What is Unplugged?
We’re a digital detox cabin escape that helps the always on, switch off. All our cabins are only an hour or so away from the hustle and bustle of city life across England and Wales (with more cabins locations very soon). Our cabins are built to give people true-time offline from their digitally dependent lives through offering a 3-day digital detox escape. We include a lockbox in the cabin for guests to lock their phone away, and then provide everything they’ll need for life offline. We include an instant camera, a physical map, books, games and even a cassette radio. All our cabins are nestled in nature to provide true escapism from city life and the overstimulation of our devices.
Why 3 days?
This is the optimal time it takes for us to switch off and disconnect from our normal routines. This is based on the “3 Day Effect”, which found spending 72 hours disconnected from technology and surrounded by nature has a breadth of benefits, such as increasing your cognitive function and creative problem solving by 50%. When you only go away for a night or two, you’re still thinking about work or daily stresses, and it can also take about 24 hours for your brain to settle when you remove your phone from your habitual grasp. All our guests say that by day two and three, they felt so much more relaxed and didn’t even want to switch their phones back on.
How do you feel during the 3 days?
The first day of being without your phone can feel a little strange. This is because it can take about 24 hours for your mind to settle once you’ve locked your phone away. We call this ‘the adjustment period’ and it’s when you adjust to not reaching for your phone, and begin to shake away the stresses of everyday life.
“That first day in nature, your mind is recalibrating and you start to notice things a little bit, to unwind from the modern world. You don’t need a watch anymore. You forget what day of the week it is.” - David Strayer
On day two, the mind begins to settle and you start feel the freedom of being at one with nature. You notice that the disconnection from screens gives you more mental space to connect from within, and the previously uncomfortable feeling of slowing down starts to feel more liberating. This is where you start to experience the present moment as your mind is allowed to relax and rejuvenate.
Day three is really when the magic happens. You don’t feel the need to reach for your phone, your brain has recalibrated and your circadian rhythm settles. You’ll also have soaked up the benefits of nature, which include heightened creativity and decreased stress levels.
What’s really interesting, is when we did a study with University of Greenwich, we found that the benefits of your digital detox and being in nature actually extend after you check out and into your every day life. After your stay, you should feel more present, less stressed and find it easier to focus and be creative.
What can you get up to?
The cabin is your space to do whatever you want to do to relax. If you’re an adventurer, you might want to get your walking boots on and explore the area. Or you could spend the 3 days reading and napping, or popping to the nearby pub for lunch.
We stock each cabin with books, board games, a cassette player and an Instax camera with 10 free films for you to capture your stay. We also have an outdoor fire pit which many guests gather around for deep conversations, to write burn lists, or to get cosy with the help of our favourite VOITED blanket.
Unlock Nature's Embrace with VOITED at Unplugged
Thrilled to share the news! VOITED has teamed up with Unplugged, the pioneers of digital detox retreats. Now, you can find VOITED CloudTouch® and Ripstop blankets at a handful of Unplugged cabins including Mabel with more launching soon, adding the comfort of a VOITED blanket during your stay.
Picture this: a cosy cabin, a crackling fire, and the warmth of a VOITED blanket enveloping you in nature's embrace. Book your Unplugged escape today, starting from £390 for 3 nights.
Photo credits: @adam_michael_firman
