On vacation we easily avoid the Tourist Traps. But on our smartphone we walk with open eyes by scrolling endlessly. Many apps are smartly designed to hold our attention as long as possible. Read 5 tips for a relaxing holiday here, without scroll -spit and time.
According to the Mobile App Trends Report 2025 from Framna, women are particularly active on social media apps, such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Men are considerably more active on apps such as Bol.com and LinkedIn. Before you know it, you have spent a few hours a day scrolling on these types of apps. A waste of your vacation time and moreover: not so cozy. “Social media can be relaxing, but often we are stuck in habits that do not give us anything,” says Brechtje de Leij, digital strategist at Framna. “We want to show that your phone can also be a tool for inspiration, growth and well -being, even during the holidays.”
5 tips for a relaxing holiday
Tip 1: Break with your app routine
On your smartphone you can see which apps you use the most and how long. Put it on a new home screen, switch off notifications and meet yourself when you can open them. This way you break through the automatic use that apps consciously respond to with push messages, reporting badges and endless feeds.
Tip 2: Recognize the tricks of social media
Apps such as Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat are designed to keep you inside for as long as possible. They use infinite scroll, algorithms and variable rewards to trigger dopamine shots. Turn off reports and only open these apps for holiday content. Search tips from locals or other holidaymakers, post a maximum of one photo series per day and only respond to your own holiday updates. Without feed you experience the fun sides of social without the addictive mechanism.
Tip 3: Choose apps that will help you
There are also apps that kindly deal with your time. Think of navigation, translation tools or the (local) weather. These utility apps are designed task-oriented: one clear goal, as few steps as possible and no behavioral control. Add a few of Brechtjes Favorites: walking routes via Komoot, E-bikes rent with Lime, Reserve restaurants via The Fork, recognize birds with Merlin Bird Id and Flora & Fauna with Seek. This way your smartphone enriches your vacation.
Chatgpt is currently one of the best -rated apps in the Netherlands and is in the top three in terms of user satisfaction. Here are a few ways to use the AI app this summer productively:
• Get help in the (holiday) kitchen: Enter what you have in your fridge and Chatgpt represents recipes within a few seconds.
• Create personalized travel guides: ask for a customized route for your road trip, including child -friendly stops and local cafés.
• Reflect and plan: use Chatgpt as a writing coach or sounding board to evaluate your year so far and to set goals for autumn.
• Are you going to eat out? Scan the menu to have AI translated all strange dishes into Dutch.
Tip 4: Lay memories, not just photos
Put your smartphone in your bag during walks. Do you think: “I want to photograph this,” take ten seconds to really absorb it. Such mental photos often hang better than fast snapshots. Capture something anyway? Take an analogue or disposable camera. You can have the roll digitized afterwards.
Tip 5: Go prepared offline
Download music, podcasts, series and offline cards before departure. This way you avoid roaming costs and the temptation to scroll. Being offline is soothing, battery -friendly and exactly what holiday is all about. Know what apps do with your attention and consciously choose how you use them. This way your vacation will stay away from your screen. “With the right apps you can enjoy a meaningful summer – without having to fully detach yourself,” advises Brechtje.
