You have heard of the slow food movement, while now there is a slow travel movement. Slow travel is where you travel to a specific place or region and stay there to immerse yourself in the culture.
Along with the slow travel movement comes a desire to turn a vacation into a “cultural sojourn”. Instead of spending large amounts of money on decadent high end holidays, travelers are looking for journeys that have some meaning. Immersing one self in a country’s cultural and taking the time to experience a place has become the new way to travel.
Culinary tours, wine routes, art focused trips and cultural enlightenment is what travelers are looking for in tours. “Travel with a purpose” whether it is spiritual, intellectual or historically oriented, visitors want to take something more than souvenirs home with them and what better way to do this then to spend a longer period of time in one place soaking up the atmosphere and taking the time to really understand a foreign culture.
Slow travel promotes leisurely journeys that don’t necessarily follow set itinerates instead the traveler is encouraged to become a temporary resident, visit spots recommended by locals and search for meaningful quality experiences. Pauline Kenny of the website www.slowtrav.com defines slow travel as “Slow Travel is about independence, freedom from having to "see it all".”
Sometimes it is confused with green travel or extended travel but you don’t need to be “green” or take an extended holiday to participate in the slow travel movement. Although slow travel can mean taking alternative transportation such as a train, car, boat or even walking, it is not about reducing your carbon footprint. By participating in slow travel your carbon footprint will likely be reduced without any effort on your part as an added bonus to your experience. A slow travel experience in as short as a week, it is about quality not quantity.
Many slow travelers will stay in local accommodations such as guest houses, bed and breakfasts, or a holiday home rental of some sort. This helps you to make a local connection as you are staying in a place not just visiting it. Taking the time to explore the area where you are staying. Eat in the local deli or have a drink in the corner bistro or just wander through the streets and stop at the non tourist based shops.
Slow travel focuses on the journey, the freedom to plan your own experiences and the opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture. By staying off the tourist trails and making your own way with advice from the locals you will discover places and see things you would never otherwise have known about. Slow travel is about connecting to people and places and taking the time to enjoy your stay.
