Brought to you by UNPLUGGED
As we move through 2024 and into 2025, four key trends are emerging that reflect a shift towards slower, more intentional getaways. From the ancient practice of visiting the sauna to the digital detox movement, here’s how people are looking more towards wellness travel options in 2025.
The sauna is a centuries-old tradition rooted in Finnish culture, where it is regarded as a vital part of daily life. Initially, saunas were simple pits dug into the earth, lined with stones heated by fire, used for both bathing and as a source of warmth during harsh winters. Over time, saunas evolved into wooden structures, and the tradition spread across Scandinavia, Russia, and beyond.
Saunas play a significant cultural and social role, especially in Finland, where they are considered a sacred space for relaxation, health, and even business meetings. The Finnish sauna tradition was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
Some of the benefits of regularly attending the sauna include body detoxification, improved circulation, stress relief, enhanced skin health, immune system boosting and improved respiratory health.
Not to be left behind, Unplugged is taking it one step further in their journey to provide wellness travel options in 2025 by introducing pop-up saunas in select cabins this coming autumn, with plans for a wider rollout during the coming year.
With the daily working grind consisting of being hunched over the laptop, and off-work being spent doom scrolling and watching Sex in The City Reruns, it’s no wonder more and more people are opting for outdoor activities. Hiking is becoming increasingly popular among travellers seeking to escape social media and the always on phenomenon. Data from Pinterest supports this trend, with adventure travel searches up 45% year-on-year and searches for ‘hiking’ up 94%.
Unplugged’s North Wales cabins, surrounded by stunning hiking trails, have been almost fully booked for the entirety of 2024. So there definatly must be something in the air when it comes to getting away from it all.
According to Hector Hughes, hiking and walking in nature is central to our experience, especially matched with being offline. As well as being great for the body, the benefits of walking are great for the mind too. It reduces stress, boosts mood, and makes you feel more connected to nature instead of devices. So many of our guests love navigating hikes with a physical map as they can appreciate their surroundings so much more, and sometimes see sights off the beaten path.
Digital detoxing is becoming a permanent fixture in travel trends as people actively seek breaks from screens. Since Covid, remote work has been blurring the lines between jobs and leisure, prompting travellers to use their holidays as a chance to unplug. Whether through specific digital detox destinations or personal screen-free pledges, the desire to disconnect is growing.
In the Netherlands, there are cafe’s where people can go and read, hang out and have quiet conversations with each other, no screens allowed.
By embracing a screen-free stay in the UK’s forested wilderness, some intrepid travellers are elevating the concept of a digital detox—and the reported benefits have been overwhelmingly positive.
At Unplugged cabins 91% of guests lock their phones away or limit use during stays. A fact that resonates with search query data, that states the ‘digital detox’ search term has tripled in 2024 compared to 2023, and 92% of guests who stay in an Unplugged cabin report a desire to repeat the experience annually.
The demand for restful escapes into nature has skyrocketed, with travellers increasingly favouring quiet weekends in natural settings over bustling city breaks. Pinterest reports a 530% increase in searches for ‘quiet travel destinations,’ with cabins in the mountains seeing a 140% spike.
Unplugged’s bookings reflect this shift, with a 25% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. Searches for “calming nature” have also increased by 340%, illustrating the growing appeal of recharging in serene environments. Hughes concludes:
“It’s amazing to see how many people are now realising the benefits of being in nature and the effects it has on our mental wellbeing. We started Unplugged to encourage more people to get offline and immerse themselves in nature to recharge, and seeing such an increase in bookings from last year shows that people are looking for more restful breaks in the quiet of nature rather than the chaos of the city.”
As the wellness travel movement continues to find it’s feet, outside of luxury spa resorts often reserved for the uber rich, places like saunas, hiking activities, digital detoxing sojourns, and nature breaks are a cost effective way to escape the stresses of modern life, if at least for a little while. With scientific research backing the benefits of taking a mindful break from tech in combination with getting out into the wilderness, the Unplugged Cabins are a breath of fresh air in the wellness travel stay department. Literally.
Unplugged 3-day Digital Detox stays start from £390 per cabin
All bookings can be made through www.unplugged.rest
A Curated Lifestyle Magazine Focused on Art, Creativity, Fashion, Books, Interiors, Mindfulness, Travel & Sustainability.
