Digital Detox Holiday

Time-out from “always-on”

Bremen, June 27 2019. A new trend is emerging among German holidaymakers: Digital Detox – the holiday without a smartphone and digital assistants. No mobile phone, no streaming your favourite shows, no digital pedometer on your wrist, and if that’s not enough for you, you don’t need electricity or running water. Instead, more and more holidaymakers are seeking the tranquillity of nature and relaxation.

What exactly entails a Digital Detox holiday depends of course on each individual person: turning off push notifications and mail forwarding on your mobile phone, turning on your mobile phone only at fixed times during the day or leaving it switched off completely – these are all first steps. Just as importantly: selecting a suitable holiday accommodation: “While satellite TV and a reliable WiFi connection are a basic requirement for most holidaymakers today, there is also a small, but growing group that is looking for exactly the opposite,” explains Nicolaj Armbrust, who, with his company Traum-Ferienwohnungen, has already been helping private landlords find holidaymakers for 18 years. “Our landlords are increasingly offering accommodations for digital switch-off, both on the coast and especially in the Alps,” says Armbrust.

With or without electricity and running water: offline in the mountains

The Alps in particular are ideal for real offline holidays. There are many places hidden between the high mountains far away from modern civilization. A retreat into nature is also especially easy here. In the midst of pristine nature, there are countless small and large mountain huts that offer pure relaxation and recreation. For example, the Gruber family “Fischerhütte” in the state of Salzburg. With its own small fishpond and a wonderful view, it promises anglers, hikers and also “people who want to get away from it all” a great holiday.

Even more spartan is a holiday in the “self-catering hut Potzalm” owned by Erich Höflechner. There’s no power or water here. A spring provides fresh drinking water, a tiled stove provides heat and cooking is done on a wood stove. As usual in alpine huts, there is an outhouse in front of the hut. “Anyone who comes here is looking for the luxury of pristine nature, clean mountain air and peace from everyday life – and that’s exactly what they’ll find here,” explains Erich Höflechner, who, like the Gruber family, offers his hut via the commission-free agent Traum-Ferienwohnungen.

Hiking in the mountains, swimming in the forest

Those who are wondering what one can do during such a holiday besides hiking will be surprised by the variety of possibilities nature has to offer: forest bathing, for example. In this trend from Japan known as “Shinrin yoku”, people spend a long time in natural forests and deliberately breathe in the forest air. It’s good for both body and soul. Even animal lovers as well as dog owners and their dogs appreciate the remoteness of the mountains. In summer, the cows graze around Erich Höflechter’s hut and dogs are happy to be able to romp around without a leash during the entire holiday. By the way: even friends and relatives at home are sure to be more pleased to receive a classic snail-mail postcard or letter than a short WhatsApp sent on holiday.