It's not just a White Lotus thing: A growing number of resorts and retreats are asking their guests to put their digital devices away during their stay.

When Ophelia Wu went to Eremito in Italy she was hoping for a stress-free experience. "I was living a hectic life in London, and I found it overwhelming," she said. "I needed a break. I heard about this former monastery in Umbria, and I was curious about it."

She booked a three-night stay at the hotel, which has no wi-fi or phone signal, no tech and no TVs; just brick walls, basic bedrooms and candlelight. The buzz of bumblebees replaced the buzz of her notifications.

"When I left, I was reluctant to turn my phone back on," she said. "I got used to the peace of being unbothered and the lack of urgency."

She's not alone: offline travel is one of the trends of the year so far. According to the 2025 Hilton Trends Report, 27% of adults planning to travel say that they intend to reduce social media use during their holidays. Echoing this interest, global luxury home-rental platform Plum Guide has seen a 17% rise in searches for unplugged, tech-lite properties. In Mexico, the luxury Grand Velas Resorts has launched a Digital Detox Program that would not be out of place on The White Lotus, complete with a "Detox Concierge" to whisk away all electronic devices on arrival.

What's striking about this trend is that it's available to everyone, it costs nothing and it's about giving less. It seems that people have become so dissatisfied with digital life that they are willing to pay more to escape it.

While it has become the norm to use tech to facilitate travel logistics – bookings, check ins and itineraries – when it starts to play a starring role in the holiday experience, it can feel like the opposite of getting away from it all. According to It's Time To Log Off, the average person spends a day each week online, and 34% of people have checked Facebook in the last 10 minutes. Sixty-two percent of polled adults, they say, "hate" how much time they spend on their phones.

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Martin Dunford is the founder and CEO of Cool Places, a website that has curated hotels, B&Bs, pubs and self-catering accommodation across the UK since 2012. "We used to have a tag to show which properties had wi-fi," he said. "Now we're adding a 'no wi-fi' tag."

His site lists 34 places to enjoy a........

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