Say goodbye to technology at Digital Detox summer camp

How about spending four days in a camp with strangers minus your cell phones, laptops, iPads, or any other gadget? Uh…okay. But how do I check-in?

If your idea of connecting with people is only through the digital world and the thought of losing your smartphone sends shivers down your spine, you are a perfect candidate for a digital detox. And an upcoming retreat in Anderson Valley, California could help you do just that.

Camp Grounded, a summer camp organized by The Digital Detox, an Oakland based tech-free personal wellness organization, is the perfect spot “where grown-ups go to unplug, get away and be kids again.” The organization’s website says that the aim of the retreat is to “create a community were money is worth little and individuality, self expression, friendship, freedom and memories are valued most.”

Daily Mail Online reports that Camp Grounded provides “a ‘digital detox’ experience, with zero access to phones, tablets, and other technology, and where campers are not even allowed to talk about work. And as part of the program, everyone must use nicknames, to prevent people from using the camp as a ‘networking opportunity.’ Those who have signed up include people from around the globe, including CEOs and venture capitalists who work in the digital industry.”

Ben Hanna, formerly a part of the tech industry and a partner at The Digital Detox says: “When you were a kid, your life was not dominated by the technology that it is now. We want to take people back to that easy state of living where their only concern is ‘what’s the next activity that I’m going to right now and what’s going to be the next fun thing?'”

For $340 per person, the sold-out event from June 14 to June 18 will let 200 campers enjoy the real camp experience, complete with bonfires, cabins, bunk beds, and a forest to explore. The retreat is guaranteed fun and is sure to take campers back to their childhood with activities such as arts and crafts, archery, capture the flag, pillow fights, stargazing, and storytelling.

The camp also encourages campers to sneak out at night and wander through the woods to discover a “magical nightlife.” Ben Hanna, adds, “You never really know what you’re going to come across,” “It might be a jazz quartet inside of a dancing school bus … We’re going to have a bunch of bonfires and musicians up there and stuff as well.”

But the camp is not without restrictions. The Digital Detox website declares that a strict no drugs or alcohol policy is followed. “It is a drug- and alcohol-free event, and the camp will have medical personnel and a camp phone on site for emergencies.” [Source: Mashable]

The organization holds monthly device-free retreats catering to smaller groups and this is their largest event so far. The summer camp is already sold-out, but the Digital Detox is planning to conduct similar events in the near future.