Digital Detox: How to Disconnect While Still Traveling with Tech

Living life on the road can be freeing, grounding, and wildly transformative. But when your van is also your office, your social space, and your entertainment center, tech can start to take over—without you even noticing.

This post isn’t about ditching your devices entirely. It’s about creating space for intention. A digital detox, vanlife-style, is all about reconnecting with nature, presence, and yourself—without losing the tools that make road life possible.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. We only recommend gear we genuinely love and trust!

Here’s how to digitally detox while still traveling with tech:

🌞 1. Start the Day Without a Screen

When you wake up in a new place—mountains, desert, forest—soak it in before scrolling. Even 15 minutes of tech-free time (make coffee, stretch, read, journal, walk barefoot) helps rewire your brain toward presence instead of notifications.

Tip: Use a sunrise alarm clock or old-school travel clock instead of your phone alarm.

✍️ 2. Journal, Don’t Just Post

Social media is a fun way to share the journey—but when every moment is curated for content, you risk missing the magic. Try journaling first. Use paper. Let the story be for you first.

Quick tip: I love this beautiful refillable travel journal that fits easily in my glovebox.

📵 3. Set No-WiFi Zones or Hours

Designate times or places where you go fully offline. For example:

• No tech during meals

• No WiFi before 9am or after sunset

• No phone use outside of your van during hikes

  
  

Try apps like Freedom or use your phone's focus settings to help.

🌍 4. Download in Advance, Then Go Offline

For road trip planning, offline maps like Gaia GPS or Google Maps downloaded ahead of time are life-savers. Download audiobooks, playlists, podcasts, and movies before heading out so you’re not constantly connected.

Bonus: You’ll use less battery and data.

☕ 5. Replace Scroll Time with Soul Time

Instead of TikTok, try:

• Reading a book with a view

• Learning a new vanlife-friendly recipe

• Make a craft from things you find in nature

• Sketching the scenery

• Making pour-over coffee outdoors (see my perfect coffee on the road blog!)

🧘 6. Practice Presence Over Performance

It’s easy to feel like you’re not “doing it right” if you’re not sharing everything. But the most sacred vanlife moments aren’t always shareable. Let yourself just be. Not every sunset needs a time-lapse. Some things are just for you.

⚡ 7. Keep Tech Sustainable

When you do need power, make it easy and eco-conscious:

• Use a solar-powered portable power station 

• Turn devices off at night

• Keep your phone in low-power mode to minimize distraction (and extend battery life)

💡 Bonus Tools for a Balanced Digital Life

• Kobo E-Reader – Great for lightweight, glare-free reading on the road

• Polaroid Camera – Take analog photos instead of digital ones for a fun change of pace

• Bluetooth Speaker with SD Card Slot – Play music without needing WiFi or your phone

🌲 Reconnect to What Matters Most

You chose this life for the freedom, the beauty, the experience—not for the likes or the perfect feed. A digital detox doesn’t mean losing the tech that helps you travel smarter; it just means remembering who’s in charge: you.

So close the laptop, turn your face toward the sun, and just be. The rest will wait.