How To Experience More With Slow Travel
It’s easy for us to feel the urge of visiting many places posted on social media. However, travelling is more than just paying a visit. It is an experience you can get that can be the best moment of your life. Some people travel just to take a selfie in a popular landmark and that’s it. Meanwhile, you can experience more than that if you travel slow. Also, slow travel is impactful not only for yourself but also for the local community and for the environment itself.
Be ready to experience more by travelling slow
Solo travel can be referred to as deep travel or immersed travel. It’s contrast to a drive by travel or passport stamp-collecting trip. To put it simply, slow travel is taking time when you travel to experience one place for longer. During slow travel, you not only visiting a place but experiencing the local culture firsthand. You experience firsthand interaction with the people living in the place you visit. You make personal connection with them rather than simply following the guide.
A way to support the local economy
Slow travel is also a way to support the local economy as you are encouraged more to eat local foods, staying overnight with local residents, enjoying dinner or lunch with them, or buying fresh produce from the local market. Slow travel also allows you to explore the off-beaten path instead of visiting only the popular tourist spots.
Slow travel is a journey rather than destination
You may find it corny or cheesy to hear it but slow travel is more of a journey than a destination. It is a mindset of slowing down the pace of your travel and seek out richer or meaningful experience along the way. You are not focused on completing a tour of an entire country in a short amount of time. You don’t depend on a long to-do-list to fully enjoy the trip because the experience is what matters when you are travelling slow.
Specific ways to incorporate slow travel
You can plan specific ways to incorporate slow travel into your itinerary. For example you are planning for a road trip. You can incorporate slow travel by taking road less traveled more and enjoying the experience of driving to your destination. Another way is by visiting less touristy place as it allows you to take time to immerse in your surroundings because it’s less crowded and more enjoyable.
How to travel slowly?
Travelling can make you feel like you are in a hurry especially if your itinerary is fully packed. Hence, it’s recommended to leave gaps in your travel planning. You can fill the gap with activities you do on impulse or that you can ask the locals for recommendations. It’s also recommended to travel slowly by staying with the locals as it gives you time to get to know people. It’s best to stay longer in one place to experience slow travel as it also helps reduce carbon footprint that is damaging to the environment.