Unwind with an Off-Grid Escape

While working at a tech start-up, London-based Hector Hughes found himself tumbling down a path all too familiar to the average nine-to-fiver: He began to feel overwhelmed and burned-out. But instead of continuing the grind, Hughes took himself on a two-week silent retreat in the Himalayas.

“We had to hand our phones over on arrival, and it was this disconnection from technology that I think was the most transformational,” he says. “When I returned, I felt completely recharged and focused — a feeling I hadn’t had in years.”

These types of off-grid escapes are nothing new, but they are becoming more popular. In a February 2023 Booking.com survey, more than half of global travelers reported wanting to go “off-grid” for their next trip. Over the past few years, the travel style has been growing in popularity among members of , an Equinox Circle partner and members-only, boutique travel-planning company. 

This boom may be seen as an antidote to the internet-driven culture of the world today: The “typical” social media user spends two hours and 23 minutes each day using their accounts, according to the latest market research published in DataReportal. Do a little math wizardry, and that means between ages 18 and 80, an adult is estimated to spend more than 17 years of their life using the internet. 

“I think it's about connection, ultimately,” says Diana Li, Indagare’s Vice President of Business Development. “Whether it's connection to nature, connection to yourself — it’s to give yourself space to listen, to have these moments to slow down, recharge, and reboot.”