Winner Announced: Nolan Ritter Is Headed to Joshua Tree

Congratulations to Nolan Ritter of Denver, Colorado, the winner of our 2019 Digital Detox Challenge. We’ll be putting up Nolan and his wife at a vintage 1970s Airbnb near Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, reimbursing up to $1,000 in travel expenses, and paying him $1,000 to complete the challenge.

We were impressed by Nolan’s passion for exploring. “I love traveling and capturing my experiences for my followers,” Nolan wrote in his application. “I just bought a brand new professional camera lens, and this would be the perfect place to put it to the test.” But he’ll have to resist the temptation at first because the Digital Detox Challenge entails locking away all technology for the first two days and experiencing life unplugged.

Just imagine that: two whole days without texts, newsfeeds, Snapchat, Instagram updates, emails, meeting reminders, or even (gulp) late-night phone calls for takeout.

Instead, Nolan and his wife can hike, soak in the hot tub, gaze at the stars, and relax in one of the world’s most visually stunning desert landscapes. Then, on the last day, they’ll pull out their tech to take a few photos and document their experience of going off the grid.

And what will Nolan do with the $1,000 cash? We were impressed with his answer to that too. Nolan and his wife plan to take a charitable trip to Colombia during the holiday season to give presents to children in need.

Judging by the 15,000 entries we received for this digital detox vacation, a lot of folks are longing for an escape just like this one! Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for this challenge—we enjoyed reading your stories. We wish we could send you all on a tech-free vacation.

Luckily, you don’t have to travel to Joshua Tree National Park to take a break from your tech. You can create your own digital detox anytime, anywhere. Find a spot of wilderness (or a local park) and disconnect from your tech, even if it’s just for a few hours. Let yourself feel the quiet. Do some yoga, sit on the beach, or take a walk in the woods. You’ll come back refreshed.

Good luck to Nolan and his wife in Joshua Tree. We hope the experience is rejuvenating for them! If you want to see what Nolan takes away from his detox experience in the desert, follow him on Instagram or Twitter.

The lucky winner will snag a free three-night stay for one to two people at an Airbnb in Joshua Tree National Park, $1,000 in cash, and a stipend of up to $1,000 for travel and food expenses. In total, the prize package is valued at up to $2,300.

And don’t worry about the timing—if you’re selected, you can pick the dates that work best for your schedule sometime in the next 12 months.

1. The promoter of this competition is SatelliteInternet.com whose principal office is located at 5202 W. Douglas Corrigan Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84116.
2. Employees of SatelliteInternet.com or their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter the competition.
3. Persons must be at least 18 years old, or otherwise have reached the age of majority under the laws of the state where you reside, in order to participate.
4. Only residents of the United States are eligible to participate.
5. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
6. There is NO ENTRY FEE AND NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER THIS COMPETITION. Any purchase or consideration otherwise given by entrants will not improve one’s chances of winning.
7. Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are available via SatelliteInternet.com. Individuals may enter to win by clicking on the participation link on SatelliteInternet.com’s website. Upon clicking the participation link, entrants will be asked to provide their name and contact information so that SatelliteInternet.com can notify the winner of the results.
8. Closing date for entry will be August 26, 2019. After this date, no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
9. Only one winner will be selected from the entire pool of eligible entries.
10. The winner will be notified by email and/or letter within 7 days at the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 10 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
11. The winner specifically acknowledges that the prize package shall be provided and fulfilled by SatelliteInternet.com, and that the contest is in no way affiliated with Airbnb.
12. SatelliteInternet.com will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected.
13. The winner will receive the prize either mailed or hand-delivered to the winner.
14. No cash alternative to the prize will be offered. The prize is not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and SatelliteInternet.com reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
15. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current federal and state data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
16. SatelliteInternet.com will provide $1,000 in wages, as well as up to $1,000 for food and transportation. $400 will be paid upfront and the remaining $600 in wages will be paid upon completion.
17. The selected winner must stay at the designated Airbnb for two nights without technology and one night with technology in order to be paid $1,000 in income.
18. The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the following address:
    SatelliteInternet.com
    5202 W. Douglas Corrigan Way
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
19. SatelliteInternet.com’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Edited by Cara Haynes