Postcard Cabins

One of our favorite activities here at Getaway is sharing a meal with friends and family. The process of cooking a meal together, getting to share stories and catch up while cooking and sitting down to eat—it’s a wonderful way to create a time and space where you can connect on a deeper level. For today’s disconnection tip, here’s Day 10 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Hosting a potluck is a great way to bring a larger group together without placing too much responsibility on any one person. By having each person bring a dish, you all get to contribute to the meal that you’ll share together—and you’re likely to try some new recipes that could become your new favorites.

When you’re planning a potluck, it can be helpful to divide up the whole meal by category so that everyone knows what part of the meal they’re responsible for. To make it even more fun, put someone in charge of music, someone else in charge of drinks, and you can even give the potluck a theme—for example, you could all wear ugly holiday sweaters. You could also search for some games that are great for bigger groups, so that once you’ve finished eating, you can keep laughing until the night ends.

One of the great things about a potluck is that you can bring some different types and kinds of foods together—and the food you eat can say a lot about who you are; your culture, your experiences, and simply the tastes that you love most. Bringing all of these different dishes together can reflect the group that you’ve brought together. Hopefully you can encourage each other to try new dishes and new things, and your friendships or relationships challenge each other, while also acting as a safe place to land through all of life’s ups and downs.

With a little coordination, a big table, and some lovely company, your potluck will definitely be a success. After all, the most important part of a potluck is that you’ve set aside time for yourself to be with those you love most.

Want to plan your next meal in nature? Book your Getaway today.

While our technology can help us to connect with others—even if there’s distance between us—for many of us our technology has become more of a distraction than a tool. You need only check the screen time in your phone’s settings to realize how much of your time is used up because of mindless scrolling. That’s why it’s so important to implement times in your day and your week that are reserved for time off your devices, and time with your family and friends. For a no-tech entertainment idea, here’s day 9 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Playing analog games may bring back memories of candle-lit family game nights as winds or snow howled outside, knocking out the neighborhood’s electricity. Maybe you played monopoly with your siblings or Racko with your parents. Either way—there was something cozy and exciting about those storms and those nights.

If you’re looking for something new to try with friends, why not recreate those cozy nights? Get some warm blankets, some snacks, and a nice bottle of wine, then stack a few of your favorite games on your kitchen table and invite friends over to play them with you.

You can either make turning off your phone a mandatory part of the evening or gamify it and try phone stacking. Whoever pulls their phone from the stack first loses and has to skip their turn in whatever game you’re playing.

Analog game nights are a great way to connect with your friends and family, as the competition involved can bring out each others’ true colors. It’s likely you’ll make some hilarious memories.

Want to play some analog games with friends in nature? Book your Getaway today?

Expressing gratitude is a great way to train your brain to notice more things in your life that you’re thankful for. That can come in many forms – keeping a gratitude journal, expressing aloud your thanks to a friend, or our preferred method – returning to the classic art of thank you card writing. Here’s Day 8 of our 12 Days of Getaway.

Writing thank you cards might bring up memories of a nagging parent, reminding you to write notes to your school teachers, or to your aunts and uncles who had sent you gifts. Hopefully, by now, you’ve seen how others appreciate those notes, and at least have the intention of writing them more often. Even better, there’s something special about writing a thank you note for a gift that isn’t something you unwrap – thanking a friend for that one time they listened to you so thoughtfully, or expressing to a parent or parental figure how much you value their support.

This holiday season, carve out some time to sit down with a pen and some stationery, and write thank you cards.

The Elements of the Perfect Thank You Card

There are three elements to the perfect thank you card. Firstly, thank the person for something specific—the gift, the dinner, the party, their company. Secondly, keep it relevant. Why does this have meaning to you? Maybe contextualize it with why the gift coming from them in particular had an impact. And finally, broaden the scope of your card and thank them for your relationship and how much meaning and joy they bring into your life. Thank them for supporting you, motivating you, and loving you through the best and worst times. These elements ensure that you’ve drafted a solid thank you card that won’t be skimmed, and hopefully brightened their day and yours.

Want to carve out some time to write some thank you cards in nature? Book your Getaway today.

When we’re in the middle of a stressful week it can be hard to imagine that resting can, and should, have priority in our daily routine. Generally, when we think of resting, we imagine sleeping, or finally getting a large chunk of free time that we’ll be able to use as we please. But sometimes the most rejuvenating things are actually very simple and don’t take much time at all. Here’s day 7 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Make Time for Nature

One way to disconnect from technology and your everyday stress is to simply be in nature. You don’t need a wide-open vista with rolling hills to find nature worth observing. Finding small moments during the day to take note of birds or squirrels or the canopy of the trees is enough to find a connection to nature. And by noticing the small things—like the trees in the park across the street from your office or the way the leaves fall on the sidewalk—you’ll be practicing mindfulness.

Find a park near your house or your work, put your phone in your pocket on silent, and take a seat on a bench. Just observe all the small things about that space. Studies show that any time we can dedicate to being outside in nature does nothing but good things for our mental and physical health.

Being out in nature, away from our notifications, helps us to slow down, calm down, and remember that our stress and our feelings will come and go, but there are a few important people and things in our lives that won’t. Being in nature helps us to remember the things that are the most important to us; the people, the projects and hobbies, and the places that help us return to a state of joy.

Try heading to nature without an agenda—not even for a walk or a hike—but to just be in nature, to observe it, to hear it, and let it help you find clarity and calm.

Ready to stare out one of our big windows? Click here to book your Getaway.

With all of our notifications, the noise of big cities, and the stresses of our responsibilities, it can be hard to find time for quiet in our daily lives—even though it is so beneficial and so necessary. Fortunately, there are ways to find quiet, even in the most chaotic places and at the craziest times. Here’s Day 6 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Try Meditating

Meditation is a great practice that can help you to slow down, be more mindful, and to have more control over your thoughts. Especially during the holiday season, when there are so many people to meet and parties to go to, it can be especially difficult to carve out what free time you have to do nothing. Of course, the fact is that these times are when these kinds of daily grounding rituals are so important.

While meditating may seem intimidating, there are plenty of resources out there to help you get started. Apps like Calm or HeadSpace offer guided meditations to help you direct your thoughts as you sit down and try to focus on your breathing. There are lots of different meditations to help you with things like anxiety or poor concentration, so you’re sure to find something that you like, and that makes a difference for you—if you do it consistently.

There are also themed meditations—with a focus on things like gratitude, confidence, and joy—that can help you to cultivate more of these themes into your daily life.

Without an app, all you need to meditate is space and time. Pick a comfy spot, sit or lie down, and close your eyes. Try to focus your attention on your breath, and how your body moves as you breathe in and out. If your thoughts stray from your breath or the physical sensations in your body, gently refocus your attention with self-compassion.

The most important thing isn’t how long you meditate, but that you sit down and you try to focus on your breathing or a mantra for even five minutes. You’ll find that it gets easier the more you meditate and that this might end up being one of the best moments of your day.

Want to try meditating in nature? Maybe it’s time to book a Getaway.

For many of us, there are plenty of spots near our homes that we have yet to explore. We might drive the same route or take the same public transportation every day, but all of a sudden, notice something that we’ve never acknowledged before. Or you may pass by a sign every day that piques your interest, that you’ve never stopped at. To help you live more mindfully this Holiday Season, here’s Day 5 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Discover A New Park

Discovering a new park is a great way to get acquainted with the natural world around your home. Even if you live in a big city like New York or LA, exploring the parks is a great way to get to know your city better, set aside some time to relax and time to get outside.

While you may not be able to make time to Getaway every weekend, heading out to a park that’s only a few minutes’ drive from your home is a great alternative. Just getting outside in nature is wonderful for your physical and mental health. And finding those spots that can be your respite from your daily stress are so important when you’re trying to live a balanced and mindful life.

Exploring a new park can reawaken your childlike curiosity as you get to experience new trails and new spots for the first time. Heading to a new park with your loved ones offers you a great chance to chat, get some exercise, and share the experience of recharging in nature.

Finding new parks in your area also allows you to experience the spaces that were set aside specifically for people to be in nature. You may discover some hidden gems—with waterfalls, glacial rock formations, caves, or lakes as clear as a pool—that are surprisingly close to your home. And once you discover these spots, you get to explore them and share them with your friends and family.

Want to explore an area only a couple hours from your home? Maybe it’s time to book a Getaway.

These days we are all addicted to our phones. It seems that only after we set our phones down and decide not to touch them do we realize how often we reach for them—and how much time we have when we aren’t busy scrolling through our social feeds. For a tip to help you keep an eye on your device use, here’s Day 4 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Take a Digital Break

Observing a digital sabbath is a great way to make disconnecting a regular part of your week. Pick one day that works best for you, and shut your phone and other devices totally off when you wake up in the morning—or better yet—before you go to bed the night before. Take this day to focus on reflecting, getting things done, or exploring your city or town—the only rule is that you can’t turn your phone back on.

You’ll notice how you’ll reach for it, and how you might want to check certain social media platforms, or keep up to date with those you follow who create content each day. Resist these urges, and within a couple of hours, you’ll find a sense of freedom.

This day is a great time to spend time with your family or friends, to cook yourself a few nice meals, to journal or read, or simply do nothing at all. It may end up being one of the best days of your week.

By doing this regularly, you can also be much more mindful the next day when you pick up your phone once again. Hopefully, throughout the week, you’ll notice what moments lead you to pick up your phone the most, and you can pause before making a conscious choice to use or not use your phone.

As 2020 approaches, making a goal to be more disconnected from the internet, social media, and your devices, and more connected to yourself, your loved ones, and your passions is a sure way to find more fulfillment and joy in the coming year.

Looking for a whole weekend of disconnection to get your New Year off to a great start? Book a Getaway today.

Disconnection is something that should become a habit for each of us. It can seem impossible when important emails are constantly coming into your inbox, or when your schedule is packed with events and meetings, but any time you can make for yourself will make a world of difference. It’s all about making the time by making intentional choices about how you want to spend the time that you do have. Here’s Day 3 of our 12 Days of Disconnection.

Swap Screens for Books

For many people, turning on the TV once they return home from work has become a habit to help them recharge from the day. It turns out though, that this habit is one that many people would rather shake, as it distracts them from using their time with more intention.

One great habit to switch watching TV out for is reading. While both activities let you fall into stories, learn something new, and relax, reading has distinct cognitive benefits. Reading can strengthen your focus and attention, reduce stress, improve your memory, and expand your vocabulary. Not to mention, you have an amazing sense of accomplishment after finishing a book, that beats that pesky notification of “are you still watching this?” by a mile.

Depending on the books you choose to read, developing this habit could be one that supports a multitude of other changes you may like to make in your life as well. Although, the best way to approach reading is the way that a child might—for pure enjoyment. By disconnecting from the TV screen, you can reconnect to the child within you that would stay up too late turning page after page to find out what happened next. And by reconnecting to one thing you used to love, you’re bound to reconnect to others as well—and soon you’ll find a renewed sense of vitality, and more motivation to live more mindfully.

Need a new read? Check out our reading lists of great novels, collections, and nonfiction books to find something that may pique your interest. You can also check out How to Getaway: Finding Balance in Our Overworked, Overcrowded, Always-On World written by our founders Jon Staff and Pete Davis.

Here’s to more time unplugged this holiday season.