In a world that rewards constant availability, choosing to be unavailable has become a radical act. JOMO — the Joy of Missing Out — is the counter-movement to FOMO: the intentional decision to step away from notifications, social feeds, and the compulsion to be everywhere at once. In travel, it means seeking out places where the loudest sound is wind in the trees, where there's nothing to post because you've left your phone in a drawer, and where the goal isn't to see everything but to feel present in one quiet place.
The Rise of JOMO Travel
TrendThe concept of JOMO first gained traction as a social-media response — permission to opt out of the highlight reel. But it's evolved into something more meaningful: a travel philosophy built around intentional stillness. In 2025, the trend has gone mainstream. Booking platforms report surging demand for off-grid accommodation, digital-detox retreats, and properties that actively market "no Wi-Fi" as a feature rather than a shortcoming.
JOMO travel isn't about deprivation — it's about substitution. Instead of scrolling, you're reading by a fire. Instead of photographing, you're watching. Instead of planning the next thing, you're sitting with the present one. It appeals to a wide range of travellers: burned-out professionals seeking genuine rest, families who want screen-free time together, couples looking for intimacy that constant connectivity erodes, and solo travellers who want space to think without the noise of daily life.
Australia is unusually well suited to this movement. Its vast, sparsely populated landscapes offer the kind of deep quiet that's increasingly rare globally. Many of the country's best eco-lodges and retreats were already built around solitude, nature immersion, and low-impact design — JOMO travel has simply given a name to what they've always offered.
Why More Travellers Want to Unplug
InsightAfter years of hyper-connectivity, many people are discovering that what they actually need from a holiday is the one thing they never allow themselves at home: genuine offline time. No notifications, no emails arriving at 6 am, no compulsion to document every meal. Just stillness — and the surprising amount of mental space that opens up when the noise stops.
The research supports the instinct. Studies consistently show that time in natural, low-stimulus environments improves sleep quality, reduces cortisol levels, and restores the kind of sustained attention that constant screen use erodes. Travellers who've done digital-detox stays frequently describe a shift that happens around day two or three — the restlessness fades, the pace slows, and the senses sharpen. You start hearing birdsong you'd have missed. You notice the light changing through the afternoon. You sleep deeper than you have in months.
This isn't a rejection of technology — it's a recognition that rest requires its absence. And increasingly, travellers are willing to pay for environments that make that absence easy: remote locations with no reception, properties that don't offer Wi-Fi, and itineraries that deliberately leave space for nothing to happen.
Five Secluded Escapes Across Australia
DestinationsEach of these regions offers a different flavour of solitude — from subtropical rainforest to alpine stillness — but all share the essential ingredients: genuine quiet, natural beauty, and accommodation designed for people who want to slow down.
The Scenic Rim
Volcanic ranges, ancient Gondwana rainforest, and some of Australia's best eco-retreats — many offering fully off-grid stays with no Wi-Fi and no reception. Spicers Scenic Rim Trail is a multi-day guided walk through private conservation land, sleeping in luxury wilderness camps. For a shorter reset, boutique tiny homes and eco-cabins dot the valleys around Boonah and Kalbar, offering open-fire evenings, sunrise lookouts, and bushwalking from the front door.
Tasmania's East Coast
Tasmania does quiet luxury better than almost anywhere in Australia. The east coast — from Coles Bay and Freycinet through to the Bay of Fires — offers secluded oceanfront hideaways, slow mornings with local produce, wildlife encounters on empty beaches, and dark, star-filled nights. Properties like Saffire Freycinet combine world-class comfort with complete immersion in the landscape. Simpler options like coastal shacks and nature retreats offer the same solitude at a gentler price.
Western Australia's South West
The karri forests of the south west — particularly around Boranup, Pemberton, and the Gloucester Tree region — create a cathedral-like stillness that immediately quiets the mind. Coastal national parks from Margaret River to Walpole offer deserted beaches, whale-watching from shore, and trails that wind through ancient forest. Boutique eco-cabins are scattered throughout, many with wood-fired hot tubs, no television, and only the sounds of birds and wind.
Kangaroo Island
Huge coastlines, minimal traffic, and vast natural reserves make Kangaroo Island one of Australia's most naturally quiet places. The island's western end is particularly remote — Flinders Chase National Park offers dramatic landscapes with almost no one else around. Accommodation ranges from clifftop luxury lodges to simple farm stays where you'll fall asleep to silence and wake to wallabies grazing outside. The post-bushfire regeneration has also created a powerful story of landscape resilience.
The Snowy Mountains
Outside ski season (roughly November through April), the Snowies transform into one of Australia's most peaceful alpine retreats. Cool breezes, mirror-like lakes, wildflower meadows, and meditative walking trails replace the winter crowds. The Main Range walk — a full-day circuit past Australia's highest peaks — offers solitude that's hard to find in more accessible ranges. Accommodation in Jindabyne and Thredbo village is quieter and significantly cheaper off-season.
What JOMO Travellers Seek
MindsetJOMO travel isn't defined by a destination — it's defined by a set of conditions. Understanding what creates that feeling of genuine disconnection helps you choose the right escape, whether it's a three-night weekend or a week-long immersion.
Space without crowds. The experience depends on solitude being real, not simulated. JOMO destinations have low visitor density by nature — not because of a velvet rope, but because they're remote, small-capacity, or simply unknown to mass tourism.
Natural soundscapes. Wind, water, birdsong, fire — these are the sounds that signal safety to the nervous system. The absence of traffic, construction, and human noise is a core part of the reset. Some retreats are beginning to market "sound profiles" alongside their amenities.
Digital absence. The most effective JOMO stays remove the decision from you — there's simply no reception to resist. Properties that offer Wi-Fi but encourage you to "choose" to disconnect are less effective than those where the landscape makes the choice for you.
Slow-living rhythms. Fireside evenings, long walks with no destination, meals made from local ingredients, early nights under dark skies — the activities are gentle and unhurried. The itinerary, if one exists at all, leaves generous space for nothing.
Best Activities for an Unplugged Itinerary
Do LessJOMO activities share a common quality: they're absorbing enough to hold your attention but slow enough to quiet your mind. They don't require equipment, instruction, or effort — just presence.
Forest bathing and mindfulness walks. The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku — slowly walking through forest with deliberate attention to sensory input — has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce cortisol, and improve mood. Australia's eucalyptus forests, rainforests, and coastal scrublands are perfect settings, and several retreats now offer guided sessions.
Stargazing. Many JOMO destinations sit in or near certified dark-sky zones. Without light pollution, the night sky becomes a nightly spectacle that requires nothing from you except looking up. Bring binoculars if you have them; otherwise, the naked eye is more than enough.
Paddling on quiet water. Kayaking or canoeing on a still lake or river is one of the most meditative physical activities available. The rhythm of paddling, the sound of water, and the shifting reflections create a state of calm that's hard to replicate anywhere else.
Sunrise lookouts. There's a reason every retreat guide mentions sunrise: the act of getting up early, walking in cool air, and sitting quietly while the sky changes colour is one of the simplest and most restorative rituals in travel. No camera required.
Cooking slowly. If your accommodation has a kitchen and a local farm shop nearby, slow cooking — from ingredient sourcing to the meal itself — fills an afternoon with purpose and pleasure. No recipe app necessary.