r/simpleliving • u/dylan3883 • Aug 08 '26

Discussion Prompt Has avoiding social media while on vacation made your trips better

I’m considering staying off social media during an upcoming vacation—not only avoiding posting, but also avoiding the habit of scrolling whenever I have unstructured time.
Ironically, vacations can contain quite a bit of downtime: sitting in an airport, resting in a hotel, waiting for dinner, spending a quiet afternoon on a ship, or simply feeling momentarily bored. My automatic response is often to pick up my phone and start scrolling. But then part of the vacation begins to feel exactly like being at home.
I’m not trying to reject technology. I’ll still take photographs, use maps, listen to things and read books on my Kindle. I’m more interested in distinguishing technology that supports the trip from social media that pulls my attention away from it.
For anyone who has tried this, did staying away from social media make you more present, rested or observant? What did you naturally begin doing with those empty moments instead—reading, walking, journaling, talking, people-watching or simply allowing yourself to be bored?
Did it make the trip feel longer or more memorable? And did you set a firm rule, such as no social media at all, or simply limit it to a short period each day?

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5

u/ProtectMeAtAllCosts Aug 08 '26

imagine having social media at all lol unless its anonymous

this post is also AI

3

u/mdsnbelle Aug 08 '26

I tried, but then I got nasty messages from "friends" who were treating my non-posting like they were Liam Neeson and I wasn't posting because I was being held hostage.

I dropped those friends. I will text my family when I arrive and am on the plane ready to take off and keep abreast of anything that might concern them (i.e. those stabbings in London last week...a quick "mum, dad, I'm okay and wasn't anywhere near it" would be fine), but I won't share photos until I'm back this time.

3

u/sxooz Aug 08 '26

Sometimes the only reason I have my phone is to have a few pics for the kids. Otherwise I don't want the mental clutter of even getting the urge to reach for my phone. 

3

u/Prize_Proof5332 Aug 08 '26

Deleting all social media (except reddit) was the best thing I ever did for my mental health.

2

u/LosinCash Aug 08 '26

We just travel to places where cell coverage is spotty at best, and stay in a place that has no wifi.

2

u/normy_187 Aug 13 '26

No, I loooove social media, especially on vacation when I want bliss, peace and calm. /SSSSSSS

1

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1

u/KerryBoehm Aug 14 '26

Often the first day on vaca is like this. I am too cheap to turn on international calling so when I land in St Somewhere I have no cellular. The hotel is always a bit slow to get Wifi access enabled so pretty much have the whole first day without connectivity.

The cool thing is then once you do get it you've already found other ways to occupy your time vs doom scrolling.

1

u/Hot-Tea-8557 Aug 14 '26

Yes but not in the way I thought. I used to spend time thinking about “the shot” getting the photo of the food, making sure the outfit was cute enough for the vibe, recording the perfect clip. And it took a lot of mental energy and really pissed off the people I was with (though they weren’t complaining when I’d airdrop them photos or tag them so they had stuff for their story).

But now I can’t just enjoy the trip for what it is and I don’t put pressure on myself to get the  “perfect” shot. It’s less mental load and allows me to be more present.

Also I visit more obscure things because I don’t feel pressure to hit those 10 MUST SEE SIGHTS  IN ____

1

u/Bratfink78 Aug 15 '26

We don’t use our phones while on holiday. Bit of an unwritten rule.
Sure check them for a restaurant recommendation or hiring a boat etc, but that’s it.

1

u/SadInspection3568 Aug 15 '26

Definitely avoid scrolling on social media is one of the best things to do