Why and how to decrease your social media usage while travelling

It has been scientifically proven that social detoxing is crucial for us if we want to keep our stress down to a manageable level. Not just from social media, but media as a whole. Being bombarded with negative imagery is detrimental to our mental health and in turn, can affect our daily lives. For the most part, a large majority of people decide to take a holiday in order to escape their day to day chores, and social media should definitely be one of those chores.

I may not be the ideal person to be touching on this subject, but I am learning how to cope with distractions, especially from social media, on a daily basis. As I travel more and more, I do not often really even have the time to be on social media as my days are filled with new adventures. But, sometimes I find myself swiping through my phone if I am bored in an evening, which is not a complete detox. I have picked up a few tips which will hopefully come in handy for you as you try to take less time on social media.

1) Only use Wi-Fi
By not having data, you are forced to stay away from apps such as Facebook, Instagram, that require a network connection. This may not be an ideal scenario if you are in a completely foreign country and need to get somewhere, but with the CityMapper app, you can download your directions before you leave your hotel and still get to your destination safe and sound. Also, never underestimate the power of the humble map, which has guided tourists and world travellers for decades before the internet came into existence.

2) Have too much fun to even acknowledge your phone
Why travel to be bored? If anybody is bored while they are travelling, they are clearly doing it wrong. Even when I travel alone, I am too busy having a good time to remember to pick up my phone and try to show off to my friends on Facebook. That is how travelling should be. Having too much fun to forget to share it all with the rest of the world.

3) Don’t take your phone with you everywhere you go
If you are going out to the pool, beach, restaurant, do not take your phone with you. If you want to take photos bring a camera instead. That is what they are designed to do. This will force you to truly be present and enjoy quality time with yourself and your family and friends.

4) Delete the apps
If you want to be dedicated to detoxing, just delete the apps. Not having them visible when you unlock your phone gives you less temptation to check out what is happening in the world of social media. My phone has such low memory space, that I am often forced to delete or offload the apps while I am travelling anyway in order to make room for photos.

5) Distract yourself
This can also fall under, having too much fun to acknowledge your phone, but if you enjoy going to a museum or art gallery, turn off your phone and distract yourself by learning something new or appreciating viewing art from unknown artists. Make the most of visiting the country/city’s gems while you are there.

Of course, social media detoxing should be part of your routine even when you are not travelling. Doing it for a day or two every month can be really beneficial for your mind and soul. I love social media and have met some amazing people through it. You just have to remember that behind all the good photos posted, there most likely would have been a dozen bad ones. Because I know that getting an Instagram worthy shot takes practice. Life is never what you see on social media, and the hard work that happens in the background will most likely not be shown, because it most certainly is not glamorous enough for social media.

I have written this article because I truly believe that holidays are meant to be an experience into a new world, relaxation, and to dig a little deeper into your soul with each new journey they take. Therefore, I strongly believe that social media detoxing while travelling is excruciatingly important. It makes you appreciate the world for what it is, in its raw and unfiltered state, rather than the ideal image which it can be depicted to us through social media.

I sincerely hope you have found this article interesting. Do you take breaks from social media? Especially when you are abroad? If you do, how do you do it? Leave a comment below, and as always, happy travels!