It is better to travel well than to arrive. – Buddha
Slow travel is something that used to be the only way to travel until around a century ago when transport developed to make international travel an everyday occurrence, but there are many now who are revisiting slow travel and making a choice not to take the quickest route through to every destination.
This approach can range from those who take hiking or cycling holidays, covering a relatively short distance every day, to those who stay in each destination for an extended period.
Slow travel is not just about getting to enjoy certain aspects of a destination, but it also offers opportunities and experiences that can genuinely make a big difference to your everyday life.
Discover the World: 4 Reasons to Embrace Slow Travel
Meeting New People
One of the main reasons to make a choice to slow the pace is the chance to encounter the locals in the destination that you will be visiting. Whether you are heading off the beaten path or into a popular tourist destination, it is often the local people that can turn a pleasant experience into a remarkable one. The opportunity to meet people from a different walk of life, and often people from an entirely new culture is one that should not be missed, and this can both broaden the mind and lead to friendships that can last well beyond the duration of the trip.
By opting to spend more time in each destination and taking the slow route, you will have much more time to encounter and to get to know the local people, and also to engage with them over a longer period.
Prioritizing The Important Things In Life
By choosing to avoid the long haul flights and express bus routes, the slower pace of exploration will give you time to appreciate the experiences you get to enjoy, and also reflect on the priorities that you have both regarding travel and life in general.
When it comes to slow travel, knowing how you will be getting from place to place becomes secondary, and enjoying the hospitality, local cuisine and experiences become some of the most important things to consider. This focus on some of the less traditional travel priorities also allows plenty of time for you to find life’s priorities, and to look at whether or not there is anything you should change in daily living.
The Chance To Learn a New Language
Along with meeting new people, one of the most exciting and challenging aspects of slow travel is that you will usually be encountering more local people and fewer individuals in the tourism industry, providing an excellent opportunity to try a new language.
One of the problems that many people will have is that they have very few opportunities to learn new things in the middle of a busy working life, so enjoying slow travel is a great chance to learn a new language. Being able to speak and learn with locals who will often be very helpful with some of the more difficult words is also one of the great joys of immersing yourself in the culture and language of a new country.
Enjoying The Little Details
Another joy of slow travel is that it isn’t all about enjoying the massive, majestic tourist attractions, but is also an excellent way to appreciate the smaller things that are to be enjoyed in a new country.
From tasting a great dish bought from a street food stall to sharing a joke with a local on the bus, it is often the smallest details that result in the most memorable experiences.
This is another good lesson that can be passed into everyday life, and by taking a little more time to appreciate the small things, the whole experience becomes much more rewarding.