The Art of Slow Travel

The Art of Slow Travel

By Allyson Volpe

As we race to our summer holiday destinations, trying to make up for the lost opportunities that COVID travel restrictions snatched from our lives, once again the conundrum of not having enough time on our hands seems to have crept into our reality.  Westerners are travelling with gusto in these months and European tourism is saturated.  The one thing that mass tourism forgot to pack is the idea of slow travel – quality over quantity.

One of the most important requirements needed to have a slow travel experience is a sense of curiosity.  Afterall, isn’t that why we long to experience a new destination in the first place, learning fascinating things about a culture, its foods, people and architecture?  Slow travel is a conscious practice that allows you the time to process the new insights and reflect upon fresh perspectives.  So put away your smartphone, stop posting on social media and look up to see what life is like around you.  Just like the Slow Food movement that was born in Italy in the 1980s, the art of slow travel is the savouring of the experience and its many flavours and nuances contained within.

It is the savvy traveller who chooses to leave behind the mentality of the way things are “done at home,” and accept the novel reality that is being presented.  The 4th century expression, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” was expressed for a reason.  A slow traveller is tolerant and open minded which are two other important qualities.

Instead of visiting a new place with a sense of entitlement and an arrogant attitude that your host country is there to serve you, slow travel is about having a sense of patience and thoughtfulness.   Afterall, the traveller is a guest in a new place, and an ill-mannered guest has been compared to fish on the third day that needs to be thrown out.  There are often new and sometimes challenging glitches that might test your patience.  A good set of manners will never lead you astray.

Slow travel is more sustainable.  Instead of having ten different destinations to tick off your box, why not choose only one or two?  This not only saves on the carbon footprint of transportation, but it allows you to go much deeper under the skin of the place you are visiting.  Spending more time in one place gives back to the local community and businesses, helping to sustain them and to spread prosperity.  Slow travel is about going to the local market and choosing gorgeous seasonal produce to cook for the evening meal. It is about engaging with people at the local café or shop. Taking time to hear the stories of people who live, work and create in a place gives you a sense of that place.

The slow traveller is a green traveller. Think of all the plastic waste bottles that are left behind due to water consumption and that afterwards residents have to pay to clean-up when you are long gone, not to mention their negative impact for the planet.   Conscious travellers bring their own reusable water bottles to replenish throughout their stay.

One of the greatest things about slow travel is that it doesn’t produce feelings of stress but allows for quieter and simpler itineraries.  Our everyday lives have enough pressure on them, why would we want to go on holiday to experience the same?  Why would someone want to host a stressful guest?  When you find your calm, you can then ripple it out to others.