The Luxury of Logging Off—This Is Where Gen Z Is Going to Trade Online Followers for IRL Friendships
Putting the phone down when you travel isn’t just a way to be more present, it’s better for your mental health and helps you build lasting memories and connections.
EF Ultimate Break partnered with Alison Fox to uncover travel trends, highlight up-and-coming destinations, and explore the many benefits of travel. Find her work in Travel + Leisure, The Points Guy, and Travel Weekly.
In a world of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it can often feel like the chaos never ends. More than ever, globe trotters are craving experience-rich travel—and while we live in an age of pics or it didn’t happen, it is possible to drown out all the noise by simply putting the phone down.
Logging off can often feel like a luxury, but it’s so much more than that: a digital detox can actually benefit your mental health. An intentional break from addictive apps could potentially result in less stress, sharper focus, and better social interactions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“Social media connects us with others in many beneficial ways. But at the same time, it can also have an unhealthy effect on people,” Dr. Kia-Rai Prewitt, a Cleveland Clinic psychologist, said in a statement, adding it’s a good idea to take a break “if you’re losing interest in being social in person because you’d rather just connect with people online.”
The good news is it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. To start, Prewitt said people can pick an activity they want to cut back on (like aimlessly scrolling TikTok, for example) and create a specific goal, like limiting social media to just 15 minutes a day or picking one day a week to stay off completely. She said you can then check in on how it’s going and assess from there.
Phone features like “do not disturb” or switching to grayscale (which may make the screen less appealing) can help lower screen time along with downloadable apps that track your screen time and set limits.
But the best way to put down the phone is to pick up an activity that is simply more exciting than whatever is on the screen. And getting absorbed in exploration, community building, cultural immersion, and forming travel friendships to last a lifetime is the ultimate way to do just that. So, it’s no surprise going on a digital and social media detox is one of the biggest travel trends of 2025. In fact, 24% of global travelers surveyed by hotel brand Hilton said they have started disconnecting from their social media on trips more than they used to and nearly one in four have increasingly started limiting time on devices in general and avoided answering work calls, texts, and emails.
Like any digital detox, there’s not a one size fits all formula, but there are trip options for all types of travelers hoping to swap their online followers for IRL friendships. From animal spotting in Kenya to hiking the Alps in Europe, exploring wellness retreats in Bali, and beyond, there are trips to suit all types of Gen-Z travel preferences.
For the wellness seeker: Bali: Tropical Escape
Bali is set up as the perfect off-the-grid paradise complete with yoga classes overlooking the jungle, Hindu temple visits, white sand beaches, and even canyon tubing. Relax on Seminyak Beach, learn about Balinese cooking and food culture while visiting a farming village, seek out a Balinese dance performance in a local temple, or let all your worries float away at a Balinese spa. There is no shortage of mental health activities you can join that are so immersive it will have you saying ‘what phone?’
For the foodie: Voyage to Vietnam
Sample the comforting flavors of pho, stop in Hoi An (the bahn mi capital of Vietnam), tour a local market, and board a boat for a Vietnamese cooking class on this 12-day trip across the Southeast Asian country. Immerse yourself in the journey your food takes by going fishing with locals and touring green paddy fields, and forget to check your email along the way.
For the animal lover: Kenya: African Safari
Use your phone only for snapping incredible photos of lions, elephants, leopards, and more amazing animals during this 10-day trip across Kenya (the inspiration for the Lion King). Or even better, grab a disposable camera for up-close experiences as you explore the vast and open expanse of the Maasai Mara, spot elephants—known as super tuskers—in Amboseli National Park, and keep an eye out for hippos in Lake Naivasha.
For the outdoor adventurer: Hike Europe: The Alps
Live in the moment as you hike through Swiss vineyards, through the rugged French Alps, and alongside glaciers all while sampling local chocolates and spotting regal ibex along the way. Sure, you can take pics, but nothing does the views justice quite like taking a deep breath and a 360-degree turn. Enjoy views of the Matterhorn, take a dip in Lake Geneva, and get your heart pumping in this active vacation destination with regular hikes up to 7.5 miles per day.
For the water enthusiast: Costa Rica Adventure
Nothing says calm more like a hike through a cloud forest and a plunge in the cold pool of a waterfall. In fact, the only thing that could possibly beat that is a nighttime dip in a natural hot spring to decompress after a day exploring or a day at the beach, listening to the waves wash against the shore. A trip to Costa Rica takes water adventures to the next level, leaving you so busy and refreshed you won’t wonder “what’s trending?” once.
For the hiking aficionado: Active Ireland
Breathe in the fresh air on daily hikes through the Irish countryside, hiking up to 7.75 miles and ascending up to 3,220 feet per day. Prime your body with a hearty traditional breakfast of bacon, pork sausages, fried tomato, toast, and white and black pudding before setting out to climb Carrauntoohil, the highest point in Ireland, or walking along the dramatic sea cliffs on the coast. It’s only natural to want to snap a photo during a visit to the famous basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway, but you’ll forget all thoughts of your phone when taking in the expansive views by bike on the Great Western Greenway.
For the history buff: India: The Golden Triangle
Get lost in stories as you explore 16th and 17th century sites in Agra (including the famous Taj Mahal), learn the reason Jaipur was painted pink in the late 1800s and its connection to the then-Prince of Wales, and ride a 4x4 all the way to the top of the Amber Fort, taking in hundreds of years of history along the way. And while you may be tempted to do a deep dive into Wikipedia as you make your way across the country, try the immersive approach and soak up all that history IRL.
For the wilderness junkie: Patagonia Adventure: Chile & Argentina
Head to what feels like the end of the Earth on an epic adventure across Chile and Argentina. The cell service may be spotty, but the views are on point thanks to the towering Andes Mountains, ancient caves, and stunningly blue glaciers and icebergs. Finish the day with a steak and a glass of Argentinean malbec and get a good night’s rest so you can do it all again tomorrow.
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