Private Gatherings

Three ready-to-use plans for an unplugged weekend near Luray — stay on the property, tour the wineries, or hit the trails and the river.

Most writing about screens starts with a scolding. This one starts with the data, because the data is more useful — and more convincing — than any lecture. The scale of the habit is well documented. Surveys estimate that Americans check their phones somewhere between 144 and 186 times per day, depending on the survey source. Roughly 57% of Americans say they feel addicted to their smartphones, and about half of users pick up their phone within five minutes of waking. U.S. adu

Overplanned trips feel like work. The formula that works: one shared activity per day, generous white space around it.