With the prevalence of technology, it can sometimes be hard to vacation on vacation. Plenty of hooked-up travelers will check work e-mail using the hotel Wi-Fi, or use their Blackberrys on the beach. For some, the only solution is to go truly off the grid. Take a look at our top picks for unplugged getaways, where travelers can hide away to recharge their batteries — no batteries required.
&Beyond Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp: Botswana
It doesn’t get much more unplugged than this. This ultra-remote, luxurious safari lodge on an island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta isn’t a hotel, it’s an experience, where everything — including the excellent food and the guided excursions — is included in the price of the stay. Guests can get up close to exotic wildlife on both land and water (think: lions and hippos), and even arriving to the property is an adventure, requiring transport by small plane, safari vehicle, and a boat. The nine safari “tents” are fully screened in and thoroughly high-end, with huge soaking tubs, four-poster beds, lots of wood, and private pools. The only thing not on the menu? Technology.
Jake’s, South Coast: Jamaica
Jake’s 30 colorful, funky cottages in Treasure Beach lack phones, Internet, and TV, and sprawl along a rugged coastline, connected by meandering stone and tile mosaic pathways. A canopy of trees and lanterns arches over the romantic outdoor dining area, bar, and charming saltwater pool. This trendy Island Outpost resort bills itself, accurately, as “the chicest shack in the Caribbean,” and Driftwood Spa, on-site painting and yoga classes, and excellent food make it a particular favorite with loyal guests. For those who need to cheat on their tech-free trip, Wi-Fi is available in the lobby, in the restaurant, and poolside.
Jade Mountain Resort: St. Lucia
Jade Mountain is one of the world’s most romantic – and expensive — hotels, but it’s also one of the best places to unplug. The rooms are called sanctuaries, and rightly so — they are intentionally tech-free, with no TVs, Internet, or radios to disturb the peace. They all have open fourth walls with jaw-dropping views of Pitons and the Caribbean Sea, Jacuzzi tubs, and canopied beds; most have private infinity pools.
Do you have your own favorite off-the-grid getaway? Do tell us about it!
Source: Fox News Travel
Digital Etiquette For The Excited Travelers
1. Don’t play “stump the tour guide” by looking up the sights you’re visiting on your mobile phone and sharing your findings with the group.
“The tour guide knows something interesting,” Matthews said. “They know local pieces of information. They have these local nuggets that now they’d be offended by even sharing because how can they compete with Wikipedia?”
2. If you post to Facebook, Twitter or a blog, make sure the others you’re traveling with know you’re writing or sharing photos about the trip.
Laws vary from state to state, so it’s not only important to know them, it’s equally import to ask permission to photograph people and let them know the images may wind up online.
3. Don’t “tag” people in photos online without prior approval.
Not only will the person you tag see it, but all the people who will visit his or her wall will also see it. Can you image having your work colleagues that you may have Facebook friended see you in your skimpy bikini guzzling back a beer? Also in the same vain, some tweets or photos shouldn’t be posted until you’re home –or not at all.
5. Be careful about posting critical comments online about a destination or trip.
“Posting commentary considered ‘negative’ about an area you’re touring for the first time disappoints and can even offend others who are envious that you’re able to take a vacation,” Matthews said.
6. Unless you’re riding on a bus, train or plane, take off the headphones.
Travel is about the sights, smells and sounds. Not only is wearing headphones rude, it can be dangerous if you can’t hear the noise of an oncoming car or a bus.
7. Get in front of the camera.
“With the help of the Internet and Google images, I can see thousands of pictures of the Eiffel Tower,” Matthews said. “I can see plenty. So when I see another picture of the Eiffel Tower, why aren’t you in front of the Eiffel Tower?”
8. Turn down the screen brightness.
A great traveler’s trick is to use your smartphone or tablet screen as a flashlight. It’s great in a pinch, but watch out, you can get some fellow air travelers very angry if that goes off in a darkened cabin.
Do you follow any of all of these digital etiquettes? Tell us of the times you were offended by “rude” techies!
Source: Fox News Travel
Image: SailAway Yacht Charter Consultants, Inc.