Free Wifi or Wifi Free?

Don’t worry, I am not going to jump on my soap box and talk about how despicable it is for hotels to charge for internet. Yes I said it, despicable…. What I want to talk about is checking in somewhere, and have an absence of wifi. When was the last time you disengaged? You know, stashed your smart phone somewhere, didn’t pack your laptop, and forced yourself to be with you. Or with the person you may be travelling with? An American Express survey a couple of years ago found that 83% of holidaymakers expect to stay digitally connected during their break, and 64% of those expect to check their work email daily while on vacation. Surely our parents and grandparents would be horrified – as should we be.

To me one of the greatest joys in life is going on safari. And yet so many places still enable you to tweet about your morning papaya or post the latest picture of the lion cub on Facebook. One of our favorite places on the planet is Campi ya Kanzi – and aside from being able to get a massage in a place called The Cloud Forest, or practice yoga facing Mt Kilimanjaro – you also cannot find a cell phone signal or wireless internet. To me that is truly switching off – and beyond gratifying.