When we went to Europe this summer as a family, there was one thing I felt very strongly about: no media would come on vacation. I needed badly to take a media time out, and a month long trip abroad was a perfect time to do it.
I didn’t go completely cold turkey. There are components of my business that require me to have at least some means of periodic communication with my employers and employees, so it didn’t make sense not to check in at all.
Instead I took my tiny laptop to check email periodically, and Viktor had a cell phone, only to make local calls to family in Europe. I brought my Nook, jammed full of books for the entire family, and that was it.
No other media was invited to come on our family adventure.
In addition to needing to have some space away from everything electronic, I didn’t want anything at all to hijack a vacation we’d scrimped and saved for over the last 13 years. I didn’t want any unnecessary distractions.
I wanted to be able to enjoy Europe and be 100% present for every moment away.
I expected to be twitching by the time the wheels were up on the first leg of travel, but instead I was excited and aware, an active participant in everything happening around me.
Once we arrived in Warsaw we fell into a little routine. I wrote in a little leather journal, my kids did the same. We played dominoes, walked to the park, walked downtown for dinner, walked to the market for groceries, explored the city, made up games, and most of all, we talked. I spent more time getting to know my kids over the course of a month than I have in years. I wasn’t distracted by phone calls, emails, twitter, or Facebook; I was completely present the entire time.
There wasn’t a moment of travel I wished I’d had my iPhone. Not one.
Taking a breather from media allowed me to have precious time with my family, to get back to the roots of my happiness. It made me want to toss anything with a plug the second we came home.
It didn’t last, of course. After about a week home I finally had to start answering my phone; grudgingly. But what I learned from the time away was how little I really do need to be plugged in, how much more time I need {and want} to spend being aware of my surroundings, my children, my family and friends.
So my question for you is: can you do it? Take even a week away from media? If you can’t, why not? If you can, will you? It’s the best break I’ve had in years. YEARS.
— Hallmark sponsored this post. I’m partnering with Hallmark to shine a light to the Life Is A Special Occasion blogger campaign for the rest of this year. All opinions and stories are my own, of course.
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Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
Wow, that’s commendable. And nope, couldn’t do it.
Just got back from 2 weeks in Europe. And while I was uninterested in any TV or movies, and the kids didn’t play any iPhone game, Twitter was checked and email went answered. Hey, it’s a start.
Love the photos! I can tell your son is thrilled about the lack of TV, heh.
This has actually been on my mind a lot–the need to take a break from media.
You just inspired me to try it for a bit.
I don’t feel the need to take a week-long or month-long break from media but I try to stay off my computer when I’m at home unless I have something meaningful to do. I’ve found that I can waste hours of my time online and then all of a sudden the day is over and I’ve accomplished nothing! I love not getting on the computer after I’ve gotten home from work, it’s a wonderful break for me. The kids would probably die if I even suggested this to them!
I love this. My husband and I are headed to France next month for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately he’s working in Eastern Europe first and will need to lug along his laptop. He’s already asking me about free wi-fi in the (budget) hotel rooms we will be staying in, but I just want to throw our phones and the laptop out of the first window we see. :)
Good news is I won the GPS v. map war— instead of having to listen to a French woman tell me where to go (my husband’s choice), I just purchased the Michelin France Atlas and am thrilled to explore it before we go. Score one for low-tech.
It’s so true that these days we all just need to unplug. Glad you did that for your family!
YES. We had two weeks last month with no cell service and no computers. It was absolute bliss. I waited as long as possible before turning my cell phone back on when we returned. My friends were quite annoyed with me for waiting so long. But once we’re back in all-access land, I’m back into my old habits. I don’t think I could stay away from the computer/cell phone if they were working and within reach. So sad.
I have taken a full month away from media a few times. It is REFRESHING.
Ahh yes, I spilled water on my Blackberry last week and didn’t have texting/mobile internet for about a week (takes a little bit to ship a battery to rural Appalachia!) Not gonna lie, pretty excited to once again hear those “dings” of friends with funny/witty texts. And catching up on blogs/blogging/twitter. I sound a tad obsessed. Hmm…maybe I should’ve left that old battery in a bowl of dry rice a little longer….
Ooh. I’ve done it unintentionally but never on purpose. Not even a non-smart phone? I think I could. Maybe?
We went to the mountains this summer for 10 days and our cabin sits at 8,000ft in the middle of nowhere – so NO cell phone, no laptop and no smartphone internet. It was pure heaven! We all really enjoyed each other’s company – it was so nice not seeing my kids with their heads down and thumbs poised! Congrats to you – so glad you enjoyed your trip!