'Digital detox': Hotels help gadget junkies go cold turkey

[seabeyond]

With the advent of smartphones we've become used to being constantly connected, even when we're on the road or on vacation. But now a growing number of hotels are adding "digital detox" packages to their roster of offerings.

Detox packages are nothing new. For decades, hotels and vacation retreats have enticed guests to "clean out," often with the help of a specialized diet plan and fitness regimens (with a massage thrown in for good measure). These days, the concept is being pushed to help us disconnect from technology. The World Travel Market Global Trends Report even listed digital detox as one of the next big trends to hit the hospitality industry in the coming year.

The push has come on the heels of increasing reports of travelers' inability to "unplug." A recent Google survey found that in the United States, 80% of smartphone users almost never leave their home without their device, while a TripAdvisor survey found nearly half of mobile owners use their phone to augment their vacation (e.g. taking travel photos, researching restaurants, and so on).

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Henning says the same is true at the Westin. While guests from as far afield as Belgium, France, Poland and South Korea have called and expressed interest in the package, none have yet booked it.

He says: "We have found that guests are intrigued by the idea of detoxing from their electronic devices, but are not quite willing to make the commitment to a full digital detox."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/29/travel/digital-detox/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

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monday the net went down. i tried plugging and unplugging, didnt work. i found my phone went down. i grabbed my phone and internet wouldnt come up. i called hubby and call went to message. text him and asked if the world came to an end, and i didnt know it.

he text back... lol. he is such a gabber. wont stop talking.

i text him back and asked, "how do i know it is you lol'ing?"

i had a huge void. until it all came back. near panic.

so, anyone else? lol

went to mountains for thanksgiving and kept grabbing son and driving to the big red barn that had wifi.