With wildlife, mountains, lakes, and breathtaking views, Alaska is known as the great outdoors. So, it makes sense that there would be peace, reflection, and mindfulness meditation found there.
The Alaska Stillpoint Lodge, Halibut Cove, near Homer, offers wellness retreats that focus on guided reflection and rejuvenation to nurture your soul. Wellness retreats are available in three, four, and five-day packages that include wilderness hikes, feasting on local, organic cuisine, silent meditation spaces, and yoga. Plus, you can participate in in guided kayak tours, boating, guided meditation, massage, mindfulness classes, and journaling.
You also have the option to ditch the technology and make this retreat a digital detox. Request limited or no access to phone, TV, and Wi-Fi in your meditation cabin, and you will really experience the true meaning of a silent meditation.
Because of the harsh Alaska winters, meditation retreats are only available from May through September.
11 Vacations Where You Can Disconnect And Change Your Life
By Laura Begley Bloom
Transformative Travel: I look at how travel can change lives.
It's no secret that people are addicted to their digital devices. According toPew Research Center, as smartphones and other mobile devices have become more widespread, 26% of American adults now report that they go online “almost constantly,” up from 21% in 2015. And a report published by the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg says the average American spends a whopping 23.6 hours online each week.
In response, a number of travel companies are trying to help guests reclaim their lives outside of their devices by offering innovative ways to escape the digital rat race.
"Ironically, as connected as we are in the social media age, we are completely disconnected," says travel guru Jack Ezon, managing partner at Embark, a new luxury lifestyle and travel planning business that he's about to launch.
Ezon calls this one of the big trends of 2018 in his annual trend report, pointing out that travel presents an opportunity for people to put their fast-paced “connected” world behind them and build true, deep connections that you just can’t get from a Facebook feed or Instagram Live videos. Ezon says there's a new yearning for disconnecting, including "a desire for road trips and trips that offer a real connection to the land."
The travel agency Protravel International also says that disconnecting is one of the five emerging trends in luxury travel. “I’m seeing more and more clients looking to travel to disconnect from technology and the news cycle," says Marvelys Capote, an agent with Protravel International New York.
Recently, Capote sent four women to Holbox Island in Mexico, so that they could "get off the grid and connect with nature."Holbox is a remote island two hours northwest of Cancun with limited Wi-Fi. "My clients stayed at CasaSandra, a boutique hotel without televisions, went bird-watching, fishing, swimming with whale sharks, ate great seafood and came back rejuvenated.”
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has done research into the topic of reconnecting by disconnecting, too. According to a 2017 report, physical and mental health are key motivators for travelers seeking adventure travel experiences — and, according to the ATTA, travelers are increasingly prioritizing this when making travel-related decisions by seeking out wellness trips, as well as opportunities to unplug.
"Almost everyone I know knows someone who is on a device too much," says Casey Hanisko, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. "People are craving the idea of reconnecting. Remarkably, adventure experiences can awaken something in us all and remind us that making memories doesn't always happen with a phone in your hand."
Looking to take your own digital detox? From charming cottages to wellness retreats to urban getaways, here are 10 ways to unplug on your next vacation.
