A Week With No WiFi On A Florida Island In The Sun
A short essay and lots of travel pictures
It’s the middle of summer and I’m currently at risk of burn-out from a mix of life and work. Even when I’m not at work, I’m thinking of work, researching for work, or getting emails and texts about work. I can’t help thinking about how accessible we all are, 24/7 because of this thing called technology. Even when I’m scrolling through Instagram for fun, everyone can see that I’m “online.” And so, I MUST be available to talk about work, right? WRONG!
Boundaries don’t really exist anymore. It’s up to us to set and defend them like knights clad in armor defending the castle that is our free time with a moat, swords, and blazing banners.
It’s these moments where my mind keeps going back to one of the best vacations I ever had. My home state of Florida is home to many hidden gems and local spots unbeknownst to the tourist who sees it as a peninsula made up of Miami Beach, the Everglades, the Keys, and the House of the Mouse. Not necessarily in that order.
However, many of these tiny islands along the coast make some of the best getaways. One summer two years ago, we decided to visit one of them as a family. I forget the exact name of the island – Gasparilla? Bocilla? Anna Maria Island? Maybe it’s best I forgot. We rented a lovely cabin along the shore and were getting ready to make the trip. We were told that the only way to and off the island was by boat. So we parked at the dock, caught the local ferry, and then walked to the cabin.
The only people on the island are the people that live there. Many of them rent out their homes in the summer to tourists or other Floridians looking for a quiet time near the sea.
The island consists of the beach, the houses, and the sand. Nothing else. No stores, museums, restaurants, or clubs, just the beach, and ALL the food you can bring. That’s another thing, when you book a stay on this island you are told the amount of food to bring for the length of your stay in advance, because again, there are no grocery stores on the island, and it’s $50 to use the local ferry. It’s only free for the first ride over and medical emergencies.
I say ferry because that’s what they call it but really, it’s just one tiny boat that goes back and forth all day.
The cabin itself was adorable, a brightly painted round buttercup yellow cabin steps from the ocean. Inside, it had lots of windows and bright blue walls, white curtains with red coral patterns, and nautical paraphernalia everywhere! It had a television, clocks, a washer/dryer, and a set of bed sheets and towels for each room. It also had a fully stocked kitchen with appliances, spices, and other non-perishables such as sugar, coffee, rice, pasta, salt, cereal, and chips.
What it did NOT have was Wifi. When we were informed that no WiFi/Internet was being offered, we were stunned. At the time, I had finished all my work in preparation for the trip but what if someone emailed? What if there was an emergency? or heaven forbid, what if someone needed feedback????? We could receive and make calls, but we couldn’t surf the internet, we had cable, but checking our emails was spotty at best and we definitely couldn’t post on social media. On data alone, it wasn’t much better, it just wasn’t performing well. We weren’t sure what to expect, but being completely disconnected, on an island with nowhere to go was not it.
But then, the most miraculous thing happened. We just went with it and soon enough shoulder tensions vanished and replaced doom-scrolling with 5 days of swimming, playing, and lounging. This allowed us to connect with a very Italian way of life: il dolce far niente, “the sweetness of doing nothing.” My body felt like jelly, the way that you feel when you’re taken off a high-speed treadmill.
The aches and pains of stress evaporated, overthinking vanished, and peace entered. My skin was constantly bright and sandy, no longer grey and dull, my eyes weren’t tired, and my migraines disappeared. No teeth clenching here. I felt like we were living outside of time. If I wasn’t connected, then no one could reach me, no one could find me, and I was truly free to enjoy my time.
We used our phones for pictures and music. Nothing more.
There’s something about the ocean that makes you so hungry when you leave it. And there’s nothing more satisfying than digging into sandwiches or chicken and chips, with sea salt clinging to your fingers, your body peaceful and sore from the healthy exercise.
The island is especially beautiful, with tall green trees, brightly colored flowers, immaculate white sands, and colorful houses with whimsical details out front like mermaid and manatee mailboxes, old blue boats repurposed for garden planters, and even embroidered coconuts, and colorful buoys. Our week was spent swimming, paddle boarding, and making sand castles during the day, playing board games, and cooking at night!
The sunsets were a spectacular pantomime of colors; brilliant magentas, oranges, and soft yellows enjoyed with a warm cognac in the chilly wind.
I especially loved the adorable little Sandpipers who are very much used to humans and don’t scamper away when you get close. I walked the entire length of the beach with my mom and collected seashells while she played “Come and Get Your Love” on her phone. There was no one around, a place blissfully untouched by the ravages of overtourism.
No dolphins in sight, but we did spot a shark at 7:00 am — early swimming is not a good idea!
It was the closest I ever got to il dolce far niente outside of Italy. At one point, however, I became very irritated at the thought.
Did I really have to practically go off the grid to get a little peace? Some appropriate boundaries and actually enjoy my requested, and granted, time off?! The rushed carousel of activities of everyday life in the United States at the moment slowly poisons you. What’s worse is there’s no exiting the carousel! Bills must be paid, rent must be acquired, houses must be saved for, and dreams and societal expectations must be fulfilled! We were not meant to live this way.
Those 5 days felt like I let go of a breath I had been holding for a very long time, and I was loathe to return to reality. The island was the physical version of Weezer’s “Island in the Sun.” And to this day, I can’t wait for my next disconnected vacation, to go to a place that forces me to unplug and just enjoy where I am and whom I’m with. To be present and soak up something different than the tiring hustle of the everyday grind.
Not all vacations need to be bucket list vacations, not everything needs to be driven by an itinerary and planned to the nines. Sometimes it could just be a chance to relax and be present, and you don’t even have to stray that far from home. It’s good for the soul.
A final note, there’s just something about having saltwater in your hair every single day that just makes it bouncy, shiny, and manageable. I can’t recommend it enough.
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