Our Montego Bay Villa Makes It Easy
You shouldn’t have to answer emails from work while you’re vacationing on the beach. Or entertain yourself with video games, for that matter. You can unplug from your normal technological routines while you’re getting away from it all. You really can. These tips may help.
Let Everyone Know You’ll Be Out of Touch
Before logging off, be sure to tell family, friends, and colleagues that you won’t be answering email for a couple of weeks. A few weeks’ notice and a quick reminder before you leave should be sufficient. Noting your vacation days on the shared calendar at work will help ensure that you don’t miss any critical meetings or deadlines. If you make your calendar accessible to your co-workers, they can schedule meetings with you so that such meetings don’t overlap with your vacation time in Jamaica.
Make a Wish List
Make a list of non-digital activities — hiking, snorkeling, exploring, golfing, restaurant hopping, lounging by the pool with a book — that you’d like to do while on vacation. Putting it all down on paper may help you look forward to your time away from screens and achieve a more relaxed state of mind.
Declutter Your Digital Space
Here are a few things you can try to reduce the extent to which you are nagged by gadgets:
- Unsubscribe from unwanted emails.
- Unfollow accounts you aren’t interested in or that annoy and distract you.
- Turn off notifications and reminders (email, calendar, social media, texts).
- Use Do Not Disturb mode if it’s available on your device.
- Uninstall apps that waste time and energy, apps that you tend to scroll through aimlessly, apps that you check compulsively, apps that upset you. If an app is essential, you can always reinstall it after you return home.
- Create an automated response for your email accounts notifying email senders that you are on vacation.
- Use airplane mode — even after landing.
Set Fixed Check-in Times
Of course, you may not be able to unplug completely, whether because of work obligations or because you have to check in on loved ones back home. Especially if you must take different time zones into account, setting a specific check-in time with a strict time limit can help limit the amount of time you spend with your phone or other gadgets.
Stack Your Devices
If you or a friend or family member traveling with you has a hard time leaving devices alone, suggest stacking them and ruling them off-limits during your quality time together; for example, while dining at a restaurant. This may be especially important to do if you’re traveling to Montego Bay with kids.
Leave Some Tech at Home
Although leaving all of your devices behind may be unrealistic, do you really need to bring along your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop, your e-reader, and your smartwatch? Also, consider getting a real camera so that you won’t have to rely on your smartphone to take pictures. Picture-snapping is a gateway drug that can easily lead to other activities on your phone, like checking email or checking to see just how many likes you’re getting for that picture of the beach you’ve just posted on Instagram.
The Amenities at Our Montego Bay Villa Help You Unplug
Vacations are necessary for body, mind, and spirit. The whole point is to take a breather from the daily grind. Even if you choose to stay somewhat connected — for fun, for work, for your family — you can still enjoy your vacation fully by drawing a clear line between your downtime and your tech-use time.
Here at Coconut Cottage, we have everything you need to spend meaningful time away from the screens, including a private heated pool with a panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea and Montego Bay and a state-of-the-art gym. On our large verandahs and around the pool, we provide an array of family-friendly games and equipment, including a tree swing, cornhole, ping-pong table, video game console, basketball hoop, pool floats and toys, hammocks, and board games.
If you do need to digitally connect, you can connect. We provide reliable Wi-Fi throughout the villa and outdoor areas and portable Bluetooth speakers that can be used with your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
In addition to exclusive use of the villa, you will also enjoy complimentary beach membership and access to the amenities at the Round Hill Resort.
For more information about Coconut Cottage, visit our FAQ, or if you’re ready for your luxurious Montego Bay adventure, make a reservation.