Slow Travel ~ 7 Benefits And A Few Practical Tips

It would be difficult to talk about sustainable travel without exploring the concept of slow travel. Slow travel offers an alternative to the itinerary-packed checklist and more sustainable travel options.

What is Slow Travel?

Slow travel is simply staying longer in one destination. It incorporates getting to know a location better, exploring areas off the beaten path, and avoiding overly touristed spots. 

The opposite of slow travel is “fast travel” or “checklist travel,” which focuses on seeing as much of a place as possible in a short period of time.

The slow travel movement is modeled after the iconic “slow food” movement, founded in 1989 in Italy. That movement protested the rise of fast food and industrial food production. At its core, it was about preserving traditional and regional cuisines, eating locally and seasonally, and educating consumers about sustainability. 

The “slow food” movement encouraged guests to relax and appreciate the dining experience rather than rushing through a restaurant meal.  Similarly, the “slow travel” movement encourages guests and travelers to truly slow down to see the world.  It’s all about interacting with the place you visit. 

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Slow travel is forging personal connections and immersing yourself in the local culture. Instead of rushing through a checklist of activities, you can truly engage with your surroundings while reducing your carbon footprint. (This is always a good thing.)

You take fewer flights, spend more time in one place, use lower-carbon transportation (walking, biking, local trains, or buses), and make more sustainable accommodation choices.

By choosing slow travel, you are not just a tourist but a responsible traveler. You have the power to support local communities by participating in traditional activities, customs, or shopping locally. Your actions can make a real difference in preserving local cultures and economies.

Why Slow Travel Is Appealing To More Travelers

The return to travel post-COVID-19 has shown that travelers are changing their habits.  A recent study found that 94% of Americans want to experience slow travel in the future. 

The study also revealed that over half of Americans find vacations stressful, and three-quarters check work emails or take work-related calls while traveling. Nine in ten Americans prefer quieter destinations and would rather be in nature than shopping or beside the pool.

The study further found that Americans look forward to consuming local food and drink while on vacation, a key element in exploring cultures. Slow travel incorporates this idea more carefully and at a slower pace.

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7 Benefits Of Traveling Slower

There are countless benefits to slow travel, and here are just a few.

1)   It can save you money.

The more you move, the more you spend. Transportation is expensive, and itinerary-packed vacations can make moving about one of the bigger travel expenses.

Choosing how you move about the planet can also make a difference. You can reduce your carbon emissions and save money by walking, riding a bicycle, taking a train, or taking a local tour bus.

2)   You can learn so much more about a place.

You can explore its culture, art, music, and cuisine if you have more time in one location.

Immersion into the language and “living like a local” can give you a different experience in a location and allow you to connect better with the local communities.

3)  You can make better travel photographs.

As a travel photographer, I have gotten many of my best photographs by exploring a community more deeply, which usually has required me to stay longer in one place. It's difficult for me to capture a place and its people without spending time learning, talking with the local people, and going slower when I create photographs.

Today, I try to avoid the iconic “Instagram” shot locations. Although I have many iconic travel shots in my portfolio, they have never given me the full story of a place. Some of the best travel photography gives us a sense of a place, its people, and its landscapes. But telling the story takes time, patience, and, of course, the right light.

Exploring a region’s food, cultural traditions, and even life on the streets at a slower pace can help you take better photographs and tell better stories about a place and its people. 

4)  It's less stressful and healthier.

Airline travel, long lines, crowded places, rude travelers, and the environment can make a vacation stressful.  Often, people head out on vacation to escape their busy schedules and lives, only to replace it with full itineraries.  (Been there, done that).

Choosing slow travel can allow you to catch up on lost sleep, relax on your balcony, and slow life down. It allows us to breathe, become more mindful, and make deeper connections with those we travel with and the people we meet.

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5)  Less planning is involved.

Unless you have signed up for an all-inclusive tour or journey where someone has done all the planning for you, planning a trip to a location you have never visited can feel overwhelming. 

If you spend more time in one location, less planning is involved. Leaving gaps in itineraries and mindfully wandering can open up unexpected pleasures. Having the freedom to get off the beaten path rather than meeting the deadlines of a packed itinerary can be most rewarding.

 6) You can gain more cultural empathy and awareness.

Travel allows us a unique learning experience at every destination. When our itineraries are packed with only the "tourist spots," we may not be able to gain a thorough understanding of a location and its people.

When we allow ourselves more time in a place, we can practice the language, explore cultural values, and gain more insight into a community's environmental, social, and political challenges. Going even deeper and exploring the lives and challenges of the Indigenous communities can give us more insight into the places we travel to.

Trevor Noah said it quite well when he said, "Travel is the antidote to ignorance."

 7) Slow Travel is better for the environment.

I think most of us can agree that the less impact we have on the environment, the better. Traveling into local communities and leaving it as we found it, or even better, is a win for everyone.

Awareness of the strain or demand on natural resources, environmental challenges, and socioeconomic factors of a location makes us a more responsible traveler.

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace provide an easily understood framework to minimize our impact as visitors. It can be applied in the remote outdoors, big cities, and even our backyard.

A Few Practical "Slow Travel" Tips:

• Leave gaps in your itinerary.

• Choose quality over quantity.

• Connect with local people.

• Check out restaurants with only one item on the menu!

• Learn the language and use it.

• Get lost.

• Stay in one location longer.

• Choose the train and skip the plane.

• Avoid the tourist hot spots around the world.

• Visit less touristed countries.
  

SLOW TRAVEL IS WORTH A TRY

From my own experience...

A local Vietnamese woman I met after days exploring the train tracks of Hanoi.

There is a place in Hanoi, Vietnam, called "Train Street." Tourists venture in to take selfies, watch the train pass, grab videos, and rush to share on their favorite social media platform — a typical "tourist hotspot."

Several years ago, after spending days exploring the Hanoi Train Street area in Vietnam, I got to know a local woman. We enjoyed sitting next to one another each day and watching the trains pass us on the tracks in front of her home. We couldn't speak each other's language, but it didn't matter. We spent several hours simply sharing time.

I returned to Hanoi Train Street a year later, and she remembered me! Once again, we shared our time on the tracks for a few hours.

It's one of my most wonderful and meaningful memories over the years for me in Vietnam. And yes, each time I return, I search for my friend, hoping to relive that connection.

I would have never made this friend if I hadn't spent a few more days in Hanoi and slowed down. My friend's history and life couldn't be more different than mine, but we share one thing: human connection.

The great American poet, Maya Angelou, said it best,

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Until next time,

Marla