"Slow Travel' - An Overview
Traditionally, most holidaymakers travel on a pretty short-term basis. Short quick breaks are culturally and societally the ‘normal way’ to travel. Taking a week off from work, catching a flight, staying in a country for 6 nights and then back home. Or even for the longer round-the-world’ers, you might spend three days in Paris, seeing all the museums and the Eiffel Tower. Then hop on over to Venice to explore the canals, then a few days in Amsterdam to soak up the coffee shops for a couple days, and so on.
Most people who’re backpacking, sightseeing or on family vacations don’t spend more than a few days in any one spot, blitzing through the tourist attractions and move on to the next or head home. Slow travel is the opposite. Instead of spending a few days in one place, you spend weeks or months in each place.
The Slow Travel Mindset
The difference between fast travel and slow travel is in the mindset.
The fast travel mindset goes something like this: “Our vacation is limited in time and we need to see everything there is to see as quickly as possible and squeeze as much value out of this trip as possible.” The slow travel mindset is more like this: “I’m going to really get to know this city and this culture. I’m going to take the time to really soak it in.”
Instead of looking for attractions and tourist destinations, slow travelers are often happy to just wander around a new country and see what happens. It’s more about letting the country in, than seeking out the next popular attraction.
Why Travel Slow, though?
There are many reasons to travel slow instead of fast.
For one, it can be much less stressful. Trying to bounce from city to city every few days, with booking accommodations and transportation as well as planning action-packed days, can be incredibly stressful and admin-heavy.
You’ll also learn more from each experience. You really only do get a sneak peek or a taster to whet the appetite when being in a city for three days. Spending longer in a place can be marvellous for experiencing it on a deeper level but also to nurture personal growth, opening our minds and discovering a different way of seeing the world.
You can also save a lot of money. Booking buses cost money. Visas between countries often cost money. Booking fees on hotel sites cost money. Also, booking hotels or hostels by the week instead of by the day is often significantly cheaper.
Finally, it can be a lot more enjoyable. Bouncing from city to city can be super fun, I’ve done it, and still love it occasionally! But being in one place for longer allows you to build deeper connections and really explore a culture, and even build a network of friends and contacts.
Is it for you?
It really depends on who you are and what your style is. If you have the time and the inclination, slow travel can be an incredible new way of seeing the world. If you’ve only traveled fast before, now might be the time to try this unique way of traveling!
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