Using your phone overseas without any limits can cost you significant sums of money. Fortunately, this day we have plenty of options to minimise global roaming outlay. Many carriers offer prepaid “roaming packs” that give you a number of calls, texts and data to use per day.

Another option is using a local SIM which is probably the best way to save by comparing the local market. The third option is to consider travel SIM suitable for multiple destinations. You can always use Wi-Fi as an option but would you find Wi-Fi when you need it? Probably not.

The easiest way to minimise your roaming is to switch your phone to airplane mode and go offline for a while, so-called digital detox. You’ll have to pay more attention to what’s around you than to your phone which isn’t a bad idea, right?

Professor of Tourism at Australia’s James Cook University, Philip Pearce said a study on the portrayal of digital-free tourism – where internet and mobile signals were either absent or digital technology use was controlled – showed “black hole” accommodation was rising in popularity.

Digital “black hole” resorts have become luxury vacation choices in the UK and US and “digital detoxing” holidays are new selling points for many isolated island destinations.

He said researchers analysed media references over the past decade and the digital free experiences were first offered as an up-market product targeting the high-end travel market.

“The first references we found on the topic of digital-detox holidays were a single article from 2009 and another the next year. Serious media coverage of digital-free holidays started in 2011,” he said.

However, whether it became a viable business and within the price range of the average worker remains to be seen.

“It’s not yet clear if this kind of tourism will be profitable for many commercial operators. We only know there has been a rise in media coverage which may indicate a growing industry phenomenon,” he said.

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