Imagine that after surviving a long flight, you finally arrive at your hotel and everything is set for a relaxing family holiday. Before you know it, the friendly receptionist hands you a room key along with details for the Wi-Fi access.
After 5 minutes you can’t resist but to pull out your smartphone, begin typing in the Wi-Fi username and password to log in. Then.. come flooding in dozens of unanswered work emails. After replying to these, you move onto your obligatory Facebook hotel check-in and posting your first (of many) Instagram holiday photos.
Did you bring your family on holiday just to keep working? To collect “likes”? Or did you go for some quality time?
We go on holidays wanting to come back feeling recharged and refreshed. But smartphone addiction is making this very hard. We can’t even seem to look away from our devices! A recent survey shows most people would prefer to have their wallets stolen than their smartphones stolen.
Smartphones is stopping us from appreciating the most beautiful aspects of family travel: interaction and quality time. The endless phone notifications are keeping us from observing the wonderful places we are visiting and being in the moment with our children. Instead of looking into our children’s eyes, we are looking down to the phone, checking emails and social media pages without ever really being present.
Many families constantly record videos, take photos with the intention of posting it later in the day or as soon as there is free Wi-Fi. During meals they would sit together, only for the parents to lookup Facebook “briefly” to see how many people liked the last photo post or chatting on Whatsapp with friends back home. As for the children, they are sitting perfectly still only thanks to YouTube on the iPad.
Don’t ruin your family holiday, put that smartphone away!
Remember the good old days when people in your hotel would take turns using a computer in the “business centre”? We were hardly connected, but we would come back from family holidays happy, reenergised and become better parents in the process because we are less stressed. Most importantly being disconnected, allowed families to connect – with each other!
Here are 5 tips to stop smartphone addiction ruining your next family holiday:
1. Don’t let work stuff follow you
Days before leaving for a family holiday is usually hectic, but good planning will be beneficial. Line up meetings before or after your holiday. And let everyone know that you’re going away!
2. Ask a nice colleague to cover
You will return this favour next time your colleague is taking time off.
3. Setup that Out of Office email message
Don’t spend your family holiday attending to everyone else’s emergencies. Mention in the auto reply email that you are away with your family. People will understand.
4. Hide your smartphone
Leave your phone in the hotel room safe deposit box. Out of sight, out of mind.
5. Set social media times
For example, check your phones only at night after the kids go to bed.
