My husband and I have our own business and it is very hard to get away without constantly being hassled by modern technology. Our last couple of trips have practically been ruined by the phone ringing, email beeping and texts dinging. I am interested in planning a family vacation where cell service is spotty at best. A business center where we could check emails once a day would be fine. We have two daughters, ages 10 & 5 and are interested in national parks, history, natural beauty, and landmarks. We are not really into sitting around pools or the beach. I've read that Death Valley doesn't have much cell service so that is a possibility. Anywhere else you experienced travelers can think of? Looking to go sometime in the fall.

MarySue,

The national parks all have "very spotty" cell service. I was just in Grand Teton Natl Park last week and even at the lodge, AT&T didn't have coverage. They did have free wi-fi and internet at the lodge for guests' use.

But why, if you still want to check in at least once daily, don't you just TURN OFF your modern technology. Turn it back on when you need to check in?

I think the OP is not only interested in turning off their own modern technology, but not being surrounded by it from others.

I'd recommend Yosemite for good spotty service. While the park is trying to improve its cell service, for most plans, it still sucks. I was there for a retreat last week and the AT&T coverage was sparce. In fact, the only time I was able to be in actual contact with my husband, was when he was up at Nevada Falls and I was in Yosemite Village. Weird.

The Valley was pretty crowded, but I did not hear much beeping or ringing anywhere I went.

My thoughts are as above. Make arrangement for your business calls to be monitored or forwarded to someone you trust, or leave a message saying you'll be back in a week and turn of the in-box.

Leave the laptops at home and turn off the phones. If you really feel strongly about this and worry that "turning off" is not going to happen, call your cell company and have your service suspended on all but one line. Take only a dumb phone for emergency calls.

There's nothing wrong with Death Valley, but I sure wouldn't plan a vacation there just to avoid phone calls.

Grand Canyon is another one. You can get call service but mine with Verzion would go in and out. Internet is ok in the dining hall but I sometimes couldn't service there either.

Mount Rushmore thru Thermopolis to Yellowstone has very spotty cell phone coverage across Wyoming. It would be a great 1 or 2 week vacation.

Western Ireland also has limited cell phone coverage - that's one of the reasons I take my husband there. Every picture of us leaving, he has the ear bud for his cell phone. By the time we get back, he has gotten used to not wearing it.

You didn't say if you wanted to stay in the US or not...

There are actually huge areas of the western states that have NO or spotty service.

What type of vacation do you really have in mind? Do you really enjoy the wilderness, camping, hiking? It's not that hard to get away!

The Four Corners (AZ,CO,NM,UT) used to be a blessed haven of peace, but I can't tell you now.

Much of Nantucket, right here on the East Coast, has horrible ATT service.

Lots of areas have spotty enough service that you can monitor your calls but tell people "Gee, we just had horrible connections!"

My son uses Google Voice, which somehow turns incoming calls into emails or something like them, and if you can do wifi, you can manage them pretty much as _you_ want to.

Well...if you have ATT....you won't have service anyway! Just kidding

I would pick any mountain area, heavily wooded. Have you been to the Colorado Rockies? Beautiful - mountains, horseback riding, etc..

Good luck - it's hard to find a spot with no cell coverage - we usually bring a phone that our work members do not have the cell number for...only our family.

We found that in NYC . . just turned the damn things off

verizon service never kicked out on our last trip to ACK, including Great Point

If you want to head to the eastern part of the country, there's little to no cell phone service in Shenandoah National Park. Plenty of history, natural beauty and landmarks (and no beach or pools).

Sounds good longhorn. I'm going to Shenandoah next weekend(lots of memorial day crowds, but no phones-lol).

Do you think I can get my 18 year old to just leave her I-pod off on her phone for a while?

We have a neighbor here in Nantucket who has a land line with no phone connected to it. He is in the directory and gives the number out at work. You can call him all week long, but his phone won't ring because it is not connected the whole time he is on island. It's worth the cost of the line to him for the peace and quiet, and he has an old phone to plug in if the electricity goes off.

Thanks for some good information. At this point I was thinking of staying within the US or Canada.

Thank you for mostly staying on the travel topic too. After I posted my question I was afraid that I might get a lot of "turn it offs," which in our situation is really easier said than done. I didn't want this to turn into that kind of discussion. And having had AT&T for several years I know what you mean, cwojo99!

Most of the area around SnowShoe Mt. in WV is in a quiet zone imposed by the West Virginia Radio Observatory in GreenBank...no cell phone service....

It really depends on your cell phone/iphone provider. Is it too simple to call them and find out where you won't have service and go from there?

Personally, in case of emergency and with small children, I'd be uncomfortable with NO service. Tell us what is wrong with just turning it off? Along with vacation message on email.

Alaska- nothing in the lower 48 compares in terms of natural beauty, and very little cell service. Best vacation we have ever taken with our kids, and we have been all over the US and Europe.

Try Vermont! When I was there last year (we stayed at the Kedron Valley Inn in Woodstock) there definitely was no cell service. They stated this clearly on their website....but I didn't really believe it! Once we adjusted....we realized we could survive nicely without our cells, email, etc.!