Whether you’re a fervent deplorable for Donald Trump or a shimmying Hillary Clinton acolyte, you probably agree that this presidential campaign has outstayed its welcome by some measure.
Each new day brings another raging Donald diatribe and a volley of Hillary tweets, along with the social warfare and howling punditry of an election campaign reaching fever pitch.
How best to escape the wall-to-wall TV coverage and hurricane of angry tweets?
Go somewhere remote. Somewhere with no screens and less Wi-Fi, a 4G-free zone where you’re literally forced to stop checking the news and consider a book, contemplate your navel, or re-connect with nature instead.
These places do still exist in North America. Here are 12 of them across Canada and the U.S., from Alaska to Florida.
“WIFI is only available in the main lodge. No cell service on property,” the lodge proudly states on its website.
Cut off from the world you’ll spend your days roaming the pristine wilderness, soaking in the outdoor hot tubs and wondering, if Trump bellows an insult but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
100 miles separate the Ultima Thule Lodge from the nearest road, and the remote Alaskan retreat is surrounded by natural beauty as far as the eye can see in every direction. Visitors have to charter tiny planes to begin their stay.
There is internet, but your mind will be far too busy assimilating the epic views to check in on the news. You can forget cellphone coverage too; the owners themselves have to leave the lodge to collect their own booking voicemail.
There are no TVs or computers on board this beautiful boat, which cruises around Penobscot Bay in Maine through October.
Going wherever the wind takes it (there’s no engine on board), the sailing vessel docks each evening for a lobster supper on the beach. Swimming and sailing are encouraged; obsessive checking of push alerts less so.
Nestled on the coast at Big Sur, a scenic stretch of the famously beautiful coastline between two of the country’s most hectic cities, this Benedictine monastery is a world away from San Francisco or LA.
There’s no internet or cell service here and a landline is only available during business hours to make emergency calls. The order of the day at these bedrooms overlooking the ocean and their surrounding grounds is peace, calm and quiet reflection.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died here in February, sparking a protracted tussle for his seat and thrusting the spot onto news homepages for several days. However, the longhorn ranch is normally completely disconnected from the news agenda.
Three historic forts make up the accommodation among the 30,000 acres of wilderness and while cable TV is available guests are encouraged to sit in front of the “South Texas TVs” – several large campfires that are lit nightly and serve as a hub for conversation.
A short sea plane or boat ride will whisk you to these 30 suites on the beach, where TVs and phones are replaced by hammocks and hot tubs.
It’s not cheap, but a small price to pay to feel your blood pressure drop.
A cooperative and community on 150 acres of wildlife sanctuary in the Willamette National Forest, Breitenbush aims to provide “a safe and potent environment where people can renew and evolve in ways they never imagined.”
That means no phones, no internet, barely any electricity and instead hot springs, vegetarian food, yoga and meditation and if you’re lucky, a new you emerging from their rustic cabins at the end of your stay.
River’s End is a restaurant and retreat on a bluff overlooking the Russian River a 90-minute drive north of San Francisco.
The setting is beautiful but its their “luxe unplugged” experience that seals the deal: adults-only cabins with “no cell, no internet, no dataports and no New York Times at your doorstep.”
The owners of this 1920s wooden lodge in the middle of the woods make it plain on their site that “there is no cell phone service, room service or maid service.”
Instead guests are left to their own devices, which in this case are walking, swimming, fishing and cross country skiing, as opposed to iPads and Apple Watches.
Outward Bound offers a kayaking expedition through the famous Florida Everglades National Park.
The company is pretty strict about contact with the outside world, too. They make you check in your phone, tablets and laptop and only allow cameras that aren’t part of a cellular phone. So you really can unplug from the Trump and tell your boss you’re OOO.
Reachable by plane from Savannah, Georgia or Jacksonville, Florida, this spot can be reserved by the room or cottage or you can take the whole island.
There are no phones or TVs and both cell and Wi-Fi coverage are patchy. Rather than waiting for CNN to load on your iPhone 7, you can explore the 11,000 bird-packed acres and roam some of the island’s seven miles of beach on foot or by kayak.
Luxury hideaway Amangir sits within driving distance of some of the country’s most spectacular sights: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Monument Valley.
With all that to take in and the resort’s focus on wellness and “transformation,” you’ll barely notice the bars of reception dropping out and and the political barbs fade to a distance memory.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/10/25/remote-escapes-north-america/