In a world where speed is of the essence and incorporated into so many aspects of our lives, taking things slowly can almost be seen as eccentricity. We want faster phones, we go speed dating, we use AI to speed up our correspondence and then we speed read the ones we receive. We crave fast food, fall for fast fashion, go crazy for a bargain, and do speedy online shopping for just about everything. So, by the time we get to our holidays we want nothing more than to slow down. It’s hardly surprising, however, that many of us arrive and are unable to do so. This concept of slowing down is very much part of the slow travel movement, although there’s a lot more to it than that. So take ten, find some zen, and start to think slow rather than FOMO.
Where did the slow travel movement start?
It was inspired by the Slow Food movement, which started in Italy in 1986, when journalist Carlo Petrini, quickly (ironically) put together a protest against McDonalds doing its thing near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Enthusiastic epicureans who valued Italian food and traditions joined Petrini to form the Slow Food Movement which now has 160 countries in its membership. Sadly they lost the battle against the Big M, but they won at creating the biggest sustainable food movement ever seen.
“We try to do more and more with less and less time. We turn every moment of every day into a race to the finish line… I guess that the question is, is it possible to break free from that mindset? And thankfully, the answer is yes, because what I discovered when I began looking around, is that there’s a global backlash against this culture that tells us that faster is always better and that busier is best.” – Carl Honore, author of In Praise of Slow.
Faster isn’t always better and busier isn’t always best. Seek out the magic of slow.
Adding slow travel to the menu
The main drive of the Slow Food movement was to protect the cultural heritage of local food sourcing, as well as encouraging people to take time to understand and support food traditions. And they continue to do so to this day, with a massive world movement. The slow travel movement is a by-product of this. It doesn’t mean being inactive. It simply aims to steer people away from globalised to localised tourism, to a form of tourism that prioritises deeper cultural experiences over speedy ‘been there, done that’ tourism.
Here are eight easy ways to incorporate slow travel into your way of life, whether you’re going for a walk in your local park, or heading off on a challenging hiking holiday.
Travel the slow way
Going loco is not the crazy way to travel, it’s the best slow travel option. Taking the train gives you an opportunity to slow down, cut down on CO2 and also calm down before switching down a gear into holiday mode. Yes, it takes more time, yes it sometimes costs more and yes it can be complex to book. But we’ve made it easier by labelling all our holidays accessible by train, whether you’re based in the UK or Europe, or flying in from further afield and keen to travel onwards by train. We’ve also given you a load of train tips in this loco library.
Chocolate box choo choos in Switzerland.
Switch to slow mode
There’s an art to embracing slow practices in your life, and on holiday is one of the best times to get into that habit. The secret to slow is to try and focus on the here and now and what’s in front of your eyes. Rather than worrying about how the transfers are going to work out the next day, if you’ve packed the right things, or if the weather is going to ruin things. There are many great books on this subject, but one of the pioneers was Carl Honore in his book, In Praise of Slow.
Slow travel is ‘getting to know you’ travel
Even on our self-guided walking and cycling holidays, where the itineraries are designed to give you plenty of flexibility, and don’t pin you down to a timetable, it’s easy to overlook the people around you. You don’t always need to rush that chat with your driver to hit the hills, and the same goes with the leather maker in Crete, the olive producer in Spain, your Berber guide in Morocco or cycling guide in Vietnam. Slow travel is about communicating slowly and responsibly, staying open to people’s stories and preparing for a genuine cultural exchange.
One of the easiest ways to learn from and engage with local culture is to stay in small, locally-owned accommodations. And we use independently-owned hotels when possible, as long as they are conveniently located for your walking or cycling trail.
“Particularly welcoming was the Nderlysa guesthouse experience – talking to the family via their younger daughter. Their hospitality, eating inside their house, being entertained by a visiting musician and their local food was exceptionally good. Hotel Dini food was also special. All local people were helpful and attentive and we did exchange conversations in a very friendly manner -sometimes by signing and laughing! Basically we had a really wide-ranging, fascinating experience of a country and people. Thank you for all your care.” – Linda and Bob on our Hiking in the Albanian Alps holiday
Make slow food part of your journey
As many meals are not included in our natural adventures, the natural thing is to seek out slow food. And that’s exactly why we don’t provide a neat package, as we want you to go slow. In our trip notes, however, we give you guidance when possible on good local tavernas, trattorias, markets or more upmarket foodie hangouts that specialise in slow, local food. But just asking a local person is a good way to engage before you eat rather than making Google your go-to. Even better, ask the waiter what their favourite meal is.
Slow food on our walking holiday in Montenegro. The fish pretty much jump out of the water onto your plate.
Think slow-mo
There is no doubt that our attachment to phones, photo sharing and the Insta idyll has created a need to stop and shoot everywhere we go. However, the view won’t change if you choose to leave your phone or camera in its bag. And you don’t have to share it to savour it. Sometimes it’s good to think slow-mo in your life and photography, by taking pause rather than always taking photos. We share more thoughts about photography, and creating visuals with values in this blog.
Immerse yourself in the rituals of bathing culture in Japan. But take time to learn the etiquette first.
Slow down with your assumptions
Take time out to learn about a place before you go too, and see if you think it will live up to expectations. We have many blogs on cultural awareness which may help. Would you dare to take a hammam in Morocco for example? Or strip off in a Finnish sauna? Or do you get some of the cultural sensitivities of bathing in Japan, or travelling somewhere like Ireland, or in Muslim countries during Ramadan? The world is your oyster, but you can’t just yank the cultural pearl out of its precious shell and use it in a way that suits you. You need to slow down and soak it all up.
