Why you should take a digital detox on holiday, according to study

This study trials a 'digital detox' while travelling. Academic Lena Waizenegger explains the details of the practice.

The temptation to snap a picture around every new corner when you’re navigating an unfamiliar part of the world can be overwhelming. There’s also the nagging desire to make the most of your chosen destination in the brief time you’re there, which can lead to endless scrolling of sights to see, restaurants to visit or museums to stroll – potentially landing you with an itinerary longer than your stay.

Smart devices and the social internet have granted a higher level of accessibility to cameras, destination guides and casual inspiration for many travellers. A single phone can seemingly substitute for maps, information centres, local guides and a holiday photo album, with all the relevant (and irrelevant) information accessible or easily shared through a few quick finger taps.

Lena Waizenegger, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems at AUT, says that this accessibility makes our phones into a convenient “travel assistant,” which we can be resistant to stepping away from when we’re navigating around our holiday destinations.

This dynamic spiked the lecturer’s interest in what a so-called ‘digital detox’ might look like while travelling. Looking to test out what a device-free holiday might look like, Waizenegger joined other academics in a study that saw 24 people give up their smartphones across 17 different countries “for at least one or two days”.

Generally, the study participants noted nervousness and anxiety before their experiment started, and throughout the first few hours and days without their devices. Waizenegger pointed to some of the existing dynamics in their social environments as part of the cause.

“Before their holiday, a lot of them were quite nervous and anxious to disconnect from their professional and private environments... nowadays [both] environments expect us to be available any time or anywhere we go.”

Waizenegger notes that the initial disconnect “was quite a shock” to some of the travellers, leading them to realise “how dependent they were on their phones”.

The initial difficulties came with finding their accommodation, new sites to visit, connecting with family and friends and finding their next available hostel or hotel. However, the academics found that these anxieties largely lessened over the course of their trips.

Eventually, some of the travellers became more confident navigating while phone-less, approaching locals or other tourists for directions, spending more quality time with each other and engaging more deeply with the places and people within their destinations.

“They realised that they get to know locals and hear about their stories and cultures... but also had so much more rich experience between them.”

Waizenegger explains while, of course, these experiences happen even when travellers have their devices, the ‘detox’ seemingly “forced” them into more social circumstances.

The lecturer recalls an experience that one pair of travellers had after getting lost on their way to a popular tourist destination, and being taken under the wing by locals. They were given a really intimate guide through a smaller, less ‘on-the-map’ space and had a really candid conversation about the country, the tourist destinations and politics.

“Because they got lost, because they didn’t rely on technology, because they were open to the locals, they had such an experience of kindness and openness, and they said they’d never forget about it.

However, the disconnect wasn’t always without issue for the participating travellers.

“The biggest challenge was not being able to let their family and friends that they were safe... That really played on their minds, the fear of their family and friends not being able to contact them.”

Waizenegger also describes a few situations where travellers utilised their phones as safety devices, in order to navigate through space more confidently and with reassurance.

The academic acknowledges that, in some cases, the phone has been crucial for travel and offers many opportunities. What Waizenegger is interested in is the way that limiting the use of digital devices might affect levels of connection and immersion during time away.

For travellers who might be interested in testing out a device-free holiday, Waizenegger asserts that “preparation is key.”

Printing out maps, documents for accommodation and booked activities should allow travellers to avoid getting stuck when they’re on the go. Informing loved ones of the decision to switch off can also alleviate any social anxieties. Keeping phones close, in bags or pockets, also gives you the option to reach for the helpful devices, if you do feel you’re in a tricky situation.

While switching off might seem like an intimidating prospect, Waizenegger suggests there are some exciting opportunities that might come from the change. Of course, there’s the compromise travellers will want to find themselves, perhaps engineering their phones to be more travel-friendly or taking moments of pause rather than the full switch off. They are techniques that digital nomads might want to pick up too, finding some separation from their work life.

Waizenegger suggests thinking about the techniques within more of a spectrum too.

“You don’t have to go cold turkey, but [could] embed it in your everyday life... In general, I think it’s more important to have a balanced approach in your day-to-day life.”