How To Enjoy Slow Travel

How To Enjoy Slow Travel – In essence, the idea of slow travel is quality over quantity, keep reading to find out more.

(Collaborative post)

Are you constantly rushing from one thing to the next and never really stopping to enjoy the moment? If that’s the case, it’s time to take a break, and the best thing you can do is plan for some slow travel – it’s the ideal way to slow down, and it means you can really soak in the moment and truly experience the places you’re visiting. 

Slow travel might take a bit of getting used to, especially if you tend to rush around in your daily life – which can be a hard habit to break. But once you experience it for the first time, you’ll love it and you’ll want to do again and again – keep reading to find out more.

Stay Longer In Fewer Places

In essence, the idea of slow travel is quality over quantity, so rather than hopping between destinations every few days, choose one or two places to focus on and stay there for longer. That means you’ll be able to explore a lot more and do it in your own time, so  you won’t feel rushed – you’ll probably discover some fantastic hidden gems that you would have missed otherwise too.

For example, if you’re planning your next getaway, what about spending more time in a less travelled place such as Albania? It’s got some stunning beaches, charming little traditional villages, and there’s lots of history to discover as well, so Albania holidays could be the ideal place to start if you want to experience slow travel, rather than rushing from place to place, and trying to fit too much in.

Embrace Local Life

One of the best parts of slow travel is that you get to immerse yourself in the local life of wherever you are – that’s because you’ll have the time to do it. You don’t have to follow the same old tourist trail that everyone else does (although if you want to, that’s another benefit of slow travel – you can do that and still have time to explore on your own terms and at your own pace) and instead you can try to live like a local, even if it’s just in small ways. What do we mean? We mean doing things like using public transport, shopping at local markets, eating at family-run restaurants, and so on. 

Other ideas include a bit more thought, but what about chatting with local shopkeepers to learn more (and maybe even pick up a bit of the language if you don’t know it already), going to local events, and so on. The fact is that it’s these small, unusual, and memorable moments are the ones you’ll remember in years to come, even if you did also get to see some of the best tourist attractions in the world on the same trip.

Travel Off The Beaten Path

Slow travel and off-the-beaten-path destinations go hand in hand, so why not think about that for your next getaway? Instead of sticking to the big cities or popular tourist places, what about having an adventure and going into the lesser-known areas a bit more? The truth is that these quieter places are often stunning, less busy, and interesting, and you’ll be away from all the crowds that can make your holiday more chaotic and stressful. 

If you do want to go to Albania, for example, you could explore the lovely town of Gjirokaster that’s tucked into the mountains, or perhaps spend a few days on the beaches of Ksamil – these are both stunning spots, but because they’re a little less well-known, you won’t find too many tourists there, and you’ll be free to enjoy the place how you’d like.

Don’t Have A Packed Itinerary

With slow travel, the idea that less is more – and if you find you’re starting to book too many trips or plan too many things, take a step back because you’re going to overdo it and your slow trip will become a fast and stressful one in no time. 

So instead of cramming every day with back-to-back activities, make sure you leave room for doing nothing at all, or to take a slow journey between places. Or that time could even be left for something spontaneous, just in case an idea comes to you (although don’t force it, or you’ll end up wishing you’d just had a rest instead).

When you think in this way, you’ll have a lot more time to just soak up the atmosphere and enjoy wherever you are for what it is, rather than what you can see or do when you’re there. And as an added bonus, when you’re not booking loads of trips or attractions, you’ll save money so you can enjoy a budget holiday or use that money for other, slower, things.

Choose Sustainable Transportation

Something else that’s important to bear in mind when you’re trying to experience slow travel is how you get around the places you’re visiting – yes, you might have had to fly to get there, but once you arrive, it’s ideal if you can find more sustainable transportation because not only is that good for the environment, but it’s also the best way to enjoy slow travel. 

What types of transport do we mean? Well, some include walking, cycling, or perhaps taking a train – these things slow you down for sure, and you’ll be able to see a lot more using these methods of transport compared to a car, motorcycle, or even a bus, come to that.

The fact is that strolling through a village or taking a leisurely bike ride along the coast is sure to be memorable and it’s something that can make all your stress go away in an instant. On top of that, it’s good for your physical health, and since you can take so much more in, it’s really the best way to go.