We asked our volunteers to keep a diary of their emotions and feelings before they disconnected, during their trip, and after reconnecting when they returned home. We also conducted interviews after their digital-free journeys.
Individuals who choose to disconnect on vacation tend to be looking for some therapeutic rehabilitation. But we found the digital-free journey was not always easy. Travelers experienced different levels of emotions due to technology disconnection. Feelings of anxiety started to build with the anticipation of disconnecting, with worries about what would happen. One participant said, “To be honest, two days before the trip I was a little bit nervous about it.”
The negative emotions escalated in the first few days of the disconnected holiday with a mixture of frustration, worry, isolation, and anxiety. The feelings were especially overwhelming for some tech-savvy travelers who were used to technology in their daily lives. They struggled to settle into a new environment without their usual support of technology. One participant mentioned anxiety around safety: “There is a chance that I might be in danger or have an accident, and my family cannot reach me.”
Travelers at this stage were forced to travel in an old-fashioned manner, navigating using a printed map, talking to strangers, and reading printed bus timetables. Two of our participants even gave up at this stage as they found the emotional experience unbearable.
The strength of emotions wasn’t the same for everyone. In the research, we discovered several influencing factors. It was easier to disconnect in rural destinations if participants had travel companions, if they had fewer work commitments back home, if they had strong motivations for disconnecting, or if their reliance on technology in daily life was low.
Our participants overcame the initial emotions and then started to enjoy the digital-free experience. They found themselves more immersed in the destination, created more valuable moments with their travel companions, and had many more memorable and authentic encounters with locals.
Reconnecting to Normal Life
All detoxes must come to an end, and our travelers had to face reconnecting to technology at the end of their vacation. Many started to feel anxious or guilty, but others, although they enjoyed the disconnected experience, felt excited to reconnect.“It was rather disappointing turning my phone back on. Seeing Facebook likes and messages I had, I felt how superficial they were. Not important stuff. I started to think why am I so addicted to counting my likes and reading comments that don’t really have a huge impact on my life? Technology, especially Facebook, has become my life.”Understanding the emotions of tourists can also provide insights for tour operators and destination management organizations when developing either off-the-grid packages or tech-savvy tour products. Understanding what triggers consumers’ negative and positive emotions can help companies improve products and marketing strategies.