The first morning of a holiday is always special, when you open the door and breathe in the sea air, gaze at mist drifting across the mountains, or catch the scent of fresh pastries from a local bakery. Your first instinct might be to take a picture on your phone or type a message to friends about how great your holiday location is. But if you can incorporate digital wellness into your trip and take a temporary break from digital devices, there will be much more to tell everyone about by the end. With these ideas for memorable family time during your holiday, a digital break will turn into a wonderful opportunity.

Digital wellness is about balance. Getting online can have many benefits, of course, from educational apps for kids to holiday planning for adults. The key is to ensure that screen time doesn’t get in the way of wellbeing and relationships. Before you head off on your holiday, set good digital wellness examples for kids by laying out boundaries and deciding on time limits. For example:

• Create digital curfews of at least an hour or two before bedtime
• Encourage the whole family to have one whole tech-free day a month, or even a week
• Decide on certain areas of your home where devices are off-limits, such as the kitchen or garden
• Use settings such as silent mode or Do Not Disturb to reduce daily screen use 
• Practice being away from phones and tablets by leaving them in a different room

These healthy habits will lead to more face-to-face engagement among family and friends, which will carry over into your holiday and allow you to live in the moment while you’re away.

Talk to your children about what’s important to them in their online world, as well as what they think could easily be removed from their daily online experiences. This should also get you thinking about how much of your own online time is really useful. You’ll probably find you can get by without those photos your friends post of their breakfast, to focus instead on your own mindful eating when you dig into those fresh pastries on holiday.
 

Ask your children for their ideas on how to limit screen time and what fun activities could replace digital use. Before you know it, you’ll all be making holiday plans that sound much more exciting than scrolling a screen.

Any activity that encourages bonding and family time spent together can be part of your digital wellness break. Grab an old-school paper map and set off on a hiking adventure to find serenity in the mountains, or jump on bicycles and glide through idyllic countryside before stopping for a picnic. You may even find real-life versions of those picturesque screensavers that seem to pop up everywhere! During another day of your holiday, why not pick up some healthy ingredients from a local market and do some cooking as a family. Kids can learn some very useful new skills, and they can begin to understand more about sustainability if meals are focused on ingredients that come from local producers.

Your family’s digital detox can be part of an all-round healthy holiday. Along with outdoor days and activities that get the whole family moving, holiday wellbeing could include a family yoga session or a spa day with the kids. The beach is always an ideal destination for healthy, invigorating activities and fun for all ages. If you’re planning a family wellness holiday in France, Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet is set amid dunes right on the beach and has a seawater spa where mother and baby treatments are available.

When you prioritise family connectivity over online connectivity, you’ll benefit from relaxation, memories and experiences. Kids could make new friends on their travels, and lifelong memories will become more important than data-guzzling photos. Wellbeing doesn’t come at the cost of productivity, and you’ll probably find that your efficiency increases after you recharge. Ultimately, when you get back from vacation refreshed, you’ll be more relaxed and more productive without reverting to old habits. Be sure to let your friends know about all these benefits of digital wellness – ideally with a face-to-face meet-up!

With a digital break, you’ll gain much more than you lose. Have fun choosing your destination and crafting your digital wellness holiday itinerary!