You generally think of members of the younger generations as being biologically fused to their smartphones, but some are accepting one company’s call to forego these devices for an entire trip.
FTLO Travel, a group travel company that caters specifically to solo travelers in their mid-20s and 30s is challenging young travelers to put themselves on airplane mode for a whole vacation, launching a unique series of "phone-free" international trips for 2024. The initiative aims to liberate participants from the grasp of their cell phones, enabling them to engage more meaningfully with their travel experiences.
Stating that 63 percent of Millennials wouldn’t mind returning to their analog roots, FTLO Travel points out the charms of the pre-digital era, when we had to rely on our intuition, locals’ recommendations and a sense of spontaneity to create memorable getaways filled with rich experiences.
“In today's digital age, we have become increasingly dependent on our smartphones, and it is negatively impacting our mental well-being and our ability to be present,” Tara Cappel, the company’s founder and CEO, said in a statement given to Travel + Leisure. “By removing this distraction, travelers can fully engage with the destination they’re visiting and build new relationships with like-minded trip mates.
Trip participants will be required to lock away their devices for the duration of these phone-free overseas escapes. Instead of using handheld GPS and other apps, they will rely on traditional methods, like maps for navigation, pocket dictionaries for translations and “good old-fashioned conversations for entertainment”.
PHOTO: Woman using social media from her phone. (Photo via iStock / Getty Images Plus / marchmeena29)
“With eliminating the reliance on smartphones, our goal is for travelers to have a more immersive and adventurous journey. I hope it encourages them to engage more deeply with both the people and the places they encounter—asking a local shopkeeper for directions, ordering an unfamiliar item from the menu, or simply making more eye contact,” Cappel said.
“It's the human interactions and sensory experiences that are the magic of travel. By being more present, I believe cell phone-free trips will foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture they are immersed in, which aligns with FTLO's fundamental mission,” she added.
These digital detox itineraries include journeys to such highly desirable destinations as Havana, Cuba (February 7 to 11); Costa Rica (April 10 to 13); Portugal (June 16 to 23); Tuscany and Rome, Italy (September 15 to 22); Iceland (November 6 to 10) and Oaxaca, Mexico (December 4 to 8).
Of course, if leaving your phone behind would practically require surgical separation, fear not— FTLO Travel still has a trip for you. The company offers an extensive range of options, with more than 250 trips worldwide, ranging from four to 11 days. It even recently introduced a trio of new itineraries for summer 2024: Amsterdam, London and Iceland.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
