The Importance and Pleasures of Slow Travel

The history of Slow Travel is closely linked to the Slow Food movement, which began in the 1980s in Italy under Carlo Petrini. Driven by concerns for locality, ecology, and quality of life, Slow Travel has gained popularity over the past decade. It will continue to grow as the need to reduce our carbon footprint becomes more vital to our lifestyles.

The Slow Food movement was created to prevent local food cultures and traditions from disappearing. It aimed to raise public awareness about the food we eat, its origins, and the impact our food choices have on the world around us.

Similarly, Slow Tourism encourages travelers to slow down and often do less in order to gain a deeper understanding of their surroundings, the local community, and authentic culture. Visiting famous locations doesn't necessarily mean one has truly experienced a place.

There is a deeper need to explore, and you’ll find that serene locations with a steady rhythm of life are immensely soothing, helping to calm frayed nerves. Slow travel offers a chance to rediscover yourself. The primary purpose of travel is to relax and enjoy, which is at the core of what everyone seeks. However, when traveling "fast" to check everything off your to-do list, you may end up even more exhausted. Slowness is not about being anti-speed; rather, it embodies qualities of rhythm, pace, tempo, and velocity, fostering a harmonious relationship between the traveler and the world.

Dickinson and Lumsdon (2010) define Slow Tourism as:

‘A conceptual framework that involves people who ‘travel to destinations more slowly overland, stay longer and travel less’ and who incorporate travel to a destination as itself an experience and, once at the destination, engage with local transport options and ‘slow food and beverage,’ take time to explore local history and culture, and support the environment.’

1) It Educates Us

There is an old saying: “It’s the journey that counts, not the destination.”

This is excellent advice when embarking on a slow travel expedition. By slowing down and remaining open to the wide range of experiences that unfold before you, you can fully embrace the journey rather than focusing solely on the destination. Along the way, you’ll learn valuable lessons that will stay with you for a lifetime.

2) To Be More Relaxed Is The Need Right Now 

When we are fully in the present moment, we are free to enjoy everything that surrounds us. There’s no strict agenda to follow, no rush to get to the next thing. Constantly hopping from one location to another can be incredibly hectic. This is where Slow Tourism comes into the picture—it encourages you to take your time, allowing you to focus on one destination at a time. The idea is to reconnect with the importance and pleasures of traveling slowly, in a balanced way, which is not only healthy for you but also for the local community.

For instance, you can wake up in the morning and head to the beach, go shopping nearby, relax at your hotel, or rent a motorbike and go for a ride. The key is that you have the freedom to follow your instincts and do whatever feels right in the moment.

One thing is certain: when you live in the moment and accept things as they come, your sense of detachment increases. You experience each moment without reacting negatively if things don’t go exactly as planned. You begin to move more spontaneously and organically. This Zen-like attitude is far more relaxing than obsessing over a tightly packed itinerary filled with must-see tourist hotspots. By embracing the Slow Travel philosophy, you can breathe, slow down, and fully enjoy everything around you.

3) Easy on the Pocket

With Slow Travel, you spend more time in one location, saving on transportation costs that would otherwise go toward hopping between destinations. You can choose to stay away from overpriced tourist areas and instead take advantage of local services in more affordable neighborhoods. Plus, being a friendly tourist in a community of locals often opens up hidden perks and authentic experiences.

4) To Get Richer Experiences

When you travel at a slower pace, you can start paying attention to what’s happening around you, rather than focusing on what you expected to see. You may experience fewer things, but each one becomes more meaningful. This allows you to appreciate the value of quality over quantity. As a result, your experiences become richer, more intricate, and far more fascinating.

5) Eco-Friendly

By spending more time in one place, there’s less need to travel between multiple destinations. Long-distance travel is not only expensive but also harmful to the environment. It contributes to pollution through the emission of harmful gases from vehicles.

6) It Gives Real Time Knowledge

While engaging in slow travel, you gain deeper insights into everything related to your destination—such as which cuisine is best at which restaurant, which routes take you where, and the local languages, among many other useful details. It also helps you build stronger connections with the locals, which can be invaluable at any point during your journey.

7) To Experience What It’s Like To Live In A Foreign Country

Well, this level of understanding isn’t possible on a short trip. With slow travel, you have the opportunity to experience how your own society, culture, and traditions differ from those of the destination you're visiting. You also gain a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be an outsider and can explore these differences in detail.

8) Make Strong Connections

You’ll have time to meet new people and get to know them. Who knows—you might even make lifelong friends or meet your soulmate. Building strong relationships with the locals gives you valuable insights into the places you visit and the people who live there.

9) One Can Revisit The Places

Imagine if you visited a place you loved and had the chance to revisit it—how wonderful would that be? With slow travel, you don’t have to feel like you only have one chance to experience a destination. For example, if you forgot to take pictures of a beautiful view, you can always return and capture as many photos as you like.

10) Flexibility To Stay Longer At A Place

With slow travel, you have the freedom to stay in a place as long as you want if you love it. There's no need to rush off to another destination. And that’s the beauty of it! If you discover a new place you haven’t been to before, you can adjust your plans accordingly since you have the time to do so. When you're bound by tight schedules, it’s hard to enjoy your vacation truly. However, with slow travel, you can make the most of every moment.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was: go slow to go fast. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day, but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress. -Viggo Mortenson