It gets confusing when people say they want to embrace slow travel, but can everyone afford slow travel? If time is the most critical factor and if people have a limited amount of leave days while working full time, traveling slowly seems almost impossible. But then the pandemic happened, and one-day trips to cities where you arrive in the morning, explore all day, fly back at night or the next day no longer seems like an appeal especially where remote work has now become a movement, or even a workation. We are no longer serviced to schedule things and are open for more serendipitous moments that speak to us, and this is what essentially travelling slowly is all about. Slow travel now means the destination of “being there” is the most important part instead of checking off another bucketlist. Slow travel also means forgoing the usual list of places that travellers have been raving about for years, but choosing places and experiences because you have read about it in history books, or maybe it sparked an interest in you for your love for nature and wildlife.

How I Started Travelling Slowly?

Slow travelling was unheard of for me when I had a job and couldn’t do detailed travel trips. It can be hard dealing with sensory overload on the road, hence the two weeks trips or 5 days trips here and there were surface-level and rushed, they were sort of reminders for me to come back to these places and explore deeper and better. I also had itineraries and did sometimes take tours. But they used to bore me when I saw crowds after crowds pouring in. It was a huge disappointment when I travelled to the Great Ocean Road in Australia and realised I was barricaded in this safe air-conditioned van and only driving to checkpoints. The beauty of the Great Ocean Road is not the checkpoints but the journey. I missed the quiet and I wondered why am I going to places everyone is going to. I was enamoured by the Himalayas and the idea of using hiking or bicycle touring to travel the world slowly. No set agenda, no itinerary and basically no endpoint. The most I would plan is 5 days and I would carry my laptop (this was also when I had quit my job and was working remotely on my own). I started with the Himalayas in India for 3 months and was hooked! I paused, I connected with locals and wasn’t in a hurry to see all places. With that in mind, I became more conscious about how I was travelling — was it on foot, on a vehicle, or with a group and most importantly how am I spending my time. I finetuned it further to pacing. I realised it wasn’t only about pacing. It was about seeing what’s around you rather than looking down the road. Five years later, I am still addicted to hiking everywhere and cycling any chance I get. These trips not only changed my travel style, but it taught me to explore what’s around me and be aware of the smallest little things that have a huge impact on my life.

What Does Slow Travel Mean?

Previously, “Slow Travel” was not a travel trend and was hardly talked about. Today, during the pandemic, it seems like slow travel will be the norm going forward. It will also have a positive impact on the travel industry. People no longer want to do itineraries and tours but would want to travel at their own pace, live there a little, have a taste of the local culture and work while they can. A big part of travel is to really feel the local flow of life — I genuinely dislike just hitting up some museums or squares and calling it a visit.

What Is A Good Amount of Time Considered Slow Travel?

Two weeks is the minimum amount of time one needs to visit all the places in a city or country. Then another two weeks to get past a surface level understanding of culture, location and people. Ideally, I would love to spend 4 weeks per country. But that’s not a luxury for everyone, I believe two weeks is a great starter for anyone who wants to slow travel and work their way towards it. The next best extreme of slow travelling is spending 1 to 2 months. With zero plans and taking it as it comes, you’ll feel at ease and won’t be burdened by pressures to see all the must-see places. From a cafe stuffed with fine coffee to hills brimming with new trails, you never know what you might find. Even if you’re looking for staycation ideas as a couple to get away for a while, slow travelling is completely possible.

Why Is Slow Tourism Becoming More Popular?

There is a surge in slow tourism and a reason why it is becoming more popular. The main reason is because more destinations are focusing on environment and heritage experience. I would say the approach towards slow tourism has also been triggered by people’s changing jobs, lifestyle and patterns. Remote work is one major contributor and also the forced lockdown may have forced people to look inwards and realise that the traditional destination has reached its life cycle. There are some people who could even work remotely and live on a sailboat. New places and experiences with minimal crowds combined with longer journeys seem more exciting right now!

The Best Way To Travel Slowly

From this kernel of an idea to travel slowly, it can birth new ways to explore the world. If it wasn’t for travelling slowly, I would not have seen a family of 5 on a bicycle tour around Europe. If it wasn’t for travelling slowly, I wouldn’t have discover the Osh region of Krygyrzstan in Fergana Valley which lies the crest to the Alay mountains. If it wasn’t for travelling slowly, I wouldn’t have met a German woman in India who was staying in the mountains for 25 years. These trips were anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months and here are some tips which I think may be useful for those who want to travel slowly.

#1 Saving Money

Most people assume that living longer in a place would be equivalent to spending a whole lot of money, which isn’t true. Slow travel helps you save a lot on transportation costs, which are often bulk of the travel costs. When you’re staying in places far away from the tourist trail, and travelling off season, you avoid staying in big hotels. Living the local life at cheaper prices and using local means of transportation saves you so much more!

#2 Pause and experience like a local

The first thing I like to do when I am at a new place is probably to walk around, get lost for a bit and also reconnect with local groups through Meet-Up.com or Facebook and see what nearby events are around. Find hole in the wall cafes, go off trail, make friends while hiking — it is almost the same concept as moving to a new place.

#3 Avoid flying, and take the longer route

I am a big fan of taking the overland route to experience missed cultures and destinations along the way, whether it’s true train, busses, own car or even cycling, these are some of the best ways to slow down time.

#4 The purpose-driven trip

I remember reading the Silk Roads: A New History of The World and was so intrigued by the countries in the stans that I vowed to cycle tour through these areas for 45 days. We were so removed from the environment and their daily struggles of locals living the yurt life. It was important to go there, visit, and learn about how life was in tough pastures.

#5 Don’t see everything, leave room for the next time

The planner in you may be excited and want to see everything but for once don’t plan every minute or day, leave things to how you feel, surprise or serendipity. You make wake up and decide you want to head to the bookstore or read by the beach today, or you may want to hike a new spot you found. The best things happened to me when they were unplanned.

Best Slow Travel Destinations Around The World

Here are the best slow travel destinations around the world.

1. Take A Road Trip: The Caucasus

I travelled overland from Iran to Armenia and rented a car to see all of Armenia in a week and travelled further to Georgia via train or bus. I took me about 3 weeks spending time in the Caucasus. The Caucasus comprising of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia is an interesting region to visit and easily tops as the region with the most unusual places and destinations. At least 50 different ethnic groups and nationalities make their homes in the region’s isolated valleys and have managed to hold on their identities despite incursions by the Russian, Ottoman and Persian empires.

2. Spend Weeks Chilling By The Many Lakes In Central Europe

I travelled from Budapest to Slovenia via FlixBus and spent two weeks just hiking in Slovenia, Bovec region and living with a local. I slow-travelled as much as possible in Slovenia, giving up on nearby countries like Croatia a complete skip. I figured there’s always another time to come back and see it at the right time. Ljubljana was a whimsical, small town filled with dragon statues, artistic graffiti works and a stunning romantic river that could rival the one in Venice. The mountains and green rivers straight out of the movie Chronicles of Narnia and to a close second the Avatar movie set was best experienced in Soca Valley. Walking was one of the best ways to explore these places as I spent time in the greenest and quietest parts of Slovenia!

3. Bicycle Tour or Hiking In The Stans

The silk road has some of the best and remote landscapes, making it the perfect way to slow travel this region. I only managed to visit Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, but you can make your way forward and explore Tajikistan and Uzbekistan if you love remote landscapes. You’ll find beautiful soviet architecture and nomadic people who wander through these inhospitable voids dotted across vast mountains. If you’re not a fan of cycling in Krygyzstan, you can spend time hiking and living in the various cities in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, their nearest national parks are often only 30km away.

4. Travel Slowly In The New Zealand of Asia: Taiwan

I was amazed by the beautiful landscapes and efficiency in Taiwan. The coastal views, breathtaking mountains and clear infrastructure made it the perfect place to explore culture, food and nature. If hiking, surfing and cycling are what you’re looking at then Taiwan is the perfect adventurous destination to start with. Set against a backdrop of green lush mountains, riding the waves in Taiwan is described as the surf of the world-class and the Hawaii of the east, thanks to its seasonal typhoons.

5. Spent 3 Months In Northern India, Himalayas

Spending time in Northern India stretches overlooking gorgeous views of the rivers and valleys made me realise the rampant misconception I had about all of India. I craved for mountains, solitude, the everyday fun and seeing India from a different side. The right nature caption was all it took to see things differently sometimes! I travelled to all the Himalayan states in India for 3 months spanning Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. You can always do a border run to Nepal if you want to continue exploring the Himalayas!