Instead of sharing beach houses, a growing number of Gen Z women are checking into Catholic convents and monasteries for their vacations, writes Ashley Fike in the magazine Vice (June 30). “In an unexpected pivot from rooftop parties and dating app exhaustion, young women are opting for peace and quiet. Literal quiet.” Called the “vow of silence summer,” people voluntarily give up speaking for days at a time, communicating only by writing or gestures while living alongside nuns. Fike adds that the demand is high. According to one TikToker, in a video viewed 700,000 times, “I booked a vow of silence at a Catholic monastery late last year, and the booking process is really straightforward—you just email the nuns…When I went to book again for this summer, they were fully booked for the next three months.” Fike writes that monasteries and convents are now seeing waitlists as young women line up for “a kind of stillness that’s hard to come by elsewhere. No phones buzzing, no endless notifications, and definitely no small talk. Instead, many are spending their days tending gardens, attending prayer services, and catching up with themselves.”
She cites a recent survey finding that nearly 250,000 Americans experience burnout before they hit 30. “A vow of silence might seem extreme—but it’s a clear counter-move to the overstimulation so many people are desperate to escape. The TikTok comment section has turned into a sort of confession booth for collective exhaustion.” But others share how transformative the experience can be. Another TikToker writes, “I lived with nuns last summer…legit the best three months of my life…They are so cool and fun. I worked in their garden and lived in a cottage for free.” While this trend might seem surprising, “it doesn’t come from nowhere. Between the burnout, the dating fatigue, and the constant pressure to be on, Gen Z’s new version of luxury looks more like spiritual retreat than poolside party.” As one commenter noted, “I feel the nuns have been expecting us. They knew our last nerve would disappear at some point.”
