During the summer break, which now seems like forever ago, my family and I traveled to the French Alps. The views there were out of this world. We stayed near to a town called Chamonix. Before the trip, I showed my kids the different attractions and the place we stayed at. The once enthusiastic kids suddenly became gloomy.

“No WiFi?”, my eldest asked. My youngest, though not really old enough to understand, followed in her older sister’s footsteps, and started complaining. In a heartbeat, my girls’ outlook on this trip changed. I am aware that the internet is an integral part of today’s life. However, a week without it seems more than possible to me. Are we truly so phone-centered? Can we not survive a week without using our phones?

I promised my girls that it will be alright, that it will pass by quickly. After all, it was only a week. Plus, I had a plan on my phone (don’t come at me, it was mainly for navigation,) so we wouldn’t be completely out of touch with the world. My girls didn’t look very convinced but were still thrilled by the opportunity to travel abroad.

We arrived at Chamonix on a Thursday. While the views were spectacular, the place itself had room for improvement. Still, we decided we would make the best out of it. Of course, we went to most of the attractions the town had to offer, but besides all that, we had a lot of time spent at the apartment. So, we had to get creative and think of things to do together, as no one had the option to escape to their phones. And you know what? It was amazing.

I don’t get to spend much time with my daughters, as I work a lot. This time away from everything allowed me to reconnect with them and spend more time with my family. We got to share so many moments and memories that will remain as inside jokes and “remember when” stories for years to come. In addition to all that, I got to learn more about myself, to discover sides of me that I never saw before. Logging out was everything I needed to reconnect, with my family and myself.

I guess what I’m saying is – don’t be afraid of some time away. It can give you the boost you needed to carry on. It’s a great opportunity to look back, to regroup, to reconnect with ourselves and your family. So, the next time you find yourself at a place with no WiFi, don’t panic. It might be exactly what you need.