The Art of Slow Travel: What It Is and How to Embrace It

In a world where fast food, instant messaging, ad skipping and next-day deliveries have become the norm, it's no wonder most of us travel at breakneck speeds.

We've normalised country-hopping across Europe in a couple of weeks trying to see everything. We'll book a cruise for the convenience of starting each day in a brand new destination without the hassle of getting from point A to point B.

It feels natural to strategically divide up every waking moment of our itinerary, making sure to tick off the top 10 tourist sights in each city and then post the proof on social media.

The #FOMO and #YOLO culture runs deep.

Now, if you ask us, there's no right or wrong way to see the world. But if you've ever returned from your travels tired, a bit sick and basically in need of a holiday, stay tuned. You might want to embrace the slow travel movement on your next trip.

• What is slow travel?
• The benefits of slowing down
• How to be a slow traveller

Slow travel, at its core, is about prioritising quality over quantity. It's visiting places for longer and moving around less while you're there. It's swapping superficial selfies and overcrowded tourist traps for hidden gems and an authentic experience off the beaten track.

A slow traveller might take their watercolour set with them on a hike because they want to spend some quality time with the views their camera can't quite capture. Or they might switch off Spotify while riding the bus to more deeply absorb the new culture they find themselves immersed in.

Slow travel rejects the pressures of a to-do-list-style itinerary packed with tourist attractions you feel obligated to tick off. Instead, slow tourism encourages us to travel at our own pace, prioritising meaningful connections and personal growth. It's about accepting that it's impossible to see everything in one lifetime and preferring to gain a deeper understanding of a few places than a fleeting, surface impression of hundreds.

Did you know slow travel has its roots in Italy’s slow food movement? In 1986, near the iconic Spanish Steps in Rome, a journalist named Carlo Petrini passionately protested the opening of Italy's first McDonald's. Petrini's method? Handing out bowls of penne pasta to anyone walking by.

His message was clear; fast food has no business in Italy.

Even though he couldn’t keep the Big Mac out of Rome, in advocating for the high-quality, homemade and sustainably sourced slow food Italy is famous for, Petrini successfully sparked the slow food movement.

As time went on, these principles shifted from food to other areas of life in what's now simply referred to as the slow movement or slow living. And eventually, this slow mindset filtered down into travel.

Still on the fence? Let's talk about the benefits of slow travel and why incorporating the slow mindset will help you get more out of your next holiday.

• Deeper connections: Spending an extended period in one place will give you time for more meaningful interactions and a better appreciation of local customs.
• Budget-friendly: Longer stays, fewer flights, local food options and less-touristy destinations make slow travel a more affordable option.
• Stress less: Normal life is hectic enough! When you travel slowly you'll find yourself more relaxed and less likely to experience “travel burnout”.
• Authentic experiences: When you ditch the pressure of ticking off every major attraction on the internet's bucket list you open your itinerary up for experiences more authentic to the local culture.

There you have it! By embracing the slow travel life you'll find yourself exploring the world less stressed and with more money in your pocket. If that isn't a win-win, we don't know what is. 

Speaking of benefits, another major perk of the slow travel movement is that it promotes sustainable travel practices and encourages a more responsible approach to tourism.

Booking fewer flights and staying in one place for extended periods is an effective way for travellers to reduce their carbon footprint and see the world more responsibly. Many slow travellers will also actively choose to wander down the road not taken rather than visit mass tourism hot spots. This off-the-beaten-track preference helps to combat the strain that overtourism is putting on some of the world's most visited destinations.

Slow travel emphasises connecting with and contributing to the local community when exploring a new place. Whether it be shopping at a local market and supporting small family businesses or taking part in a community tourism initiative, slow travel is a great way to give back to local economies and leave a positive impact on the destinations you visit.

Ready to bid farewell to fast-paced travel for travel's sake and adopt the slow life mindset instead? You're not alone! The slow living trend has been gaining momentum on social media ever since the pandemic.

Google reported four times as many views on YouTube videos related to "slow living" in 2020 compared to 2019 (check out our Slow TV playlist if you're looking for travel-related examples) and according to Pinterest, the search term "slow life" increased on the platform by 60% between September 2021 and August 2023.

While it's clear a lot of us are ready to call it quits on hustle culture, not everyone can afford to ditch the 9 to 5 or become a digital nomad and slow travel for months on end. But don't worry! There are plenty of ways to slow down your next holiday and incorporate the slow mindset.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: less is definitely more when it comes to travelling slowly.

Try cutting the number of destinations you're planning to visit in half — or better yet, spend your entire holiday in one place! Your experiences will be richer and you'll be less likely to leave feeling as though you've barely scratched the surface.

You'll also want to include less in the itinerary itself. Instead of planning out all the little details of your trip and bouncing from one attraction to the next, leave room for spontaneity. Having the freedom and time to meander down quiet streets or stumble upon incredible local food options not yet discovered by the internet is what slow travel is all about.

A lot of the best slow travel destinations can be explored mostly by public transport, on foot or even by bike. The important thing is that you embrace the slower pace.

If you do decide to visit multiple destinations on your trip, see if you can travel between them by train or bus instead of booking unnecessary flights. Sure, it'll take you longer... but that's kind of the point.

After all, the journey from point A to point B is just as much a part of travelling as the time spent visiting attractions. So, make sure you soak up the scenery along the way and maybe even stop to smell a rose or two!

Slow travelling is all about seeking cultural immersion over a quick thrill, so you're going to want to spend as much time engaging with the local community as you can.

Here are some of the best ways to do it:

• Learn as much of the local language as you can and talk to everyone! Local people will have the best suggestions about what to do in a destination and you're sure to meet some incredible characters along the way.
• Explore local markets and support small local businesses.
• Go out of your way to sample the regional cuisine.
• Jump at any chance to attend local events or cultural festivals.
• Give back to the community you're visiting through volunteer tourism.

By immersing yourself in the local way of life you'll gain a deeper connection to and appreciation for the place you're visiting, making for a much more enriching slow travel experience.

Ever been to a museum or gallery only to look around at a sea of smartphones taking a picture... of a picture? And let's be honest, how often do you look back at that blurry, slightly obstructed photo of the Mona Lisa sitting in your camera roll?

Now, we're not suggesting that you throw your phone into the first river, lake or fountain that you come across and take no pictures during your slow travel trip. We're just encouraging you to use it sparingly and in a way that doesn't detract from your experience in the moment.

Want to fully embrace the slow travel aesthetic? Take a journal with you and trade smartphone selfies for sonnets or sketches as a way of capturing meaningful moments. After all, you didn't travel around the world to look at it through your phone.

Our last tip is maybe the most the most important — there are no hard and fast rules to slow travel. It's okay to pick and choose which principles you'd like to adopt with the goal being just to travel more slowly than before.

If you're planning a trip to Paris and want to go right up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, baguette in hand, to put some change into the binoculars then that's exactly what you should do. After all, clichés become clichéd for a reason. But maybe you spend the rest of the day aimlessly wandering the cobbled streets to see where you end up or visiting a lesser-known museum to appreciate the work of an artist you've never heard of. As long as you're stepping out of your comfort zone, opening yourself up to more authentic experiences and making meaningful memories you're on the right, slightly slower, track.

Ready to embrace the slow travel lifestyle? Chat with a Travel Expert today!