We like to define ourselves as slow travelers therefore people often ask us what slow travel is, why we like it so much, and why we often shy away from the more fast pace touring option of trying to cram in as many places as possible in a short space of time.
For Dale and myself making the most of our travel time isn’t about seeing as much as we can, nor is it not about how many cities we can see in a week or two whilst in a country. Neither is it about running from one monument to the next to take a photo just so we can say:
“We’ve been there”, or “We’ve done that”.
No, for us maximizing our travelling time means to choose experiences over sights – and more than anything else – quality over quantity.
This is what slow travel means to us.
To give an example, we like to share a meal with the locals we meet, to share our experiences with them and listen to theirs, to learn from them as much as we can about their country rather than going around sightseeing without really knowing much about what we are looking at, or the history behind it.
Having a picnic on top of a mountain with our Couchsurfing host in Geneva
What Is Slow Travel?
Slow travel is about fully immersive experiences.
It’s centred around a prolonged and in depth experience, primarily with locals, but not always.
Slow travel isn’t just skipping tourist attractions or popular destinations either. Not at all. It’s all about how we decide to enjoy them and every other activity we do.
It’s about taking the time to embrace everything around us, to enjoy even the simplest things that aren’t necessarily the most popular or the most famous.
For instance, during the four months we spent in Berlin we didn’t miss an opportunity to go hunting for new hidden pieces of street art – which isn’t difficult at all in Berlin – but we also went to see the famous East Side Gallery, where some remains of the Berlin wall are completely covered in incredibly nice and meaningful murals.
We could have just walked fast, took a selfie in front of it to show we’ve been there (like we’ve seen a lot of people do), but instead we chose to take our time to look at each piece, trying to understand the message the artist wanted to share before giving our own interpretation on it.
We easily spent hours walking along the route of the wall and surely we could have stayed even longer if wanted. The whole experience would have been even nicer if the artists themselves were there to explain what they wanted to represent, and perhaps create a discussion with them by talking about what we personally perceived from it.
Connecting with people is a very important part of what we like to call slow travel. Without any form of communication, links, and confrontation the travel experience would be sterile for us.
It would be nothing more than purely looking at beautiful places because “you MUST go see that”, without actually seeing anything at all, only to walk away without any connection.
Only by talking with people and observing what they do and how they do it can we really get to know local culture.
Birthday surprise for Franca organized by our Couchsurfing hosts in Penang
We’ve had those kind of moments when we didn’t connect with anyone and those are the ones we barely remember if not only to say to ourselves “if only we’d had a local showing us around or to talk with…”.
We believe connecting with locals and people in general is so important because it’s what make travel memorable. Those are the moments and experiences we keep talking about for years and years because they left a mark on us, an imprint, something that makes us as much as that places and that moment as it is to us.
Slow travel is a state of mind, and it depends entirely on the choices you make and how you decide to enjoy your time.
Jointly, it’s not important to follow what everybody else does either, or to go where the crowds go ( unless there’s something there you want to see too).
Removing the rush and standing still even for a moment can reveal so much of a new destination and the culture and people within it, simply by letting your surroundings envelop around you and letting it tell you its story.
No quick glimpse. No Snapchat message.
A long, detailed book of new words, ideas, smells, tastes, sounds, and the people that create them all.
Slowing down by the Geneva’s lake and enjoying the sunshine
Why We Love Slow Travel
We adore slow travel today because we too were once those very same people who race through places, especially at the beginning of our journey three years ago.
We were probably spending only a couple of days per city and had very little contact with the locals and as a result we now want to return to some of these places to dedicate more time trying to enjoy it in a completely different way.
The more we’ve travelled and keep travelling, the more our priorities have changed.
Instead of wanting to tick off as many places on a list we now choose not to have one. There are still countries we’d love to see, but we’re in no rush to see them.
We want to embrace our surroundings and if it means sacrifice some activities and doing less, or seeing fewer countries in the process, that’s fine with us. In fact, we truly think that a big advantage of slow travel it’s that doing less is actually more.
We are looking for more meaningful experiences that can help us grow.
Travelling slowly also means trying to give back as much as we can to the communities by carefully choosing what we do and how we do it.
Being responsible and choosing low impact tourism is also part of what we define as slow travel.
We like to be aware of our carbon footprint and – if we really cannot avoid taking a plane in some circumstances – we make sure we do something else to balance it out; and whilst travelling slower from one place to the other may be largely stressful and a hated part of many people’s trips, for us it becomes another chance to observe the country we’re passing through, because it’s not planned, and not pre-organised for us.
Slow travel by train
For instance, with the pre-prepared and all-inclusive holiday packages that often offer everything you can possibly want (and so often you already have at home), people end up never actually leaving their comfort zones.
When we look at those methods of travel we see a complete absence of the unexpected. There is no anticipation, people that choose this kind of travelling know what they’ll do, how long they’ll be in a certain place, and even what their daily menu will look like even before they get there.
What will these people learn from their travels? Will they relax? Sure, they probably will.
Will they learn from anything about themselves or the local culture they were guest in? No, probably not.
If that’s what someone chooses to do, so be it. We all enjoy life in so multitude of different ways that one person may love, but another will detest. It’s all individual, and it’s those differences that make us all so special and worth travelling to meet – but for us any other way than slow travel would leave us both empty and incredibly bored.
Slow travel means we tailor our own trips, sometimes without any tailoring at all. It leaves ourselves open to the unexpected, unknown, and the yet-to-be discovered.
No one chooses what we eat. No one chooses what we do. Or how long we’ll stay.
We make our own adventure.
How To Slow Travel
There are many ways to slow travel, and none of them are perfect. In fact, that’s the point.
You can travel slowly for years like us, or you can travel slowly on a fortnight vacation or a long weekend because it’s about experiences, an attitude, and the impact we have.
It’s a mentality.
A simply first step is to do less, not more – especially if you’re short of time.
Connect with locals and do what they do. Spend a weekend at a homestay and do as they do.
A local craftsman working in Lecce
Learn a little of the language before you arrive, order something in a bar with no English menu, and enjoy the uncertainty of not knowing where the conversation is going.
Embrace the awkwardness of the situation.
Drop the travel guide and head in the opposite direction to where they’re pointing you. Go off-the-path and enjoy getting lost for a chance. You never know what unexpected fantastic places you might discover.
There are no “must-see’s” for us. There are popular places for tourists (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but we never feel compelled to see something just because a list told us to.
Sometimes we see them, but we won’t feel bad for skipping them either.
An off-the-path route we discovered
We also love to mix in a little bit of Couchsurfing, Airbnb, or other types of accommodation when we feel we need some alone time – and it’s even better if we’re going to be house sitting somewhere.
House sitting not only gives us somewhere cheap to stay, it also gives us the opportunity to really get to know our surroundings.
It’s exactly what we did in Berlin for instance, where we ended up spending 4 months last year exploring not only the more remarkable places in the city, but also its suburbs in both the East and West, giving us a more complete and better understanding of how the city works.
Since we started travelling we’ve became more adventurous. We like to say “yes” more to opportunities and challenge ourselves.
We are not the most adventurous people and we think you don’t need to jump from a 100ft bridge to fulfill your travels (unless you are into that kind of thing obviously), it’s trying to find adventures in the ordinary local daily activities that fulfill us the most and give us a more in-depth experience.
Again, the journey between places helps to deepen the travel experience, especially in the case of car sharing.
By using car-sharing – or even train-sharing – we’ve met many great people and, even if we took longer to get from A to B, it was never a waste of time. On the contrary, it made the whole journey even more memorable and worth talking about.
We understand that Couchsurfing isn’t for everyone, so there are different ways to connect with the locals like attending a local cooking course, joining a special tour, or other activities.
There are so many options that the fast growing concept of “sharing communities” offer to guarantee a more authentic and enriching experience.
For us the best and more important way to slow travel is to make our own itinerary based on what we like and how we enjoy it, with no stops along the way “because everyone’s going there”.
Walking the Fife coastal path in Scotland
Is Slow Travel For Everyone?
Believe it or not, but we’re not trying to convince everyone to change the way they travel.
We understand that we are all different and like to do things differently – but for those willing to forget about the set-travel mindset, make their own way of travel, and set their own pace; slow travel can be an incredibly eye opening thing.
As long term travellers it works perfectly for us because it helps us to avoid burnouts which, believe us, will happen sooner or later; but there are still people that might find slow travel not enjoyable simply because they love to run, they feel better, and are much more energized by cramming as many things as they can into their trips.
Some people love to have everything pre-organized and already set to be and find that less stressful. All they expect from a trip is to take it easy and not to worry about anything. They might not even be looking for a more rewarding experience but a mere holiday physically away from home, that’s all.
There’s really nothing wrong with that, but clearly for us it’s not enough.
We’re snails, and we’d never have it any other way.
Would you call yourself a slow traveller?
What a great article. I honestly didn’t know there was a word for it. I’ve honestly always believed in trying to get to know a culture when I travel. Even down to trying to learn the language. It’s good to see this becoming a “thing” and travel bloggers talking about this way to travel. If more people traveled like this, I think the world would a much better place, as things and people that are foreign wouldn’t be so intimidating to so much. Great post!
Sherisse recently posted…48 Hours in Ottawa – What to Do in Ottawa Over A Weekend
Well said. You just can’t experience a place if you just see it in passing. I don’t want a selfie in front of a landmark… I want to meet people and hear their stories.
Now it is not necessary anymore to see everything a place has to offer. We just chose something that interests us and enjoy it to the most. And at the same time meet some locals and take time to get to know their culture and habits. So let’s continue slow travelling. Cheers for the great post, Franca!
Exactly Clark, it looks like we like to travel and experience a place in the same way. Happy travel to you guys
Yes, To let Play our girl with locals, To know italian people in París, To have time for a nap in the hotel, To drink a beer slowly, To take time in a beach of northern france and play with the sand…. A lot of relaxing things…. That’s for me HOLIDAYS.
thanks.
Almu it looks like you have embraced slow travel completely. I understand you perfectly when you say that all those things mean having a relaxing and nice holiday for you, in my opinion too there is no better way to enjoy ourselves by doing it at our own pace.
Happy Slow Travel to you! 😉
Franca recently posted…The Oldest Road in Rome – How To Get To The Appian Way
Hello! My husband and I follow part of this slow travel lifestyle, but I want your opinions/advice also. We take things slow, like to take the paths less traveled, and love to explore. We are mainly people watchers from a distance. We are both introverts, thus it takes a lot of energy to interact with others and to be around others. It can be stressful. We have to have our quiet places to be alone a lot. It seems that you feel slow travel involves lots of interaction with locals. We tend to indirectly interact by observing…unless we are asking a question or ordering food for examples. We are more listeners than talkers. Do you think this is ok? Or do you think introverts could do the interaction part in some modified way as to not create a stressful experience?
Hello Chris, I am a huge observer too and people watching is one of my favourite things to do. I’m also quite introvert like you guys, since I started travelling though I tried to be more open to interactions without forcing it too much because I realized how much I was actually learning from them. I do appreciate and value my own privacy though, in fact when we couchsurf for instance, we do it only for a couple of days per times and mix it with apartment, hostel or hotel’s stays.
I think the interaction with the locals has improved our travel experience incredibly, it’s not always easy otherwise to find out about some hidden gems and really get to taste the local culture. It’s true that nowadays there are a lot online communities and groups where information can be found and shared, but the personal interaction is so much better for us.
I think if talking and mixing with the locals isn’t enjoyable for you, joining online groups might be a good alternative (there are many on FB and meetup for instance). If I was you I’d consider at least trying to do little things like joining a meal with locals, having a coffee with them or find some local guides that can show you around. If you really don’t like it and makes you feel unconformable than at least you can say you tried it. On the contrary you might surprisingly meet great people, have great fun and nice experiences that the online world cannot give you and it might even help you to feel less stressed about personal interaction.
One last thing, there is no problem in being more of a listener than a talker, not at all. I hope you guys find your balance and if you feel like you already have it, that’s absolutely fine, there are no set rules to slow travel, everyone does it differently.
Franca recently posted…Our 20 Tips for Slow Travel First-Timers
Great article, I love it. Far away from “5 things you have to….” We travel the same way and love to immerse ourselves in local life, love to have the real experience. And yes, it takes time. Really inspiring, thank you. Greetings from The Netherlands, Sabine
Sabine recently posted…Avalon schwebt über Edinburgh
Thank you so much Sabine, I’m glad you liked the article. You’re right about immersing ourselves in the local life and everyday activities, it’s definitely one of the best way to understand more of the places we travel to and it definitely fits the slow travel style.
Franca recently posted…Our 20 Tips for Slow Travel First-Timers
Great article, Franca. It’s hard to put one’s finger on slow travel (I’m writing an article right now about this, and will link to yours!) but you certainly have embraced it. I think what’s most important is realizing you can do it even if you can’t be as slow as you guys – doing it full time – or as I did – moving to the country I liked slow traveling in!
Next time you’re in Florence we MUST meet up. Let’s make it happen!
Alexandra recently posted…3 Last Suppers in Florence where you can dine this summer
Thank you so much Alexandra, I’m glad you liked the piece and thanks for linking to it when your post will be ready.
No matter what slow travel means for each one of us, the important thing is to find the right way to enjoy it on a long or short trip. I really believe it’s a state of mind and a travelling style that enrich our travel experience.
You’re right, next time we are in Florence we should definitely meet up 😉
Franca recently posted…Should We Avoid Travel To Controversial Countries?
Like some other travelers, I would say I’m somewhere in the middle. Slow travel is my preferred method. I’ve been living in Brazil doing slow travel for the past 3+ months and remain here until late August. We’ve done everything very slowly, and sparingly, and have really integrated into the Brazilian culture. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience. In general, I hate going on tours or going through a list of “must sees” as the only itinerary of a trip. I really just like to be in a place, eating its food, drinking its drinks, watching the way a typical day unfolds. I’ll do the occasional tourist activity, for example I’ll probably go to Sugarloaf when I’m in Rio this week because I’m a sucker for sunsets and expansive views and I missed it the last time I was there, but in general those aren’t my favorite things to do when I travel.
Before this trip, I fell into the category of only being able to take short trips due to vacation and because of the lack of time, trying to squeeze as much as possible into my time there (maybe not tourist attractions, but certain meals, neighborhoods, etc.) and it wasn’t always very enjoyable. This was a really great post and gave me reason to consider keeping up with slow travel in the future, even on shorter trips.
Kacy recently posted…Traveling Slow in Brazil
Hello Kacy and thanks for stopping by. It seems like you really like what slow travel means at least to both of us. As you said integrating in the local culture is the best way for me too to enjoy a destination and, like yourself, I do enjoy doing some more popular and touristic activities when I’m interested into them, there is nothing wrong with that. Slow travel doesn’t have to exclude anything we’d like to do, it’s the way we enjoy them that makes a difference.
Happy slow travel in Brazil!
Franca recently posted…Vegan? Love Travel? Join the New #vegantravel Twitter Chat
This is very interesting! I think that if I had the time I would do something similar. I’d love to really get to know the places I visit before moving on to the next.
Hello John, if you like the idea of slow travel you should try to apply it even on a short trip and if you do let me know how you liked it please. Having more time on your hands definitely makes a difference, but the way I see slow travel has more to do with how we do things and decide to enjoy them.
Franca recently posted…Vegan? Love Travel? Join the New #vegantravel Twitter Chat
Franca, a nice piece on what it means to engage in slow travel. When we have the opportunity to explore a place at a slow pace, that’s the approach we prefer as well. That might mean that we stay in a city along Croatia’s Dalmatia Coast for a few months, day-tripping, shopping where the locals do, being fortunate to better understand a culture, and have the time to establish friendships. Or, it might mean that we’re only in a spot for 3-4 days, as when we were in Bordeaux last summer. Instead of rushing from winery to winery, however, we had picnics, relaxed by the pool, and strolled – at a leisurely pace. 🙂
Tricia recently posted…Conquering Montenegro’s Kotor Fortress
Exactly Tricia! No matter how much time you have to explore a place, if few months or few days, it’s all about how you do it. As you said and proved it, slow travel is more a state of mind that can be applied to long and short holidays too.
Franca recently posted…Should We Avoid Travel To Controversial Countries?
Excellent post, Franca! There is no better way to travel and to learn about the local traditions, interacting with people you meet on your way. I find that the more we travel the slower we do it 🙂
Thank you so much guys, and you are totally right. It’s the same for us, the more we travel the slower we do it. it’s been three years since we’ve been on the road and we completely changde the way we enjoy the places we go to. At the beginning we were racing through cities without really taking much in, ours were very superficial visits. Now we would do it totally differently, slow travel is the way to go for us and we are happy this way 🙂
Franca recently posted…More Than Just Haggis – Vegan Restaurants in Glasgow
It’s the name of our blog so I hope we’re doing it right… 🙂 It’s been right for us, anyway!
We like to find interesting work exchanges (farms, community service projects, etc) when we travel. This gives us a pretty intense local experience while also teaching us valuable life skills, helping the local community, and saving us money. Wouldn’t do it any other way at this point!
Jen recently posted…Three days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
What you do and the way you travel is awesome Jen. We did some volunteering and it has been one of the best travel experiences we had so far, therefore I understand perfectly what you mean and why you like to take part to work exchanges or other community based projects. We’d actually love to have more of these experiences.
Franca recently posted…Our Slow Travel Guide to Scotland
Being a location independent entrepreneur, I spend a lot of time in destinations, and everything you’ve said is pretty much spot on. People need to slow down a bit instead of trying to collect as many destinations as they can!
Jeremy recently posted…Rome Travel Advice: What I Wish I Knew Before My First Visit
Thanks Jeremy, for us slow travel is the best way of travelling and experiencing everywhere we go to, at least we try to do so.
I understand though if people prefer to travel differently, sometimes they might only want to get away from their everyday lives and do nothing but enjoying a day by the pool or jumping from one site to the other to cram in as much as possible. That’s also fine if it’s what they want to. I personally enjoy the slow travel way and I wouldn’t do any other way.
Franca recently posted…Walking the Fife Coastal Path – The “Scottish Cinque Terre”
I do the slow travel thing as much as I can. It is more resource-consuming, but far more enjoyable than “touristy-hasty” traveling.
I stay as long as I can to experience all the nuances of any particular destination. The people, the culture, the food… but even the roads, the pavement, the smell of the air, the vehicles, the birds, the cats and dogs, the decaying old walls, street art and countless other “ingredients”. To me, this is what traveling really is about!
I really like your attitude towards travelling, how you enjoy the local culture and everything that belongs to the places you visit. It really reminds me of our way of travelling, there are many similarities in fact.
As you said slow travel might even be more resource-consuming but it’s way more enjoyable for us that we wouldn’t travel any other way.
Happy travels! 🙂
Franca recently posted…Five Pics and Tips For Glasgow
We’re slow travellers because we have the luxury of time on our hands and we don’t really like sightseeing so all our time in places we visit tends to be spent wandering around looking for food and chatting to people. It keeps us happy and we’ve met some great characters along the way.
But we love all sides and kinds of travel and were pleasantly surprised to take an organised market tour and cooking class in Thailand in Chaing Mai earlier this year – we learnt things that we’d never managed to discover in our previous 6 visits to Thailand. So sometimes it pays to just put yourself in the hands of the professionals and let them show off the thins they love about their country.
What I really like about this post though is about the mindset you describe – you can take that with you wherever you go and enhance whatever you are planning to do.
caryl recently posted…Our guide on how to enjoy the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Thanks Caryl and yes, the mindset is what makes the difference. In fact no matter where you go, how many places you decide to visit or not and what you decide to do and experience, it’s all about how you do it. In fact I truly think that what I like to call ‘slow travel’ can be applied also to short trips and holidays, because it’s not about the time we spend in a place but what and how you enjoy our trip.
Franca recently posted…What Is Slow Travel? – and Why We’ll Never Travel Another Way
Love this post! I am absolutely a slow traveler. My recent trip in Kashmir was totally slow. I spent almost 2 weeks there, but I can’t count many places that I went to. I chose to mingle with people, soak in the atmosphere and just observe.
Renuka recently posted…My Experience Of Travelling Alone In KASHMIR
That’s what we like doing too Renuka! For us slow travel is more about immersing ourselves in the local culture, mix with the locals and observing as you said. It doesn’t matter if we see one, two or more places, but how we do it.
Franca recently posted…8 Vegan Restaurants in Barcelona We Think You’ll Love
“There are still countries we’d love to see, but we’re in no rush to see them.”
Love that phrase. Well put.
But, on a bit of a critical note, I’d say leave out the stuff about how other people travel (packaged tours and such). (Maybe unintentionally) it makes your way of travel sound superior. I hope you don’t feel that way. There is no best way. To each their own. Not everybody goes on a trip to learn something about a place or themselves. Maybe they just want to relax.
You explain this, in other words, farther down in your blog, but I’d say just leave it out and focus on your own way of travel. It would make this piece so much stronger, I feel. Just my two cents, hope you don’t mind.
Hi Karin and thanks for your comment. I’m totally with you when you say that everyone has its own way to enjoy travelling. I don’t feel superior to anyone and I’m sorry if I gave that impression to you, I just mentioned other ways of travelling (including all-inclusive, etc..) to make people understand what it doesn’t fit with my way of travel. I wanted to compare what I like and what slow travel means to me with a totally different way of travel altogether.
I understand if people go on holiday with the intention of doing nothing but taking some time off from their daily lives and routines, I’ve been there myself. I know slow travel isn’t for everyone and there is nothing wrong in that, not everyone enjoys the same things I might do.
Franca recently posted…More Than Just Haggis – Vegan Restaurants in Glasgow
I think a lot of this advice is just good advice for life in general! I’m trying to say ‘yes’ more often in my daily life, as saying no is easy and has become a habit, which I do almost without thinking sometimes! I absolutely agree with all this, Franca, but especially about ditching the ‘must-sees’: see and experience what interests you, don’t be governed by other people’s expectations of what you should do. And again, I think this applies more widely than just to travel, but to life! Great article!
Sam recently posted…My Top 10 Vegan Restaurants in South East Asia
Thank you and yes, you’re right Sam. Not following what everybody else is dong or saying (unless it’s what we really want to) should be applied to the everyday life. In our case travelling and being nomads is part of our routine and lifestyle therefore slow travel is the way we chose to live at the moment.
Franca recently posted…Our Slow Travel Guide to Scotland
Such an interesting article. Im slow traveling the world with my son and I certainly appreciate a lot of the points you make. Sometimes traveling to a place is more about absorbing its energy then it is visiting every single site. I mean how many times have you actually lived in a city and visited every site? We are currently spending 3 months in Zagreb, Croatia and look forward to absorbing the local cafe culture to the max! Happy slow travel. Anna + Oscar
Exactly what I meant Anna, as you said immersing ourselves in the culture of each place we visit is way more important that trying to see every single site, at least it is for us. Thanks a lot for your comment and for taking the time to read the post.
Happy slow travel to you two as well Anna and Oscar, and enjoy Zagreb!
Franca recently posted…How to Help (and Not Just Cope) When Your Hotel Isn’t Vegan
I would call myself an efficient traveler and a slow expat. I’ve lived in Riga for a year now and still haven’t been to all the major tourist attractions or museums. I’m taking my time, savoring experiences, meeting locals, and getting to know my new home slowly. It’s been glorious!
But when I travel, I’m usually with my husband and it’s often over weekends due to his work schedule and vacation time. So we’ll go to Brussels for a weekend and try to see what’s important to us without rushing around trying to see literally everything. Museums, history, and food are important to us, so we make exploring those interests a priority. If he can take a full week off, we’ll go to one city and stay there. We recently spent a week in Istanbul and some of my friends were stunned that we didn’t go to Ephesus or Cappadocia during that short time. So I guess in a way you could say I’m a slow traveler!
Heather @ Ferreting Out the Fun recently posted…Swooning Over Spring in Riga
Oh yeah Heather, you are the perfect example that slow travel isn’t necessary related to long-term travel. You and your husband make the most of your short holidays by choosing what to do and prioritizing based on what you want to experience.
The way you spent the week in Istanbul is probably what I’d have done myself too. Not everyone has the time to stay in each place for months or long periods of time, that’s why it’s so important to spend some quality time and choose it over quantity of attractions to see.
This is what slow travel is all about, meaningful experiences even if it means doing less, over rushing and trying to see everything.
Franca recently posted…Should We Avoid Travel To Controversial Countries?
Hi Franca,
I love how you’ve embraced what you love and don’t try to push it on others. I think it takes time to discover what kind of a traveler you are, and what kind of travel is meaningful to you. For some people it’s luxury, for some it really is the selfie in front of the big famous thing (whatever it is). Who am I to judge? The important part is to discover why YOU love travel. And you have!
As a bit of a coincidence we just wrote a post about Why You Want Travel to be Meaningful. I think you’ve already found it though!
Heather Sinclair recently posted…Why You Want Travel to be Meaningful
Thanks Heather! You are so right about finding a meaningful way to travel and yes, we are all different. I know many people that enjoy having the all-inclusive holiday and others like myself that like travel totally independent instead.
Slow travel is our way to have meaningful memories and experiences, but as you said it’s not for everybody.
Franca recently posted…5 More Travel Tips for Barcelona
Hi Franca! Thanks for sharing your experience. I can see why your way of traveling have evolved over time, given the reasons you mention here. I must say I definitely agree with the connecting-with-people factor. In fact, I’m such a slow traveler that I’ve been talking with locals in the same country for years now… I’ve become so slow I no longer move out! Maybe one day I’ll go live in another country, and it will be slow all over again.
Lou Sarabadzic recently posted…Day 290
There is no scheduled and set time when it comes to slow travel, that’s why I think it can be even done on a short trip because it’s all about the way we travel and the experinces we have. We shouldn’t feel the pressure of rushing from one place to the other (unless we want to), we should simply enjoy and immerse ourselves in the moment we are living instead.
Thanks for the comment and happy slow travel! 😉
Franca recently posted…Torre Bellesguard – A Tour of Gaudi’s Forgotten Masterpiece
Hi Guys,
Yes, I agree that slow travel is a great way to get a real sense of a country and coming away with a better experience. I met so many people whizzing around South East Asia recently and seemed to not have time to sit, relax, and have a meaningful conversation about their experiences. But staying in Siem Reap for two months and spending two days simply cycling away from the centre, towards the more village and rural areas was not only a chance to meet locals, laugh with the happiest children in the world, and stay with families..it was also a chance to reflect on my own experience of the country, how it inspired me and my views about what it means to travel.
The resources that you have highlighted also ring true. I’d mentioned to you guys before that I once Couchsurfed in a converted warehouse and ended up staying there for 4 months with a slow travel intention. This gave me the chance to really connect with the other fourteen or so people who were living there. Working for Greenpeace, students, artists, anti-politicals, eco-friendlies. They really opened my mind and helped me to learn more about sustainable living and living in a way that is more about shaping yourself and finding your place in the world rather than being given a place.
So going slow is certainly a way of travel I prefer and i’m happy to hear that you guys do to. It sounds like it really suits you both, as it seems that in your recent articles you are taking time to digest and gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of your experiences drawn from the places you visit. Thanks for sharing guys!
James
Hello James, what you said is exactly what I mean and the experiences you had and shared with us are the perfect example on how slow travel can really make a difference to the whole trip and to ourselves too.
It’s not taking a shot of the Brandenburg Gate that I’ll feel fulfilled, surely looking back at that picture might bring up memories, but there are tons of photos online I could look at. What it’ll really mark my trip are the people I met, the journey itself and the experiences I had, those are the things that can make a destination memorable, more than its attractions, which I might still want to see.
I remember you talking about your Couchsurfing experience in the warehouse that turned into a more than a couple of days stay, that should be inspiring for other travellers that are willing to try to slow travel and immerse themselves in the culture of the places they visited, leaving richer and perhaps happier.
Franca recently posted…What Is Slow Travel? and Why We’ll Never Travel Another Way
Perfect read, Franca! 🙂
This is just how I like to travel. Thank you for making my thoughts things. 🙂 Cheers to the wandering spirit!
Thanks Jaspreet, I’m glad you enjoyed the post and also that we share the same thoughts.
Happy slow travel!
Franca recently posted…Driftwood – Our Journey From Concept to Vegan Travel Magazine
Slow travel is the best way to go IMO. The experiences are so much richer, and we have so many fun memories because of it.
I loved your comment about not having any must-sees. It took me a bit to get past the notion of having to see all the popular spots in an area. I’m perfectly fine missing some of the “big ticket” items and instead stumbling upon some really cool cafe, statue, whatever in some nondescript neighborhood. Those are my preferred adventures.
Talon recently posted…Budapest Zoo Cafe, a real treat for animal lovers
Exactly Talon! I know you two also love slow travel and have been enjoying it for a while that’s why you understand perfectly what I wanted to express here. There is nothing wrong in wanting to see popular attractions and trying to cram as much as possible in a short time, it’s just not for us. I’m so glad we moved away from the fast pace travelling style, as you said, thanks to slow travel we have incredibly richer and more memorable experiences.
Franca recently posted…Walking the Fife Coastal Path – The “Scottish Cinque Terre”
Couldn’t agree more about fully immersive experiences and slower traveling. While we have sped up recently because of business, our preferred method and one we are returning to, is to take our time. It is so nice when the local people start to recognise you as part of the scenery and they nod and chat. Because we go to Nozawa Onsen in Japan every year the local people know us, and it is so nice when they know that we are back. We have no desire to tick everything off our list just because it is there. I don’t not want to see iconic things, I do, but what I seem to remember most are things like the brussel sprouts we had with some local people in a Ghent cafe.
Paula McInerney recently posted…7 Surprising Reasons Why You Need to Downsize from your McMansion
It’s so true Paula, it’s lovely when the locals recognize you and actually treat you like one of them, it really makes a difference and make you feel part of a community. When we housesat in a tiny village in Spain for three months, the lady at the local bakery knew exactly what I was about the buy, like the lady at the veggie stall at the weekly market that always welcomed me with a smile and patiently listened to my poor Spanish.
Like you said, those are the things we enjoy the most and the memories that will stick with us, that’s why we love slow travel so much and cannot think of travelling in any other way.
Franca recently posted…More Than Just Haggis – Vegan Restaurants in Glasgow
Totally agree and it’s definitely the way I want to travel, great read! The past month in SE Asia has been crazy for me, jumping from country to country but it’s because I couldn’t find any town where I actually wanted to stay longer than a few days. I long for staying enough time in one place to unpack my bag! Right now I’m in Cambodia and without knowing anything about it, I’ve come to put my hopes up for Kampot, which almost seems like the sleepy town without too much to do that I’ve been looking for (even if I’m a beach town person). Oh, and any suggestions would be really appreciated! Cheers!
Martin recently posted…Paradise fail: Things you should know before going to Ubud, Bali
Hello Martin, I think you are doing the best thing by trying to stop in Kampot for a little while, sometimes the places more unknown can turn to be also the more interesting. We haven’t been in Cambodia yet so I wouldn’t know where it’s the best place to stay for a prolonged period of time, just follow your judgement and gut and surely it’ll work out. Slow travel is also that, exploring and discover what isn’t necessarily popular.
Good luck and happy slow travel!
Franca recently posted…Our Slow Travel Guide to Scotland
Since I first started traveling about 10 years ago, I’ve become more and more of a slow traveler. I honestly cringe when I think about how quickly I blitzed through Europe during my first and only visit in 2005. Six countries in three weeks? London in 24 hours? That seems crazy to me now. It’s not to say that I didn’t have a valuable experience, but now I realize that I didn’t really experience those countries or learn as much as I could have had I moved slower. One of the things I loved the most about my year-long trip was that I could move really slowly or even set up shop if I wanted. You’re right that it helps to avoid burnout and it allows you to really get to know one place.
Justine recently posted…6 Kickass Places to Visit in Bali
Wow, six countries in three weeks is pretty fast. It reminds me of when we started this long term travel, we passed through 5 countries in just over twenty days. As you said that was way too fast, tiring, stressful and didn’t leave us much at all. It’s not by visiting a city for a couple of days that you can learn about the culture of the country or even the city itself.
It looks like we both learnt the lesson and appreciate more slow travel and everything that comes with it.
Franca recently posted…How to Help (and Not Just Cope) When Your Hotel Isn’t Vegan
I definitely prefer the slow route! I find it depressing taking selfies in front of monuments, realizing that mine is just variation number #1,573,251,584 of the same exact photo that every tourist takes. Even when visiting “must-see” sites, I try to walk around slowly, spend more time in the quiet forgotten corners, and take photos from unusual or interesting angles. And absolutely, getting the scoop from locals is a must. In more off-the-beaten-track destinations, it’s the only option! Thanks for this article. 🙂
Theo recently posted…Top 10 Books to Read on the Road
Thank you Theo for reading. Like for yourself, for us the connection with the locals is almost essential. The best memories we have are related with interesting and enriching encounters which often created life-long friendships too.
Keep enjoying slow travel!
Franca recently posted…Torre Bellesguard – A Tour of Gaudi’s Forgotten Masterpiece
Love the post. I’ve taken a year off to travel and live abroad. After the first couple of months of moving around, I was a bit burnt out and just needed a place to hang my hat for awhile. I’ve been in Chiang Mai for 2 months now and I love the slow travel pace if you will. Like you mention, I certainly enjoy getting immersed into the local community. There’s a whole lot left for me to explore here, but I enjoy the simple and daily moments of getting to know all the local shop keepers and melding into the city. Always enjoy reading your stuff 🙂
Wayne Seto recently posted…India Survival Guide: 30 Tips To Make Your Travels Easier
Thanks Wayne, I know exactly what you mean when saying that there is a lot to see and explore but the more simple and ordinary activities are the ones you enjoy the most. Just as an example, I remember once we stayed three months in a very tiny village in Spain, it was lovely to go to the weekly market and trying to speak and practice my little Spanish with the girl that kindly correct me to make me improve.
Happy slow travel and enjoy Chiang Mai!
Franca recently posted…Should We Avoid Travel To Controversial Countries?
Happy to see so many other slow travellers in the comments! It is truly a state of mind! Leaving the social media behind, truly experiencing a place through locals is the best way to learn about the culture and/or place! Happy slow travels everyone!
Thanks Els and happy slow travel to you too! You’re right, it’s lovely to see so many other think alike and trying to get the best and more memorable experiences from their travels.
Franca recently posted…5 More Travel Tips for Barcelona
I can so relate to this article. For both of us, slow travel is the way to travel at the moment. When I was younger, I wanted to do and see everything at the same time. I thought I would relax when I would return home and think about the trip. But in the end you never do. Slow travel for us is all about soaking in the moment during travelling, not afterwards.
Now it is not necessary anymore to see everything a place has to offer. We just chose something that interests us and enjoy it to the most. And at the same time meet some locals and take time to get to know their culture and habits.
So let’s continue slow travelling 🙂
Sabine recently posted…7 Travel quotes to inspire you to travel the world
Exactly Sabine! What matter for us too it’s not the amount of places we visit but how we explore them, the experiences we have and the connections we make. Ticking off some places from a list doesn’t leave us much memories, perhaps we’ll remember more the journey to get there and what it’ll happen to us on the way that the actual attraction itself.
Happy slow travel to you two too!
Franca recently posted…What Is Slow Travel? and Why We’ll Never Travel Another Way
Totally agree with all this. We’ve been doing it the past year, staying in places like Prague, Nong Khai, and Split for periods of over 2 months minimum (with a lot of little side trips). But having a base has grounded us and we’re just enjoying travelling and living as locals.
We were reminded how much we enjoying slow travel a couple of weeks ago when we decided to ‘fast’ travel for 2 weeks to catch a flight home. Left Split and went through Zadar, Plitvice, Zagreg, Ljubljana, Piran and Trieste before flying out of Venice. We got stressed, tired, and irritable – and it just proved to us that we don’t like travelling that way anymore.
Slow travel the way to go!
Frank (bbqboy)
Frank recently posted…Why Zadar is worth a (short) visit
Oh yeah Frank, you’re right slow travel is the way to go, I cannot even think of fast travel , it’s not for us, not anymore. If there are the rare occasions when we have to move faster like you did to get to Venice to catch your flight, we don’t enjoy it and as you said we end up being tired and stressed.
Now that we discovered what slow travel is and its benefits, it’s hard to do in any other way.
Franca recently posted…What Is Slow Travel? and Why We’ll Never Travel Another Way
Hi Franca and Dale,
Slow travelling (and life) is a lifestyle, right? Like choosing to live a coherent life in general. You have to be strong indeed and brave to live like that. Most people fear to miss out or not to be considered smart enough, there is so much pressure from just about everywhere. I prefer people who are living an authentic life, no matter what they are up to. Like the ones who book trips to stay in build-up places like e.g. Costa Brava, they are the people who love package travel because they are probably too scared to go to (wherever) on their own. At least they are honest, it is who they are.
The people who are strict vegetarians or vegans but swim with dolphins or visit zoos and the circus? The ones that are flash packers and travel to 40 countries in a year? (The other day a guy told me proudly that he is a flash packer, I had no idea what that is. He looked at me like I live on the moon. I am really happy to be like this, but I am content with what I do and don’t need to follow just about every trend to be cool). The ones that state to be real travellers but complain when the train is late or the food on the plane is only lukewarm?
Oh dear, I feel sorry for them, they change direction like a flag in the wind, and I hope one day they will find out who they are and can stay true to themselves.
The week before last in Madrid I cancelled a date with a person (from Madrid) because I wanted to visit a museum. Last week some Americans were in Berlin but couldn’t meet up because they were so engaged in their sightseeing schedule. It was then that I realised that in hindsight it is complete silly of me to cancel that date with the lady from Madrid. Once more I think we should all talk more to each other to keep it real.
Hope to see you guys soon again, to talk about donkeys and about how to live a happy life …
P.S. I have yet to visit the East Side Gallery.
Dorothée recently posted…Madrid. 4 exciting boroughs with 4 fantastic markets
What? You haven’t seen the East Side Gallery yet? It’s typical though, it’s so easy not to go and see what is so close to us, like me for instance, there is so much of my own country I haven’t seen but I’d love to. Anyway your right, the way we choose to travel is entirely personal and there is nothing wrong preferring the all-inclusive holiday instead of the way I travel, the only way I truly enjoy. I’ve been racing through places too and I know that it’s not for me, slow travel really fulfills me.
P.S. Next time we are in Berlin we’ll go to the East Side Gallery together perhaps 😉
I think I’m in the middle. I’ve been liking more to travel slow, prioritizing experiences over the-must-see’s. I also love staying at airbnb’s especially the ones with the host staying at the property with us and have chats exchanging stories of each other’s culture. I just had a month-long trip to Greece with my husband, and we are from Indonesia. A lot of people would suggest us to go to more countries while we were in Europe, but we decided not to, because we simply wanted to immerse a bit more in the one country I’ve been dreaming for so long. At the end, we’re the ones who traveled and feel contented afterwards. Because we did what we felt like to. However, we did plan the itinerary (what cities or islands to go and the dates) because it’s required in the process of getting a visa. But activities-wise, we only had a short list of things we really wanted to do, and the rest was played by ears.
And it’s true what you said, how one travels is totally up to them. We all have different needs including on traveling, so I don’t tell people how to travel. A busy corporate person might just need a laid-back vacation in a resort to get them relax and have a good life, who knows.
vira recently posted…Another Post About Ubud Activities Because It’s Just Charming – Ubud, Bali
You’re right Vira, slow travel isn’t for everyone and sometimes it’s necessary to do some planning like in your case, but that’s fine because, as you said, you still had plenty of freedom in deciding what you wanted to do.
There is no perfect formula for slow travel, everyone does it as it fits best for them.
P.S.: So jealous you spent a month in Greece, that must have been epic!
Franca recently posted…Five Pics and Tips For Glasgow
I would definitely call myself I slow traveller! I’ve been travelling/living in different countries for the past 10 years and I have only visited 20-something countries. Whilst there is still so much I want to see I don’t feel the rush to do so. I have spent 2,5 years in the US, over 4 years in Germany and since the last 8 months I’ve been living in New Zealand. This is really the experience I appreciate. I was able to work with the locals, learn the local language and really discover places that I would have never even known about if I went there for a short period of time. I always encourage people to take is easy and try not to cram to many things into a short intinerary because it just causes stress.
Marta Kulesza recently posted…10 BEST DAY HIKES ON NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND
I hear you Marta, and no one better than you with such a rich past experience can be a better example of how slow travel can really leave a mark and give a more in depth travel experience.