Let the kids tell the adults to stay off of their phones for once!
One Phone for the Group?
It’s the norm for everyone to be instantly available. If you can’t reach someone, that is usually cause for concern. Quell friends’ and family’s fears by just letting them know you won’t be available. Or have one person (the person who will be the least tempted to actually use their phone) commit to bringing their phone along with them. Then you can always call for help, if there is an emergency. And friends and family can always call you, if they really need you.
We love doing this Together Time puzzles– they have smaller pieces for adults, and larger pieces for younger kids so everyone can work on the same puzzle together.
Reflect
Having a hard time disconnecting? Take a moment to really think about why that is. Are you actually missing something you need to see or are just used to constantly checking in? If your kids are the ones struggling, ask them to reflect as well. Even young kids can at least begin to understand the impact technology is having on them, and are often capable of reflecting on how they are feeling without it.
Take the Leap!
Taking a screen-free family vacation can be a big adjustment. But it can completely transform your vacation, making it a more relaxing, regenerating time. My family discovered that we return from screen-free vacations feeling more connected, less frustrated, and overall, revitalized. And while not every vacation can be a screen-free vacation, we will make sure we save space in our calendar for some amazing low-tech trips!