“Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein

The start of a new year is a great time to get your body, mind, and spirit in shape. When your mind and spirit sparkle, your body will join in. A good place to start tuning up your mind is to unplug from your wired world of smart phones, 24/7 e-mails, Internet connect, and all other electronic devices that take you into the world but away from you.

To unplug is to take a digital detox time out. Digital detox popped up in the news in 2010 when John Mayer completed a Digital Detox Week. Now you and your family need to take a Digital Detox Week. The Kaiser Family Foundation found the average child in the United States between the ages of 8 and 18 watches more than 71/2 hours of entertainment media each day. Even Google insists that its workers unplug for certain parts of the day, since they recognize that to innovate, employees need to unplug.

Unplugged Benefits:

Creativity

Susan Perry’s  MinnPost article, “Nature (Unplugged) nurtures creativity” provides research that supports the benefits to unplug and connect with nature.

Improved Thinking

Virginia Morrell’s “Unplug already – How to escape the grid and unplug on vacation” in cntraveler tells us that “being hooked to your smart phone isn’t just an annoying habit – there are real health risks to staying plugged in.” While the major unplug benefit is you get recharged, refreshed,  and get focused. Better yet, you restore your social mind.

Where are the unplugged family vacations?

 For a start here are a couple suggests.

Sierra Club

You may want to Unplug, Unwind, and Dig-In the Dirt: Trail Work in Idaho’s Selkirk Mountains with SierraClubOutings.

Family Vacation Critic

familyvacationcritic offers nine of the best places for a family unplugged vacation in wide ranges of locations from Botswana to Montana and Maui and many interesting places in between. These tech-free locales are not situated in big cities, where access to technology is all too tempting, nor in destinations that will leave you so bored that you will be pining for your devices! Instead, resorts that promise digital detox, although quiet, are focused more on the outdoors, quality time spent with family, and a chance to recharge your personal batteries. Here are ten exceptional options if your family is willing to brave a vacation that is truly unplugged!

Happy Unplugging and Recharging 

In case you need some nature inspiration to help you unplug and recharge, you enjoy Robert Revol’s  “Planet Earth: Amazing Nature Scenery”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v2L2UGZJAM[/youtube]

Thanks for stopping by

We love to hear about your unplugged family experiences.