Life is full of stress. Everyone working, going to school, meetings, laundry, cleaning, sports, school activities. So much to do and so little time. That’s why families need to vacation together. A family vacation is a great time to reconnect and leave all the hustle, bustle and stress of real life behind – just for a little while.
All the planning. All the packing. All the money needed. Family vacation planning can sometimes be intense when trying to find just the right time that will let everyone join, a spot that everyone will love and a destination that fits the family budget.
Because of all that it takes to get to a great family vacation experience, why would you get there and not pay attention to your family. Why would you get there and spend hours on your phone and on social media? Why would you get there and continue dealing with all of real life stress?
Sadly I have been on vacations recently and watched parents as they are paying very little attention to the kids because they have their phones in their hands, scrolling through emails, scrolling through social media. Think about all the things they are missing with their children.
Newest data revealed in a 2019 Alamo Family Travel Survey shows that many Americans are switching off from the pressures of work and social media, and going back to basics – with unplugged vacations – to better enjoy the number one benefit cited by vacationing families: The ability to spend quality time together.
Social Media can impact your family vacation in both good and bad ways. The good is easy – lasting photos for extended family and friends to see. The bad – you aren’t really spending time with your family if you are posting on social media. Are you really in the moment, experiencing the excitement of your children if you are taking the time to post to social media? Are you concentrating on making a memorable experience with your family or are you concentrating on things that are at home and at work?
I understand you think it can be hard to unplug. After all, social media is a huge part of my job so no one understands it better than I do. I did, however, recently take a family vacation and made a conscious decision to unplug while there and I told you all about it in a recent post. It was much easier than I thought it would be. It was actually refreshing!
If you think unplugging will be hard, get the family together and use a tool like Alamo’s Unplugged Family Vacation Toolkit to help your family do it together.
Set your phone’s lock screen to help remind you:
Alamo’s Toolkit has 6 different lock screen wallpapers you can use to help you unplug. My favorite is:
Set a message on your Facebook profile with Alamo’s profile frame to let everyone know, and reminding yourself, that you’re not reachable on social media during your vacation. You can set it to automatically turn off when your vacation is over.
Take the Unplugged Family Vacation Pledge together:
Alamo isn’t all about car rental. They are also a great resource for vacation planning. Alamo’s Scenic Route is a great resource to use when planning your next family get away. Travel destination guides and travel hacks and tips are just some of the things you’ll find on the Scenic Route.
Are you an Alamo Insider? By signing up for Alamo’s free program, you will enjoy member benefits like 5% off their everyday low prices.
Booking online is super easy and takes some of the stress out of planning. There is also a customer service number for people who like to ask a human a question!
So what are you waiting for – start planning your next family travel adventure and get ready to UNPLUG TO CONNECT!
Kristen says
March 31, 2019 at 5:39 pmUnplugging is so important these days. I want my kids to remember the activities and not the phones.
Ananda Qianyu says
March 31, 2019 at 2:24 amgreat points! it’s so important to unplug and to truly enjoy time together with our family, and to take some real vacations together!
Nati says
March 30, 2019 at 6:00 pmI would definitely need to unplug during vacation, I haven’t totally unplugged during a vacation since 2015!! I take work with me, every single time 🙁
Tiffany says
March 30, 2019 at 3:18 pmI 100% agree with this. We already have “no screen” activities while at home and even more of them when we are on vacation. I wish more people would consider things like this when on vacation.
forkwardthinkingfoodinista says
March 30, 2019 at 1:56 pmHaha this is a tough one to completely unplug but a great idea. I would deffo need a camera though for sure xx
Elaine @ Changing Laines says
March 30, 2019 at 10:59 amLove this initiative! We travel at least once out of the country every year and it breaks my heart to see so many people glued to their phones in such beautiful places. For me, it’s hard to remember I even have a phone and social media accounts to update when I’m traveling.
Bree L. says
March 29, 2019 at 6:32 pmUnplugging is the best thing you can do as a family! It really brings you back together!
Bree L. says
March 29, 2019 at 6:32 pmUnplugging is the best thing a family can do while on a vacation! It really brings the family back together!
Shirley says
March 29, 2019 at 2:42 pmI love this!!! I just spent several days with my son’s family several states away and it felt great to not be connected to my phone 24/7!
storybookerin says
March 29, 2019 at 7:55 amUnplugging in general can be difficult. I love that Alamo is working to help normalize it for vacations. One of my tips is to put my phone on do not disturb, then I just don’t get notifications for a bit.
Janice Brady says
March 29, 2019 at 7:56 amThat’s a great way to do it too!
Patricia Chamberlain says
March 28, 2019 at 9:04 pmIt can definitely be hard to unplug during vacation! I love this unplugged vacation pledge. It is such a great idea.
Janice Brady says
March 29, 2019 at 6:44 amI definitely think unplugging is the way to vacation these days!
Flossie says
March 28, 2019 at 7:27 pmI love those homescreen reminders! I usually spend almost no time doing work on vacation – I schedule out my FB page posts and my blog posts before I go, so all I am doing on vacay is maybe 15 min a day posting a trip photo to IG – but I didn’t even do that on our last trip because our wifi and cell signals were so spotty! Great to totally unplug!!!
Janice Brady says
March 28, 2019 at 8:24 pmI love to unplug when I can. It keeps us in the moment!
Stephanie says
March 28, 2019 at 12:34 pmYou’re right, it can be hard sometimes. But, when we are on vacation, my husband and I try to save the social media for after our boys go to bed at night. Last summer we were on a trip that didn’t have cell service for half of it, so we didn’t have a choice! I usually try to bring my “real camera” too so I am not tempted to “check just one thing” when I use the phone to take a photo.
Janice Brady says
March 28, 2019 at 8:23 pmgreat idea to bring the camera so you aren’t tempted to check other things on your phone after taking photos!