I’m off tonight to a cabin in the woods. The first time I visited, I arrived late at night at my boyfriend’s family’s cabin in the Poconos, Pa., located about two and a half hours from my home base in Bucks County. It was dark and cold, and the first time the cabin was opened since the long winter season made it inaccessible. But when day broke, birds chirped and I could see and hear the creek running below, I realized how incredibly picturesque my surroundings were.

But there’s no cell service. So it offers a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature.

I use T-Mobile; I switched almost two years ago, lured away by the promise of free international text and data and unlimited data at a cost savings of more than $50 per month. I can honestly say my trip to the cabin was the first time I’ve ever experienced a complete lack of service with the provider, but given the cabin’s location, it’s not a surprise. I had to adjust to not having access to text messages, emails and social media feeds. While my first visit was only overnight, I leave tonight to spend a long weekend, leaving me out of touch for several days.

While I would normally feel a bit anxious without cell service, I’m looking forward to a bit of a disconnect — to reading a good book, to catching up on the pile of magazines I never have time to flip through at home, to watching a few classic movies I’ve never seen, to taking long hikes, to attempting a jigsaw puzzle. It’s so rare to truly disconnect, but there I don’t have much of a choice. It’s one of those things you don’t realize you need until you’re there. So I’m off to enjoy a technology-free weekend!

— Kimberly Krol, editor in chief