slow travel options

Slow Travel Guide: The Best Slow Travel Destinations

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Feb 19, 2024 | Budget Travel , Travel Tips

By now, you have probably heard of the latest travel trend, slow traveling.

Many backpackers and budget travelers enjoy slow traveling – spending a month or two in each place before moving on. 

In the past few years, many travelers are now opting to travel to fewer destinations and stay in each one for longer.

So what exactly is slow traveling, how do you do it, and which countries should you do it in?

What Is Slow Travel?

Most backpackers typically seek to visit as many destinations as possible on a trip. Therefore, they choose to spend a few days in each place, seeing only the highlights before moving on.

By traveling in this way, you can visit around ten or so spots on a one-month trip, swiftly getting through your bucket list.  

A slow traveler typically spends longer in a destination than a traditional backpacker.

Slowing down your trip in this way allows you to experience each place on a deeper level, learn more about the culture, and even get involved in the community.

A slow traveler who spends one month in a particular city will have a completely different experience than a backpacker who passes through for a weekend.

Slow traveling allows you to get a greater sense of life in other parts of the world. By spending a few weeks to a few months somewhere, you may feel more like you temporarily live there rather than on vacation.

The additional time allows you to explore more of the city and the surrounding areas. You are also likely to do more ‘local’ activities than just the tourist attractions. 

How To Slow Travel

Slow travel is ideal for anyone who wants to travel for longer. However, it can seem that a one-year trip would be much more of a financial investment than a one-month vacation.

Therefore, many travelers worry that they will run out of money if they travel slowly like this.

However, there are ways that you can slow travel around the world without spending more money than you would on a shorter backpacking trip.

Here are five tactics you can use to travel slowly on a budget. 

Visit Destinations During Low Season

We slow travel to break away from the traditional tourist mindset.

Therefore, to see a destination differently and save money, I recommend planning your trip so that you visit each destination in the low season, or at least towards the end of the high season. 

As you know, hotels, tour operators, and even restaurants raise their prices at the beginning of the high season in anticipation of flocks of tourists.

However, as the season draws to a close and the crowds leave, prices come back down. So, arriving at this point is a brilliant idea if you want to travel on a budget. 

Not only will you get better deals everywhere in the off-season, but you will also experience a much more peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.

Without the tourist crowds, it’s much easier to see a city for what it truly is and integrate yourself into the community. 

However, the low season can mean extremely high temperatures in some parts of the world. Or, like in many tropical countries, the low season corresponds to the rainy season.

Even so, tropical rainstorms are usually short and heavy and don’t last all day. Therefore, you will still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy your time there. 

Spend (At Least) One Month In Each Place

I recommend staying in each place for one month. If you’re used to staying just a few days in each location, one month may seem very long.

But I promise you, it is not. Aside from slowing down and exploring at a leisurely pace, you can snap up great accommodation deals if you commit to staying for a month. 

You can usually get monthly discounts at hotels and Airbnbs. However, you might be able to rent a studio apartment for one month for even cheaper.

You’ll also be able to save money on car or scooter rentals. Usually, rental companies have better deals for long-term rentals.

Live Like A Local

To keep your day-to-day costs low, look at and copy how the locals live.

Although the western restaurants may feel familiar and comforting when you’re in a foreign land, the food in these restaurants is often 5 times the price of local eateries.

While it’s OK to treat yourself to home comforts once in a while, doing so daily will seriously dent your budget. 

Some local restaurants also aim more towards tourists than locals, so prices will be higher. An easy way to find a proper local restaurant is to look for where you see the most locals eating.

Unless you’re traveling in Asia or South America, where eating out is extremely cheap, you’ll probably want to cook your own meals too.

Visiting food markets and buying groceries is a brilliant way to experience local life and keep your daily spending under control simultaneously. 

PSSST. Want to get FREE accommodation in exchange for work?

Choose Land Travel Instead Of Flying

Traveling without any time restraints opens up the opportunity to travel via different (and cheaper) modes of transport.

Instead of flying, look into the possibilities of traveling between destinations via car, bus, or train.

Yes, the journeys will be much longer and less comfortable than taking a flight.

However, you could save a considerable amount of money. Plus, traveling by land allows you to see very rural parts of the country.

Volunteer In Exchange For Accommodation

One of the best ways to slow travel around the world on a budget is to volunteer in exchange for free accommodation and food.

For example, many hostels will let you stay for free if you spend a few hours each day cleaning the dorms and common areas.

While it’s not glamorous work by any means, the money it will save you could allow you to double the length of your trip!

Many other ‘ volunteer for accommodation ‘ options are available if you’re not a fan of the hostel environment. I recommend using a trusted platform like Worldpackers to find opportunities.

Worldpackers vet and verify all the ads posted so you can rest assured that the placements are legit and trustworthy. 

On Worldpackers, you can find community projects run by local organizations or NGOs. This is a fabulous way to get involved in the community and make a real difference during your time there.

Volunteering on these kinds of projects can bring real meaning and purpose to your trip, with the bonus of having free accommodation, meals, and other benefits. 

There are also work exchange placements in schools, where you will get to teach English to underprivileged children.

Or, if you want to get in touch with nature, you can volunteer on a farm, an eco-lodge, or a campsite.

Want to learn more? Read our Worldpackers review .

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Best Destinations For Slow Traveling On A Budget

Now, let’s talk about the best destinations for slow travelers.

United States

The great news is, if you’re based in the US, you don’t need to leave the country to travel.

The USA’s diverse states and landscapes make the country perfect for slow traveling.

What’s more, you can take scenic road trips from one destination to the next without having to splash out on any expensive flights. 

However, the downside of traveling in America is that it is generally more expensive than in other parts of the world. Even so, one way to significantly cut your costs is to volunteer for accommodation at each destination. 

Worldpackers has over 150 US volunteer programs on its platform, ranging from hostel work to homestays to farm work. Some unique opportunities you can get involved in in the USA include:

• Caring for abandoned and neglected horses in Reeds
• Working in a hostel bar in Lake Tahoe
• Volunteering on a yoga retreat in Hawaii
• Browse more opportunities here

South America

South America is a slow traveling paradise for those on a tight budget, dance lovers, and anyone looking to learn Spanish.

The continent is exceptionally cheap, both to travel around and for day-to-day expenses. Plus, South America is just as diverse as North America. 

Slow traveling in South America presents a wide range of potential opportunities.

For example, you can trek Machu Picchu, explore the Amazon, party in Rio de Janeiro, and learn to salsa in Cartagena.

With so much to do and see here, you’ll undoubtedly want to extend your stay. You will find many brilliant charity organizations working across the continent.

They are always keen to offer free accommodation and meals to anyone who helps them out. 

In fact, South America is one of the easiest parts of the world to find volunteering opportunities in.

For example, Worldpackers has over 1000 listings for volunteer placements in Brazil alone! You can:

• Learn about sustainable farming in Brazil, 
• Paint artwork in a hostel in Chile
• Help to build an Earthship inspired art studio in Argentina 
• Take care of the stray dogs in Peru’s Sacred Valley.

Asia is an incredible place to slow travel. You can take your time to experience the unique way of life in each Asian country and give some much-needed help to the communities.

Asia is also full of beauty, and short backpacking trips often miss out on so much. By slow traveling, you can get off the beaten path more and discover some of the hidden gems of this vibrant continent. 

If you’re a native English speaker, you will find hundreds of volunteer opportunities to teach English to underprivileged kids in Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and many more countries.

There is also plenty of charity and community work that you can get involved in where you will actively see your help making a difference.

Some cool and meaningful volunteer placements you can find on Worldpackers include:

• Working with Autistic children in Ha Noi, Vietnam
• Teaching yoga in the Philippines
• Caring for stray animals on Thai island
• Volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal
• Browse opportunities here

Australia is one of the most loved backpacking destinations worldwide. The country offers so much natural beauty, tons of adventure, and plenty of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

However, traveling around Australia and taking trips to the Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands, and Uluru can quickly become costly. 

Many backpackers in Australia fall in love with a particular town or city and begin volunteering in hostels, enabling them to extend their stay.

It’s easy to find hostels that will let you volunteer in exchange for a bed in a dorm.

However, there are also other types of volunteering options available that offer a more authentic Aussie experience. 

For example, on Worldpackers , you will find opportunities to:

• Help on farms in Western Australia’s wine regions
• Care for llamas in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales
• Clean the campgrounds on the gorgeous South Stradbroke island

There are so many wonderful European countries worth visiting, all with their own unique heritage and charm.

There is so much to see, like the lush green English countryside, Portugal’s medieval cities, Italy’s beautiful wine regions , and the immense Swiss Alps.

Therefore, it is essential to travel slowly through Europe.

However, like the USA, Europe can be an expensive continent to travel around. Therefore, volunteering for accommodation is a helpful way to explore more places while controlling your expenditure. 

There are so many fun volunteer opportunities on offer in Europe. Many help the environment, too, such as rejuvenating a forest in Portugal.

Other unique European volunteer placements on Worldpackers include:

• Au pairing in France
• Leading pub crawls in Croatia
• Living and helping on a yacht in Montenegro
• Taking care of reindeer in Norway

Final Thoughts On Slow Travel

As the travel industry finds its feet again, many parts of the world choose to keep additional entry requirements in place.

Therefore, it’s the perfect time to travel slowly, spend longer at each destination, and volunteer for a good cause.

And to help you have the best slow travel experience, we’re giving you $10 off your next Worldpackers membership .

Want to learn more about volunteering abroad? Read one of the following blog posts:

• Hostel work
• Workaway vs Worldpackers
• Worldpackers promo code

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What Does Slow Travel Mean? (And How To Do It)

The first time I traveled on my own, I was 19 and studying abroad in the Netherlands. Every weekend was a mad dash to see a different city in 48 hours, and to experience as much of each city as possible — no museum, cathedral, park, or touristy attraction left unturned. 😵‍💫

“That breakneck speed, while a great tool to check destinations off a list, was no way to truly experience a destination.”

Spring break was the maddest dash of all, encompassing four cities in nine days and about half as much sleep as I should’ve gotten. Barcelona to Rome to Florence to Venice, then back in time for an 8 a.m. class on Monday.

I was beyond lucky to have had that experience, learning how to travel on my own, how to figure out a new city’s public transportation, and how to manage my time and budget. But that rapid pace began to set the tone for future trips I’d plan. A week in France? Make it two nights in every city. Three days to travel the whole of Ireland? No problem. 

That breakneck speed, while a great tool to check destinations off a list, was no way to truly experience a destination . During the weekdays while abroad in the Netherlands, I absorbed characteristics of the culture: The 10 a.m. coffee break everyone seemed to take, the food folks would eat for lunch, the way no one drew their shades at night. But the quick trips were something different. Sure, I checked Prague off my list — but I couldn’t even tell you how to say “thank you” in Czech, which sort of makes you question what the purpose of travel is in the first place.

“‘Slow travel’ presents an alternative to the see-every-country ethos.”

“Slow travel” presents an alternative to the see-every-country ethos. It tells us to accept that we won’t experience the entire world in one lifetime, and presents more sustainable travel options. 

What is slow travel?

Like slow living , slow travel comes from the mother of all “slow” movements: Italian political activist Carlo Petrini’s International Slow Food movement, founded in 1989. 

“At its core, I think slow travel is about intentionality and connection,” says Gi Shieh , a slow travel content creator. “It’s about spending more time at a destination to immerse yourself fully in the beauty and uniqueness of the land and its people.”

“Simply put, traveling slowly means staying for longer in one place.”

Simply put, traveling slowly means staying for longer in one place. Say you have nine days to travel — instead of hopping to three different cities or countries, consider spending all nine days at one destination, really getting to know the area.

Slow travel might also look like choosing destinations more off the beaten path, avoiding over-toured spots. According to CNN, some of 2023’s worst destinations for overtourism included Amsterdam, Phuket, and Venice, but some less traveled, alternative destinations might include the Netherlands’ Utrecht, Thailand’s Chiang Mai, or Italy’s Tuscan countryside.

Take the opportunity to connect with local people at your destinations. Stay in smaller bed-and-breakfasts, dine in small, locally owned restaurants, and chat with shop owners. 

“In general, move around less — and when you move, move slower.”

And when choosing transportation methods, you’ll want to think about the most sustainable options. When possible, replace planes with trains; or car rides with bikes and walks. In general, move around less — and when you move, move slower. It might take a few more hours to get from point A to point B, and that’s kind of the well, point. You’ll understand the landscape of a country from your train window, or the way the wind smells while you’re riding a bike. 

“Slow travel also means taking the time to note all the little details that make a place beautiful,” says Shieh, who also runs a blog on slow travel and sustainable fashion. “Like, how the Mediterranean sun hits the laundry drying on a balcony in the south of Italy or the specific cadence of honks of Vietnamese motorbikes during rush hour in Hanoi.”

What are the benefits of slow travel?

Besides lowering the carbon footprint of your trip, traveling slowly gives you a more mindful connection to the place you’re visiting. You likely won’t remember the time spent waiting in line to enter a popular sightseeing destination, but you will hang onto the conversation with a friendly local or the way you felt after a long, leisurely lunch.

“Traveling slowly gives you a more mindful connection to the place you’re visiting.”

Less time spent on planes or tour buses zipping around to new spots means more time (and money) to spend at restaurants that cook with local ingredients or wandering a town and picking up a handmade trinket that catches your eye. And when you choose less heavily toured destinations, it takes pressure off of over-toured spots with thinly stretched resources, like Hawaii or Bali.

Tips on traveling more slowly

1. plan to take some extra time..

“Unfortunately, in today’s society, it’s hard to step away for an extended period of time,” says Shieh, noting that travel itself is a luxury. “It’s important to acknowledge that slow travel is a huge privilege,” she says. “I feel so lucky to be able to experience the world at a slower, more intentional pace, and not everybody has the opportunity to do so!”

“If you only have a short travel window of a few days, use it to explore destinations closer to home that don’t require a flight.”

Not everyone has two weeks or more to spend leisurely roaming a foreign country, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still travel more slowly. Plan trips many months in advance and for as long as you feel comfortable — maybe a six-day trip becomes a nine-day one that you spend in just one place. And if you only have a short travel window of a few days, use it to explore destinations closer to home that don’t require a flight.

And while traveling, “don’t overpack your itinerary,” says Lauren Fremont, executive director of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley , a small wine region known for slow travel and sustainable practices. “Leave room for unexpected delights and meaningful connections. That’s where the magic happens.”

2. Do your research.

“Think about going beyond the pictures you’ll take for social media.” – Matilda Reuter Engle, proprietor of Middleburg Hospitality

With a little extra time and planning, slow travel becomes a lot more feasible. Do your research on destinations, rather than just heading out where you’ve seen others go. Think about what you want to learn and experience during a trip, says Matilda Reuter Engle, proprietor of Middleburg Hospitality , which is focused on preserving historical traditions via hospitality in Virginia Piedmont. “Think about going beyond the pictures you’ll take for social media,” she says. “Identify the lifestyles, history, and ancestral traditions that ignite your curiosity.” 

If you’ve planned for a bit more time, consider stacking destinations relatively close to each other to make your travel more sustainable. For example, instead of spending a week in a European country this year and a week in a different European country next year, try doing the entire two-week trip in one go.

3. Stay at B&Bs or small hotels.

Once you have your destination, look for small business accommodations. Bed-and-breakfasts are fantastic — usually independently run, they pretty much hand you the opportunity to engage with the owners and the local community.

Choose small hotels over larger ones, especially all-inclusives that tend to use resources like food and water inefficiently. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule — some hotels have fantastic sustainability practices, but finding those involves, again, lots of time and research.

“If you go the Airbnb route, consider renting a room in house rather than an entire place to yourself.”

If you go the Airbnb route, consider renting a room in house rather than an entire place to yourself. Your host should have a wealth of information about exploring the area like a local, and staying with residents helps minimize your impact on the area’s housing stock.

4. Find ways to connect with the culture.

Along with accommodations that prioritize sustainability, Fremont looks for “experiences that showcase the region’s unique history, food, and traditions,” she says. “It’s about seeking authenticity and supporting businesses that share our ethos.”

“Maybe you join a fishing crew for the day and get to eat your catch, or your do a cheese tasting at the farm where it’s made.”

Read up on tours and activities that immerse you in the local culture — maybe you join a fishing crew for the day and get to eat your catch, or you do a cheese tasting right at the farm where it’s made, or you take a cycling tour from town to town.

“Go with the intention of honoring diverse ways of life, and stepping away from the fast-paced, technological world so many of us reside in on a daily basis,” says Engle. And if language is a barrier, Shieh offers that Facebook events and expat forums can be particularly helpful.

5. Ease yourself into it.

“Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to change your travel habits right off the bat,” says Shieh. If your travel history has looked anything like mine, that pedal-to-the-metal mindset won’t change overnight. 

“If your travel history has looked anything like mine, that pedal-to-the-metal mindset won’t change overnight.”

Maybe you start by bringing more intentionality into your domestic trips. If you’re traveling for a wedding, consider spending the week before or after exploring the area. Perhaps next year you spend a week somewhere you would’ve typically spent a few days, or you replace one or two flights with train rides. And then take it from there.

“We have an entire lifetime to travel.” – Gi Shieh, a slow travel content creator

“We often feel this pressure to see it all while we’re young,” says Shieh, “but actually we have an entire lifetime to travel.” Something that helped me feel better about doing and seeing less while traveling? No matter how fast you travel, you’ll never see, let alone experience, the entire world.

“By spacing your travels out over the course of a few years or even a few decades, it removes some of the pressure and allows you to fully settle into the experience that is happening right now,” says Shieh.

Make peace with not seeing the whole green earth, and it will allow you to make deeper connections in the places you do. 😌

Natalie Gale is a Boston-based freelance journalist. When she’s not writing about art, food, or sustainability, you can find her biking to the farmers’ market, baking, sewing, or planning her next Halloween costume. Say hi on Instagram !

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Complete guide to slow travel: why and how to practice it

The slow travel movement is taking the world by storm. But what exactly is slow travel, what's so great about it, and how can you practice it on your next trip?

Rachael Let's Grow There

Sep 07, 2023

If you've ever experienced travel burnout and have returned home from a trip completely exhausted, you probably didn't travel slowly enough! Travelers are often so excited to explore a new destination that they forget to pace themselves along the way. But there's a great answer to that: slow travel.

When you only have a short time to dedicate to your trip, you might try and fill your itinerary chock-full of exciting experiences you'll always remember. However, this style of traveling almost always leads to burnout, besides other negative consequences: it tends to be more expensive, have more negative impacts on the environment and leaves less space for good surprises.

Slow travel is the key to traveling better, smarter, and more passionately.  Pacing yourself and giving yourself time to live like a local in the city or country you're visiting is vital if you want a truly immersive, deeply moving travel experience .

What is slow travel?

But what is slow travel exactly?  A few other names you may recognize from the slow travel movement are sustainable travel, mindful travel, and low-impact travel.

To travel slowly is to reject conventional tourism and be more open to experiences that are unique and immersive. 

Rather than squeezing in a million activities into your busy travel schedule, slow travel is about adopting a mindset that focuses on connection . It reminds us of why we travel and helps us offset the travel fatigue that happens at the end of an exhausting trip.

When did the slow travel movement start?

We can trace the origins of slow travel to a similar movement in Italy, in the 1980's. The slow food movement took shape in Italy in response to the rise of fast food. 

Local food artisans, farmers, and chefs rallied together to protest a new McDonald's that was to be built in Rome. They refused to embrace the rise of fast food and instead supported regional cuisine and traditional food preparation as a means to preserve their culture. 

After all, food plays a big role in every country and is something natives pride themselves on. Simply put, food brings people together, and that's something particularly important for Italians. 

This sparked the beginning of the slow movement , which not only celebrates locally-grown and produced food, but applies to other areas of our lives, including the way we travel . You've likely come across slow food and wine tours, slow wilderness retreats, and other similar immersive tours. They are catching on all over the world! 

What are the benefits of slow travel?

The benefits of slow travel are immense, and travelers are reaping those benefits more and more as they opt to support local businesses and slow travel. By doing so, travelers are taking part in more environmentally-friendly , sustainable experiences that have a positive impact on the world. 

If you're still not conviced, here are a few reasons to give slow travel a try:

1. More authentic cultural experiences

One of the main benefits of slow travel is the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture. Unlike rushed trips that only allow for superficial interactions, slow travel lets you to truly connect with the people and way of life of your destination. 

When your travel schedule is less packed with tourist attractions you have more time to learn some of the local language, try the local cuisine, and participate in cultural activities. 

2. Less stress

As I've mentioned before, fast-paced travel itineraries can be exhausting , leaving little time to relax and truly enjoy the experience. Travelers often come back from their vacations feeling even more tired than before.

Slow travel allows you to set a more relaxed pace, reducing stress and anxiety . You can take the time to be spontaneous, relax, and appreciate the beauty of each moment. This approach results in a more enjoyable travel experience.

3. Enhanced well-being

Taking it a step further, slow travel can have a positive impact on your physical and mental well-being. By traveling slower and choosing to engage in activities such as long walks, yoga, hiking, cycling or meditation, you'll probably feel great.

Additionally, if you take this chance to the reduce your screen time and connect with nature it can help you  reconnect with yourself .

4. Deeper connections

Talk to any slow traveler and they'll probably tell you that the best thing about most places they visit is the people they meet there. Sharing stories, meals, and experiences with others can be much more rewarding than simply ticking things off from a travel itinerary. 

When you slow down and spend extended periods in one place, you have the chance to build meaningful connections with both locals and fellow travelers. These relationships can lead to lasting friendships, or at least some really nice memories to cherish. 

5. Deeper understanding of the world

Exploring a destination slowly also allows you to gain a more profound understanding of its history, politics, and social dynamics . You can visit local museums, attend lectures, and engage in conversations with residents to gain insights that you might miss on a whirlwind trip. 

With more time, you're also more likely to have time to reflect on what you learn, and maybe journal about it, or do further research on issues that spike your interest. This deeper knowledge can lead to a greater appreciation for the world's diversity and complexity.

6. Lower budget

Slow travel can be a budget-conscious traveler's dream. By spending more time in each destination, you can often find more affordable accommodation options , such as vacation rentals or guesthouses, or even volunteer in exchange for a free stay.

Additionally, you can take advantage of local markets and shops for groceries, reducing dining expenses by cooking your meals. 

Furthermore, slow travel often involves fewer transportation costs since you're not constantly moving between cities or countries. You'll also have more time to walk around or use public transportation, thus avoiding the high cost of taxi rides.

This allows you to allocate your budget to meaningful experiences and activities, making your money go further.

7. Go beyond your comfort zone

One of the most transformative aspects of slow travel is its ability to push you out of your comfort zone with enough time to allow for a less stressful adaptation. Staying in a place for an extended period makes it easier for you to adapt to new environments, cultures, and customs. 

You might find yourself communicating in a foreign language , navigating unfamiliar public transportation systems, or trying activities you've never considered before. These challenges can lead to personal growth and increased self-confidence.

8. Bring more meaning to your travels

In a world where quick snapshots and fleeting visits dominate travel, slow travel stands out for its ability to add profound meaning to your journeys in many ways.

When you spend more time in a place, you can also engage in volunteer work or contribute to local community projects through platforms like Worldpackers .

This hands-on involvement, as well as having the time to adapt to local culture and research about how to be a more respectful traveler there, allows you to leave a positive impact on the places you visit.

Slow travel also encourages introspection, giving you the time to reflect on your experiences and their significance in your life, fostering a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

9. Reduced environmental impact

Slow travel often involves choosing more sustainable transportation options , such as trains or buses, over carbon-intensive flights. By taking your time and minimizing the distance covered in a single trip, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

Additionally, you're more likely to support local businesses , which can contribute to the economic sustainability of the community you're visiting. If you're worried about traveling sustainably , slow travel is a great way to go.

You might also like to read:

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• What is cultural exchange and how to experience it?

How to embrace the slow travel mindset

There's no single way to practice slow travel, but there are some basic concepts that can direct your decisions from the travel planning to the trip itself. 

The slow travel mindset is one that will eventually help you learn how to choose experiences that immerse you as you explore the unknown. By slowing down, you are allowing those experiences to educate, inspire, and alter you. 

The first step is deciding that you want to live like a local instead of a tourist. Maintaining a balanced itinerary will give you the best of both worlds — a loose plan to see the sights that gives you room to pace yourself and make spontaneous decisions. 

Becoming a slow traveler is all about traveling with intention . Each decision is conscious and unscripted, opening the floodgates for unique and authentic experiences to fall right in your lap.

Instead of reaching for your phone to snap that Instagram-worthy photo, take a step back to understand the local customs and embrace cultural differences and the local community. Replace simply "seeing" the many different sights on your to-do list with "being" there instead. 

You'll connect much more easily to the world and the beautiful people in it this way, which will last longer than rushed sightseeing memories. Travel is one of the most rewarding, eye-opening, and challenging experiences available to us. That's why it's so important to not only see, but to discover and grow.

Slow travel encourages independence and values off-the-beaten-path experiences over touristy, heavily trafficked ones. When we are able to immerse in local culture and experience a country this way, we are gathering up meaningful, rich experiences as if they were precious treasures. Travel is more about your personal journey within a new area than it is about the destination itself.

When thinking of the slow travel experiences you'd like to have, quality matters over quantity. Don't race to get it all done, and know that it's okay to book another trip in the future if you decide you absolutely love it. Choose to wake up on some days without plans, allowing your path to be guided by the spirit of adventure.

How to put slow travel into practice

Before booking that fast-paced 10-day guided tour through Europe, strive to make time to plan an itinerary that lets you linger . Pick a destination and choose to be there longer, experiencing the local culture, cuisine, music, and way of life firsthand.

Let your experience with a new country be your own rather than have it regurgitated to you by a tour guide.

Follow your nose through a street lined with food trucks as you venture to try the local delicacies. Meander through an art museum with purpose as you analyze and appreciate the influential art that surrounds you. 

Forge real connections with the friendly locals and they just might lead you to a hidden gem within their city. Wander through a national park as you connect with nature . 

Try something adventurous every so often to invigorate your senses and make you feel alive. 

Having a slow travel mindset will help you thrive in an unfamiliar country and give you the courage to be more involved in the local lifestyle.

Another great example of slow travel is taking road trips! You get to set your own pace, let your hair down, and enjoy the ride. This is a great way to see the sights like a local would and go wherever you set your heart on. 

Cultural home stays are another unique way to get to know the local community . The families you get the opportunity to stay with will most likely prepare you a deliciously authentic, home-cooked meal, tell exciting stories about their family and culture, and give you some helpful insights on how to experience their city.

A practical guide to slow travel

In order to travel slowly , be sure to:

• Leave room in your itinerary for spontaneous, interesting travel experiences to fit into your day. This will help you learn to step out of your comfort zone .
• Stay in your destination longer before moving on to a new area.
• See the famous spots if you want, but ask yourself if you're really interested in them, or just feel like you should see them.
• Try to  steer clear of tourist traps and find new ways to see a popular landmark whenever possible.
• Be flexible with your itinerary to avoid the stress of racing to each activity.
• Ask locals for travel recommendations . They have much better tips than any travel guide, and you never know what fun event you might be invited to!
• Try different methods of transportation . Rather than taking a crowded bus tour through the city, hop on a bike or scooter or take a free walking tour to see more at your own speed.
• Stay with locals . Booking your accommodation through Airbnb, Couchsurfing, and Worldpackers will be wildly cheaper and provide you with a better experience overall than if you were to stay at a boring, generic hotel. Meeting your host is sometimes one of the most beneficial parts of a trip!

Why you should slow travel with Worldpackers

Worldpackers  is a collaborative travel platform that connects travelers to hosts from all around the world who need a hand in all sorts of tasks. In exchange for a few hours of work, you'll get free accommodation and possibly other perks like meals and tours. 

However, it's about much more than simply saving money: the best part is connecting with the host and other volunteers while you live like a local and experience a much deeper cultural immersion than the average tourist. You'll also get the chance to develop your skills or find hidden talents.

Slow travel completely aligns with the platform's mission as it seeks to provide travelers with enriching experiences that benefit both parties involved. Worldpackers believes that this type of cultural immersion is what makes each corner of the world special and worth seeing. 

As you search through the wide array of Worldpackers work exchange , social impact , and eco programs , you'll notice that the time you'll spend helping your host each week is balanced out by all the extra time you'll have each day to explore that location more fully. 

You can volunteer in farm stays, eco villages, hostels, glamping sites, NGOs, home stays, permaculture projects, social projects, guest houses and even castles or boats , either near your home or on the other side of the world. 

Keep reading:

• Voluntourism: a slow and responsible way to travel the world
• Manifesto for a more conscientious and collective tourism

7 simple ways to become a mindful traveler

There are hosts that accept travelers for just a few days, but Worldpackers opportunities are the perfect work and travel experiences to sign up for if you're planning to stay in your destination of choice for a long period of time. Free accommodation and meals will cut down on daily living expenses and will help better fund your travels.

By exchanging your skills with the locals and living with them for an extended stay, you are actively joining their community and doing your part to impact their lives in a positive way. 

Worldpackers  travel stimulates inner growth , cultivates a love of learning and support, and fuels the traveler's desire to keep volunteering around the world.  

Ready to start enjoying all the benefits of slow travel? Browse through the Worldpackers website , set up your profile and start saving your favorite work exchange positions all around the world.

If you have any questions about slow travel or volunteering, ask us in the comments section!

Join the community!

Create a free Worldpackers account to discover volunteer experiences perfect for you and get access to exclusive travel discounts!

Rachael Grow

Let's Grow There

Over the past five years I have worn many hats as a creative freelancer and have been able to pursue adventures across the globe. To me, travel is more than checking a box or sitting on the perfect beach all day. Travel is about self-discovery, keeping an open mind, and learning through culture immersion. In 2017 I was chosen by one of my favorite travel bloggers, The Blonde Abroad, to attend her first ever blogging retreat in Bali with a handful of other inspiring bloggers. It was truly a dream that taught me so much more than I could imagine. Fast-forward to 2019 when I was given the role of one of the lead English writer for Worldpackers. My in-depth articles touched on subjects like volunteer work, overcoming post-travel blues, outdoorsy tips, and boldly adventuring. Inner growth is my jam.

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Aug 15, 2023

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Aug 31, 2023

An interesting and engaging article on a new topic is something that not everyone can do. I appreciate your article.

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Slow travel to discover true wanderlust. 

Slow travel is becoming more and more popular. We think it’s the future of travel. Our Ultimate Guide to Slow Travel is all about embracing this immersive travel trend. We’re not here to judge other ways of travelling. Heck, more people travelling is a good thing any way you can! But, if you’re curious about how to slow travel then our guide is just what you need.

Find the best activities for you on our map!

Trust us - travelling slowly is exactly what you need to do to fall in love with your next travel destination. We’re not about judging how people travel, only to show you that there’s another option! We’ve put together our Ultimate Guide to cut down all those myths about slow travel, tell you why we love it so much, and tell you how to slow travel to get you started!

Say bon voyage to the tourist crowds and join us on an in-depth journey. Keep reading to have all your questions answered, plus the best slow travel destinations recommendations and sustainable travel tips! Our ultimate guide is everything you need to begin your journey down the slow travel rabbit hole… 

The slow travel basics 

These are the questions we get all the time about slow travel; What is slow travel and how do I do it? The meaning of the word “slow travel” can seem obvious once you first see it, but we’re here to share all the info you need to really dig in and get your journey started. 

What is slow travel? 

Slow travel is a way of travelling that gets to the heart of why we love the journey. Go at your own pace to discover authentic experiences as you get off the beaten track and discover local gems. The slow traveler explores their dream destinations at their own pace, avoids the traps of mass tourism, and enjoys a rich travel experience. Keep reading to get all the info you need on the art of slow travel!

Where did slow travel come from? 

Slow travel is a branch of the slow movement. You’ve probably seen the slow fashion movement that pushes against mass production of clothes in fast fashion. Maybe our foodie friends know slow food restaurants, which focus on local and seasonal dishes for authentic experiences rather than mass produced meals. Slow travel originates from the “slow food movement”, which got its start in Italy as a protest against McDonald’s. 

Some define slow travel as public transport or taking months to explore one place. None of those definitions are exactly wrong, but they miss out on what makes slow travel so great. Whether you’re enjoying a 2 day city break or taking a road trip across Europe, any trip can become a slow travel trip as long as you stick to the intention and our top tips. 

Who goes slow traveling? 

You might have gone on a slow travel-like trip without even realising. Backpacking, camping, and hyper focused city trips all fall under the beautiful umbrella of slow travel. The slow travel movement is an accessible movement for all from students on a budget, luxury travellers, and retirees. No two slow travellers look alike! Slow travel has nothing to do with age or your income. It’s all about what experience you want out of traveling. 

Since you can really customise a slow travel trip and delve in deep to a local culture, we find that slow travel is the best option for many solo travellers and those interested in getting a full and authentic experience of their destination. 

Are slow travel and sustainable travel the same thing? 

Eco conscious travel or sustainable travel does have some overlap with slow travel. But they’re not exactly the same thing. By moving away from mass tourism and into more sustainable practices, slow travel is by its nature more eco-friendly than other trips. Unlike the usual sustainable travel tips though, slow travel has its own mentality. 

While sustainable travel focuses on the effect that trips have on the environment, slow travel looks more inward. All those busy trips, crowded places, and wanderlust social media posts can have a negative effect on our mental health. In slowing the pace and taking things one step at a time, slow travel is (in our opinion!) a better experience for all involved - you and the planet! 

Can slow travel be luxurious? 

You can absolutely make slow travel trips on a higher budget. We know there’s this myth that slow travel is all about backpacking and while that type of thing does fall under slow travel, that’s not all it's about. Taste local expensive food, stay at luxury Airbnbs, and discover the best of the local culture on a luxury budget that’s right for you. 

Our top 5 reasons to travel slowly! 

Now you know what slow travel is all about. But have we convinced you to plan your next trip in the slow travel way? We’ve got all the reasons why you should hop onto the slow travel movement right here to get you thinking. 

You support the local economy 

Hey, big spenders! There’s just something nice about going to your local market and actually meeting the sellers. Slow is that, but on an even bigger scale. Major travel companies do have a habit of pushing you to major tourist spots and always giving you popular itineraries. We’re not saying that’s a bad option if that’s what you want from your travels, but slow travel gives you a local and authentic option. 

By travelling slowly, you’ll probably be spending more time in one place. Dive in deep to the local scene to discover hidden gems, restaurants, and local events. You’ll be giving your hard-earned cash to smaller businesses and local artisans who need the money a fair bit more than your average top 100 travel company. 

Slow travel can keep your budget low

We all want to travel more often! Slow travel helps to keep your travel costs down by focusing on one place and its surrounding area. You don't need a bunch of flights or train tickets to get the most out of your journey. Of course, if you’ve got a higher budget there’s plenty of slow travel destinations, hotels, and things to do for you as well! 

Many digital nomads (those who work remotely while travelling) are often slow travellers. Taking a slower pace by spending more time in one area before moving onto your next destination keeps your transport costs much lower. And, of course, you get all the benefits of seeing the most of your next travel destination. 

Slow travel can help the environment

Slow travel trips can involve public transport or some other sustainable way of travelling. Public releases way less emissions than the average plane! Slow travel can be done via the plane too, so long as you take your time at the destination, search for hidden gems, and keep your focus on the local culture. 

You meet new people 

Yes, you will meet new people however you travel! But we’ve found the slow travel community to be super welcoming. As you join in on sustainable travel groups and hunt down the best local things to in your area, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who share the same mindset. You’re not just one in a crowd of tourists - you become an explorer ready to find the next gem. 

Of course, if you’re hunting down authentic experiences there’s nothing better than getting tips from locals. Mass tourism might bring in the money, but it can have backlash. But you’re actually here for an authentic trip, in our experience, locals are way more friendly once you express that especially in places where tourism has had some downsides. 

Remember why you love to travel 

Have you ever been stuck in the airport wishing you were back in bed? Have you ever arrived at a destination you thought was beautiful on social media, but you arrive and there’s just a queue of people taking photos? 

Slow travel gets to the core of why we fell in love with travelling in the first place.

Not to sound like a boomer, but when you travel just for travel's sake then it loses a lot of its magic. The local food that just melts in your mouth. Discovering the amazing places and hidden gems no one tells you about. Relax in the forest, up a mountain, or even in the Roman ruins inside a city park! Slow travel is about having a truly immersive travel experience. Escape your normal life and totally immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of a new place, of a new culture.  

Whatever you love about travelling, slow travel will dial it up to 11 . So what are the types of slow travel journeys and where should you go? Here are our top recommendations! 

The types of slow travel journeys 

Slow travel is more of a mindset than a pigeon hole category, but there are some holiday types that fall naturally into this type of travel. Road trips, backpacking, cycling journeys, and camping, can all be types of slow travel trips. 

So long as you’re seeking out authentic experiences and taking your time, you can make any journey into a slow travel one. But here are some of our favourite easy slow travel trip types to give you some ideas. 

Road trips 

Hop in your car and drive wherever you want! Road trips are an easy way of getting the group together and getting around to your dream destinations. Take a road trip across Europe, America, and more. Driving might not seem sustainable at first glance, but it’s better than taking the plane to each stop! Make sure to stop along the way at the best local places! Along the road, you’re sure to find a hidden gem or two. 

Backpacking 

Nothing is slower and more beautiful than getting around on foot. Take your time climbing to the mountain top and enjoy the view! Is there anything more authentic than Mother Nature? Feel the rocky cliffs and rivers beneath your feet on a slow travel backpacking trip. You can go backpacking almost anywhere. Some countries, like Thailand and Sri Lanka, have seen a major increase in the number of backpackers paying them a visit. We actually recommend visiting a less popular country for backpacking to avoid crowds and have the least touristy experience possible. 

A solid choice for any traveller! Pitch up a tent and sleep under the stars surrounded by nature. Camping is a great choice as sites tend to be not far off great slow travel attractions. It’s good to take it slow sometimes and just enjoy your time with family and friends! Use your tent as a starting point on your adventure as you make your way to the national parks or nearby cities. We actually think camping is an underrated option, especially when there’s more options than you’d expect in the camping world.  

Campsites are one of the most sustainable places to stay on your holiday, but to really max out those slow travel points we’ve found Pitchup to be super handy to find campsites in Europe that use renewable energy . 

Get on your bike and get peddling! Why wait for your flight or get stuck in the crowd, when you can peddle past them all? Explore your next destination on wheels. You’ll cycle through national parks, to castles, ruins, and make your way through the cities. Some countries are a lot better for cycling trips than others, so keep reading to find the best slow travel destinations! 

Train Trips 

Follow the tracks across the country, across continents even! On the train, you can travel affordably and sustainably across country borders. You’ll be literally travelling more slowly and taking more time to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. Europe is a super popular destination for train journeys. Check out our slow travel destinations below to get some ideas going… 

Our top slow travel destinations 

You can slow travel anywhere in the world. But at Live the World we absolutely love Europe for slow travel beginners. Here are our top slow travel destinations in Europe, plus the best things to do for each country. Take your pick! 

Netherlands 

Known for its windmills and tulips, the Netherlands is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. SUP your way across the canals of Amsterdam, hike the beaches of the less travelled but unique Frisian Islands, or even pick out plastic as you sail across the rivers. The Netherlands is the perfect destination for a cycling trip, a city day trip, and more. 

Amsterdam is the major tourist attraction, but other cities have great activities to offer too. Check out our map to find the best slow travel places to go! 

The heart of Europe! Belgium is an underrated destination full of hidden gems and gorgeous city trips. Belgium has some of the prettiest castles and nature reserves you’d never know if you didn’t see it for yourself. A perfect pick for a road trip through Europe and city breaks, Belgium is one of our top slow travel destinations. 

Follow our 2 day itinerary in Brussels for a slow travel experience in Belgium’s capital! 

Czech Republic 

Backpack in the Czech Republic to enjoy a central European location with gorgeous mountains on its border like Sněžka. Take a city break in Prague to uncover hidden gems in its castle, local markets, and so much more. Prague is the #1 stop in the Czech Republic, but there’s great places across the country too like the beautiful city of Czechy Krumlov. 

Our top tips on how to travel slowly 

After racking our brains and hunting down the top experts in the eco-travel field, we’ve got all the best slow travel tips just for you. From ditching the packed itineraries to bamboo cutlery, these are the top tips from experts. Read even more tips on how to travel sustainably here.

1. Buy local

This top tip came up no matter who we asked! So often, tourists will stroll by all the local and independent shops and gather at only the major centres. Of course, you’re helping out the locals this way. But you’re also keeping your carbon footprint low, by reducing all the miles goods have to travel when you shop locally. We’ve found some surprises at farmers markets, from gorgeous flowers in Prague to handmade wooden clogs in the Netherlands. Check out our map to find local trading posts! 

2. Do what you can, when you can

When you’re trying to do right by the environment and yourself, it’s easy to get a bit depressed about climate change. We spoke to Coren Munday, founder of bamboo cutlery company SeaForYourselfco , to get her perspective on slow travel. Coren, like so many of us travellers, was shocked by all the plastic she saw on the beach. When you’re in that situation, what can you do about it? Coren let us know that, in the true spirit of slow travel, it’s best to focus on the here and now. Do what you can! Whether that’s picking up some plastic bottles as you backpack, swapping to bamboo cutlery, or simply taking a bag with you when you travel so you don’t leave your rubbish  behind. Every little bit helps! 

3. Electric Detox 

OK, hear us out. We know how handy our gadgets can be when you’re in a whole new world. Our friends at IndieCampers let us know how important taking some time off can be, though. Take a break from your phone and social media! I actually tried this out on a recent trip to Nottingham. It was weird going without my laptop and phone most of the time, and sometimes I did have to use my phone just to get directions. If, like me, you’re not quite ready to go cold turkey then just turn off your notifications and enjoy a stress-free day without refreshing your email inbox! 

4. Give back

The mindset of slow travel doesn’t start and end with just one person. You can spread the mindset of slow travel by giving back as you go. We don’t just mean money, though supporting local artists and events does go a long way. We mean supporting the local culture and community. Whether that’s chatting to the locals in their language when you can, supporting local businesses, or volunteering on projects around the world, you can travel in a way that isn’t all take. Sometimes we need to give back too! 

5. Take it slow - literally 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Slow travel doesn’t just mean sticking to the train. But! We’d be lying if we didn’t include this top tip. After all, public transport is one of the best ways to get around depending on where you go. 

The main thing is not to rush about from place to place. If you’re in a rush, then you’re not enjoying the journey. You could be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if you’ve been jostled about by the tourist crowd, honked at in traffic, and need to go to the next activity in an hour, then it doesn’t seem that pretty. It’s important to take things at your own pace, so you can really enjoy your experiences. 

Everything you need to pack for a slow travel journey 

Alright, you’ve picked your destination and you basically now have a degree in slow travel. You’re ready to go. But what are the essentials to pack for a slow travel trip? Of course, having an umbrella, jacket, and spare bag for waste, are always needed. We’ve put together a list of the best things to bring! 

While you’re out exploring, you’re sure to find beautiful places and hidden gems. Get your phone camera or DSLR ready for your best shot. Slow travel is all about taking your time and enjoying the moment. What’s more slow travel than capturing the moment forever on film? The big thing to remember is the intention. If you get caught up just taking photos to show people later, then you’re not enjoying the trip anymore. Use your camera to help you remember what you love later - don’t make the camera the star of the trip. 

2. Portable phone charger

Sometimes you’ll be out hiking and your phone will run out of battery and, next thing you know, you’re following a random sign to the nearest village in the hopes of getting directions. Don’t be like me. Learn from all the mistakes of trekkers before you and bring along a portable phone charger to save yourself the stress. Perfect too for group campaign trips and city day trips. You’ll never regret bringing one of these guys along. 

3. Cross body bag

Nearly every traveller under the sun has one of these for a reason. Keep an eye on your most important belongings without lugging around a massive bag as you go. Crossbody bags are a great pick for day trips in the city and hikes too (easy access to snacks!). You can get ‘em second hand, but sometimes you just want to splash out and get something nice. For a more luxury budget with a slow fashion heart, check out STOW .

4. A notepad

Here’s a tip from me. When you’re in the pub, you’re not going to remember all the recommendations locals give you. And they give you plenty. Use the note app on your phone or go back to basics with pen and paper, to keep track of the ever growing list of things to do in the local area. You can also double up your notepad as a travelling journal. Look back on those memories years from now!

5. A map or guide

Having an actual map or guide is handy if you have poor connection. But we don’t just mean that. Use our map and guide to find things to do near you that are recommended by locals. Dive in deep on your slow travel trip and find activities to fit your interests, not just the “top ten essentials to do” that you’ll find on every blog list. Keep reading to find our top things to do wherever you go for the best slow travel trip ever!  ‍

The best things to do on a slow travel trip 

So, you banished your former ideas about travel and you’ve got our travel guide at the ready. But what do slow travelers do on their trips? We’re finishing up our ultimate guide to slow travel with some ideas to get your trip planning started. 

1. Take a hike 

Hiking is booming and for good reason! Slow things down by travelling on foot. You never know what you’ll find. We’ve seen hikes marked by artsy sculptures, a walking trail through a witchy village, or go for a classic woodland trail. Whatever flavour of hike you pick, you’ll be enjoying the local nature and taking a breath of fresh air. 

Where to hike

You can always find a good hike at the nearest national park, but we recommend using our map to find the best hikes and tips to make your trek the best one yet. You can find some good walks not too far from the city too!

2. Explore the markets 

We will keep on banging this drum. There’s no point going to a city just to explore the major shops. Sure, you’ll find some goodies there but you’re not really picking up the local vibe. Head on down to the local market to meet the artisans, the farmers, and so much more. Blend in with the local crowd!

3. Find hidden gems 

A slow travel trip is best when it includes a hidden place or two. Keep your eyes peeled for those places by asking the locals and checking out hidden gems on our map in Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and more to come soon! What we love about hidden gems is that they can be anything from a 19th century castle in the Netherlands to an alleyway covered in amazing street art.

4. Taste it!

Don’t forget to taste the local food and try out the beer and wine. Take a brewery tour, book a wine tasting, and discover local spots on our map! We’ve found amazing local food trucks, rooftop bars, and even little wineries across our favourite destinations. 

Where to eat 

While you’ll always find plenty of cafes and restaurants in the city centre, they’re usually not the most authentic. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re tourist traps! Wander out a little further to find the best options in the city. 

5. Go sailing! 

OK, this one depends where you are but if you’re near a lake or river then you can’t go wrong by renting a boat. Sail out onto the waters and feel that sea - or river! - breeze. Want to be even more active? You can always go canoeing or grab a SUP board. SUP is basically stand-up paddle boarding! We’ve even found SUP rentals in the canals of the Netherlands.

6. Bring your bike

Join the locals on the wheels. Slow down your travels by taking yourself from place to place. Sustainable, convenient, and a great thing to do, biking is one activity you have to add to your slow travel checklist. Cycle your way across nature reserves, past the cities, or even follow along a local ice skating route.

Our slow travel book recs

Need further reading? Want some more inspiration? We’re not here to give you homework, but you don’t have to take our word for it on how great slow travel is. Delve in deeper into the slow travel movement and community alongside these writers, backpackers, trekkers, and more. Discover new destinations and tips in their pages, then go out and explore for yourself! 

The Art of Slow Travel by Bhavana Gesota

Read the true story and personal experiences of passionate slow traveller Bhavana Gesota. When I was reading this book, I was amazed by how deeply Gesota experienced each place she visited. But this book doesn’t just focus on the places. The Art of Slow Travel is one of the best travel books you can read as it actually goes into the internal journey we go on when we travel. 

Slow Travel: A Movement by Penny Watson 

This is your basic introduction to slow travel. Best for inspiration rather than a how-to guide, this book might not have all the answers you need to understand slow travel but it will pull you in and leave you wanting more. Discover beautiful places, tips, and tour company recommendations. We recommend Watson’s books for beginners to slow travel! Thanks to its fairly recent publication in 2019 and iconic photos, this book always ranks highly and our booklist would not be complete without it. 

The Idle Traveller: The Art of Slow Travel by Dan Kieran

This book is essentially a longish essay on why you should slow travel. Reflect on why we should travel and if we have lost that purpose… Keiran’s book is best for those interested in the mindset of slow travel and the philosophy behind it. Some of the best parts of the book are Keiran’s adventures and anecdotes from his travels across the UK and Europe. More limited in location than The Art of Slow Travel by Bhavana Gesota, but still an interesting read.

Fancy embracing the slow travel way on your next trip? Check out our map for 100s of local, authentic activities that’ll perfectly fit a slower style. Find the best activities for you on our map! Psst! Try selecting Green Horizons and Local Trading Posts for some of our slow travel faves… If your chosen slow travel destination isn’t there yet, don’t worry, we’re working on it! Follow our socials to be the first to know when we launch a new destination. In the meantime, happy (slow) travelling!

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The first slow travel guide

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What is Slow Travel? Benefits and How To Be a Slow Traveller

We hear people say slow travel is better than fast tourism, but do you know what is slow travel?

Slow tourism has gained popularity due to its alignment with the changing values and priorities of modern travellers. Embarking on an immersive travel experience offers a more sustainable, flexible, and mindful approach to exploring the world.

So, let’s learn about authentic travel, the benefits of slow travel, and, practical tips on travelling slower.

What is slow travel?

Slow travel is a deliberate, unhurried approach to exploring destinations, emphasising meaningful experiences, and cultural immersion.

Travelers stay longer in one place, support local economies , and seek sustainable, mindful journeys that promote a deeper connection with people and environments, in contrast to traditional, fast-paced tourism.

Why slow tourism is becoming more popular?

Slow tourism has seen a surge in popularity for several reasons, including:

Rise since COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a re-evaluation of travel practices. Travellers, concerned about the safety and eager to avoid crowded places, turned to slower, less hectic tourism. Many preferred remote and less touristy destinations, fostering the growth of slow tourism.

More people working remotely

The increase in remote work has freed people from the constraints of traditional office jobs, allowing for greater flexibility in travel. Slow tourism complements this lifestyle, enabling travellers to work while exploring new places at a more relaxed pace.

Increased interest in sustainable living

As people become more environmentally conscious, they are drawn to travel options that align with sustainable living principles. Slow tourism often involves eco-friendly practices, supporting local communities, and reducing the carbon footprint.

Self-care and well-being

The pandemic underscored the importance of mental and physical well-being. Slow tourism provides opportunities for relaxation, mindfulness, and disconnecting from the stresses of daily life, contributing to personal self-care and rejuvenation.

What are the benefits of slow travel?

Slow travel reduces carbon footprint.

Staying longer in one place reduces the need for frequent travel , and supporting local businesses promotes sustainable practices. This approach aligns with environmental conservation efforts, mitigating the impact of traditional travel on the planet.

Fast travel with short-haul flights causes more emissions than public transport . Travelling slower allows time to prioritise more eco-friendly transportation options , such as trains or bicycles. For travellers who do not have the luxury of slow travel, it is still worth taking on board the more responsible and eco-friendly ways to travel .

Slow travel saves money

Many hotels or guest houses will offer better deals on accommodation for longer stays to guarantee their income, and to compete with the AirBnB market.

Not being in a hurry to get from A to B will help cut your transport costs . Having the luxury of hanging around until the cheap flight comes up or the next public bus goes really does help the wallet.

Slow travel helps disconnect

Slow tourism enables travellers to cut off from their busy lifestyles . Fast travel can be stressful in itself, rushing out of the office to your destination, squeezing in some downtime, and heading back home. Slow travel helps us break free from the daily grind.

Deep travel gives us time to truly connect with other travellers . Meeting new like-minded people is part of the adventure, getting to know their story, and even planning part of your journey together if you are heading in the same direction.

Slow travel helps travellers to cut off from digital overload . Whilst it is easy to get targeted with ‘bad news’ on online media, I found it good for the soul to remove myself from the daily negative news on TV for a longer period.

Slow travel helps burnout. The increase in wellness retreats and digital detox experiences demonstrates how we are crying out to disconnect to give our minds and bodies a chance to heal and reenergise. Whether you decide to spend time on a retreat or just time out of normal life, this truly helps with general weariness.

Slow travel alleviates travel fatigue by emphasising leisurely exploration over rushed itineraries. Travelers have time for rest, reflection, and acclimatisation, reducing the stress and exhaustion associated with rapid travel. The relaxed pace and mindful experiences of slow travel contribute to overall well-being and a more fulfilling travel experience.

Slow travel is more immersive

Slow travel encourages engaging with the local community , fostering deeper cultural insights. Travelers learn about the lives of residents, their traditions, and daily routines. Getting involved in cultural festivals allows for first-hand experiences of local customs, traditions, and celebrations, contributing to a richer and more immersive travel experience.

Learning the regional language during slow travel promotes cultural understanding and meaningful interactions. Many backpackers will start their Latino trip with time in a Spanish School or living with a host family as I did in the Galapagos.

Engaging in volunteering while slow traveling enhances the journey’s meaningfulness. It allows travelers to give back to the community they visit, contribute positively, and create lasting impacts. This hands-on involvement provides a deeper understanding of local needs, fosters connections, and adds purpose to the travel experience, making it even more enriching and rewarding.

Slow travel is adventurous

Time gives us to travel to off-the-beaten-path destinations much easier. Exploring the lesser-visited places where transport is limited, or primitive, such as heading into the Darien jungle in Panama, or being about to journey down the Colombian Amazon instead of day trips from Leticia . Getting away from the obvious places to visit which suffer from mass tourism, opens our eyes to new cultures and intrepid experiences.

Tips on how to be a slow travel ler

Stay longer in each place.

Extend your stay to immerse yourself in the culture of the destination. It’s hard to get the feel of a place when you are passing through.

Build in stop days. It is easy to get caught up in seeing ‘everything’. When creating your itinerary on your slow adventure, plan some down days to sit back, and avoid travel fatigue.

Be flexible

Overplanning can restrict opportunities that may arise along the way. There is always some random offer by a group of travellers that has a spare place for something exciting, or a festival you didn’t know was happening. Have a loose list of what you want to see in a destination but leave a bit of wiggle room for the unexpected.

Seek local recommendations

Don’t pre-book your trips with bigger online companies. Ask around when you arrive at a destination means the money is going directly to the families

Local people know the hidden gems to discover off-the-beaten-track authentic experiences. Make sure you ask more than one person too, each local will have different insider tips.

Eat like a local to get the best culinary delights possible. Find out where they eat, and what traditional dishes you should try.

Shop at local markets to support the community. In some countries such as Ecuador, locals would come down from the highlands with their home-grown produce. Ask to try their r egional fruits , and buy your favourites.

Buy local artisan products. Ask locally where the best market is to buy the ‘genuine’ handicrafts. For example, in San Cristobal de las Casas , I was made aware of which streets have imported cheaper products taking away from the real artisans of the community.

Stay at locally-owned guesthouses or homestays to foster cultural exchange and support local economies. I have stayed in many guesthouses on my travels that offer more authentic experiences with wonderful characters who know the area well.

Spread the spend

Explore lesser-visited areas to spread the economic impact whilst uncovering hidden gems.

Travel at off-peak times brings money to communities and allows you to stay longer as the cost per night will be more favourable.

Be informed of the transport options

Whilst slow travel means you are less concerned about time, it is best to familiarise yourself with the travel options, and factor in these considerations;

• If you have landed in a remote location, local buses or transport may only go on certain days .
• If you want a little comfort, sometimes shuttles can get booked up .
• Depending on your country, buses and local transport can often take longer so if you are booked for a tour or hotel in the next destination
• You may wish to avoid travelling at night for safety reasons so best to plan your route ahead of time.

Prepare for border crossings

Border crossing experiences can vary widely between countries and regions, so thorough research and preparation are crucial for a smooth and hassle-free transition from one country to another. Here are some essential steps to consider:

Research and Documentation: Understand the visa and entry requirements for both countries.

• Understand the visa and entry requirements for both countries. Ensure you have the necessary visas, passports, and any required permits.
• Check visa validity and make copies of important documents.
• Keep track of entry and exit stamps or documents provided by border officials for visa extension or exit.
• If driving, carry your vehicle’s registration, insurance, and any required permits.
• Check if vaccinations or health certificates are required for entry. Carry necessary medications and health insurance.

Currency and Money: Think about what you might need money for on each side.

• Exchange currency or carry enough local cash for border fees, transportation, and expenses upon entry.
• Change your currency to the local one for easier transactions on the other side. It’s worth chatting with other backpackers in the hostel who may want to sell some currency from their last country.

Transportation: Plan your route and transportation method, and consider the availability of local transport on the other side of the border. Ensure your vehicle meets local requirements if you’re driving.

Border Timings: Borders may have specific operating hours; confirm the opening and closing times and plan your arrival accordingly.

Communication: Have a working phone with local SIM cards or international roaming to stay connected in case of emergencies. I use Airalo for these situations to avoid me feeling vulnerable as a solo female traveller.

Local Language: Carry a phrasebook or language app to help with communication, as border officials may not always speak English.

Stay safe with slow travel

Ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance covering medical emergencies, trip interruption, and lost or stolen belongings. Here are my tried-and-tested travel insurance options.

• SafetyWing for Digital Nomads . Benefit from 24/7 assistance, comprehensive and medical cover including Covid-19. Buy insurance whilst you are travelling, with the option of global health insurance.
• Get 5% off your travel insurance with IATI . Discover a range of policies from basic to premium, and multi-country trips for up to 3 months. IATI will cover countries where the FCDO advises against all travel. All include 24/7 Emergency Travel, Crisis, and Medical Assistance services. 
• Get 5% off your travel insurance with HeyMondo . Benefit from 24-hour medical assistance, 365 days a year with single, multi-trip, and long-stay insurance (up to 90 days), cover for COVID-19 and non-refundable expenses. The handy app makes this a simple process! They give a little back too by contributing to ‘Doctors Without Borders’.

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I'm a content creator for She Wanders Miles ♡ Digital marketer, photographer, hiker, and nature lover ♡ Passion for slow, sustainable and responsible travel ♡ Join me in discovering our beautiful world across 7 continents.

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Absolutely 100% in agreement.

With each successive trip, my travel has become slower — and much more fulfilling and healing.

Totally agree. If you can afford the luxury of time to get to know a place better, slow travel becomes a more fulfilling experience.

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What is Slow Travel? And How to Do It

27. Oct. 2021

Is it just us, or is travel, and the desire to travel, everywhere? Travel has become a ubiquitous part of life for so many people, particularly now that technology has made it seem much more accessible. Take a look online. Instagram is full of travel-focused accounts showcasing the world’s most beautiful places. YouTube gives adrenaline-junkies a perfect platform to share their adventures. Airbnb provides stunning, photo-ready accommodations accessible at every price point. One study even showed that people were more likely to travel somewhere if they thought it would result in an increase in their social media following and engagement .

Seeing travel as a way to keep up with trends and become more popular online can actually stop you from experiencing the true benefits of getting out of your own bubble. The people who are leaving behind slow travel in favor of quick trips to stunning and inspiring places rack up more “likes”, so it can feel like we’re missing out if our own experiences don’t stack up against theirs.

Talk about FOMO.

If you find yourself making an extensive list of the places around the world that you want to check off of your bucket list, it may be time to take a step back and think about the reason behind your desire to travel. What do you want out of your travels? A fast and furious tour seeing ‘everything there is to see’, changing locations every 2-3 days? Or do you want to feel like a local, spending leisurely days strolling off the beaten path? If you’re craving a more authentic experience, one that leaves you with a feeling that you truly got to know the places, people and cultures that you’ve encountered on your travels it could be time to s l o w down. Learn more about this lifestyle by reading our guide on how to become a digital nomad .

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What is Slow Travel?

Slow travel is an approach to travel that emphasizes connection: to local people, cultures, food and music. It relies on the idea that a trip is meant to educate and have an emotional impact, in the present moment and for the future, while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment.

Heard of the slow food movement ? It originated in Italy in 1986 and aimed to preserve regional cuisine, local farming and traditional cooking methods through education of tourists and local residents. People were realizing that increased tourism was changing the way that people were eating, bringing larger, chain-based restaurants to major cities and taking away profits from family-owned establishments. The slow food movement worked to draw business back to traditional restaurants by touting the benefits of using regionally-sourced ingredients and stimulating local economies.

Learn how to take your remote job on the road as you travel the world.

Different industry, same concept. Where travel is considered, a “slow” mindset urges tourists to take a step back from their to-do lists and Instagram-worthy photo ops and simply embrace what the local community has to offer. Instead of making sure you hit the “hot spots” outlined in a travel guide, focus on things that locals do everyday, things that excite them and give them joy. The impact that these connections have on you will last a lot longer than the memories that you have of racing from tourist attraction to tourist attraction.

This is not just a way to travel, it’s a mindset. It’s the outlook that the quality of your experience is more important than the quantity of your experiences when you travel.

You can wake up without plans for the day, unsure of the adventures that await you, but with the knowledge that what you’ll experience will mean so much more than a post to social media could convey.

Many travelers like to use the phrase “there’s always another trip” to convey that it’s impossible to see or do everything within a city in a short amount of time. It’s okay to save some of the sights for another visit. Instead of racing to do it all, indulge in experience-based activities.

When you visit a museum, give yourself enough time to fully immerse yourself in its artworks. Ponder the meaning behind a painting, or imagine the artist’s thoughts as he or she sculpted an object from clay or stone. Lose yourself in the meaning behind the duality of identity in Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits. Absorb and analyze the cultural impact of Salvador Dalí’s surrealist works. Remember: you don’t need to visit every wing or exhibit - you can always come back.

What other impactful local activities could you only experience if you were traveling slowly? Imagine learning how to create handmade beads from a local artisan, heading out with a resident fishing crew to reel in the day’s catch or getting to know the proper intricacies of drinking mate from a born-and-raised Argentinian.

You want to find something on this trip that leaves a fingerprint on your soul. Whether it be an evening spent wandering through a local park, a day pondering artistic intention in a museum or an afternoon white water rafting in the mountains, Whether it be an evening spent wandering through a local park, a day pondering artistic intention in a museum in Paris, an afternoon white water rafting in the mountains or going on a day trip from Mexico City , you’ll search for an adventure that will make you feel something.

Benefits of Slow Travel

Slow travel has many benefits for the traveler and the community that they’re visiting. In a way, it’s a return to the reasons that people had traveled in the past, for a cultural experience or a chance to lose themselves in a new place without the need to document every moment. Here are a few  reasons you should consider travelling slowly:

Prevent “tourist burnout”

Have you ever left a trip more tired than when you arrived? That’s a little thing that travelers call “tourist burnout”. Trying to see or experience as many things as possible within a short period of time can be exhausting, and actually leave you with a negative view of your time on the road as a whole.

Ditch your typical frenetic mentality and slip into the pace of the local culture. Instead of thinking of your trip as a list of as a checklist, reframe it as an opportunity for growth, education and development . That to-do list that you created doesn’t need to be fully completed in order for your travels to have been successful. You can always head back to that destination later to see what you missed!

Traveling slowly can be a more inexpensive option than a typical tourist jaunt. Chain hotels and big-name restaurants tend to be  pricier, and they don’t offer the type of charm or experience that a local spot would. Beyond the places that you’ll visit during the day, you can save money on the space where you’ll lay your head at night. Seeking out local Airbnb options or even homestay opportunities could be the key to a connected, life-changing experience on your next trip. If you have a kitchen in your accommodations, bonus! You won’t have to eat out quite so often (though you may be tempted to with all of that amazing cuisine), and you can find regional ingredients with which to make a culturally-relevant meal with your own two hands.

Make connections

We’re going to let you in on a secret: you won’t meet anyone who has the ability to change your life if your head is stuck inside of a tourist guide. Look up and look around. Learn a bit of the local language before you arrive so that you can engage in brief conversation with shop owners. A short conversation with a man working at a bakery could turn into an opportunity to learn how to make your own bread and, later, a traditional meal with his family where you can make even more connections. You never know what could happen when you take the time to slow down and get to know the people in the city that you’re traveling in.

Break out of your comfort zone

This way of travelling isn’t always simple, planned or easy. It requires a certain level of confidence that things will work out, or that you will be able to figure them out along the way. There will be moments during your experience that scare you, but these are the moments that can teach you a lesson that you could carry with you for the rest of your life. You may need to overcome language barriers and differences in cultural customs. These experiences will make you a more knowledgeable traveler and give you global perspective. Unlike a tourist experience, where translated tours abound and Yelp  directs you to a place where you’d most likely enjoy the food, a more authentic experience could end up with you tasting a scorpion for the first time in China. You’ll also leave little to no negative impact on the local community because you won’t be working with exploitative tour operators. That’s what will make it one of your best trips ever.

How to Slow Travel

All it takes is a shift in perspective and mindset to get started. Here are a few tips for turning your next trip into a more authentic experience:

Live like a local

Talk to the people that you meet when you arrive at your destination and find out their favorite places to eat, relax, and learn. They know this city better than you do, so take their advice and run with it. That little hole-in-the-wall cantina might have the best guacamole that you’ve ever had.

Don’t try to see everything on your list or, better yet, don’t make a list at all

Leave a few things up to chance  for once. When every minute is planned to a tee, you don’t leave room for surprise or happenstance. When you wake up on the first day of your travels, surrender to whatever the world has in store for you and live without fear of missing out.

Get ready to grow

Traveling is not the time to seek out the ordinary. Embrace the feelings of discomfort and use your trip  as a chance to grow and learn more about how people around the world. Haggle in a local market. Say ‘yes’ to an opportunity that you never would in your normal life. Arrange a homestay where you’ll have to socialize with locals around the kitchen table on a daily basis. Whatever you do, don’t hold yourself back because of worry or discomfort.

Bring it on home

Finally, the idea of slow travel doesn’t have to just apply to ‘other’ places. Once you have  grasped this mentality, implement it in a place that you are familiar with, perhaps even your hometown. Have you been too caught up in everyday tasks and responsibilities to notice the little things? Do you frequent new, hip restaurants or do you try out places that have been around for generations? Is it a priority for you to make new connections within this city, or are you content with the relationships that you already have?

Think of yourself as a tourist within your own city. This could be your chance to make your hometown feel new again, and create an emotional connection to this place that has felt too stagnant or comfortable for so long.

It may not be for everyone or all types of trips (we don’t  blame you if you want to climb Machu Picchu or take a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower), but it is achievable. It doesn’t take any extra effort or resources to do, just a change of mindset and an openness to its possibilities.

With that subtle switch, travel again takes on a meaning. It can create memories that are more lasting than fleeting in an instantaneous world absorbed with the FOMO-inducing landscape of social media. As you consider your next travel experience, think about what you could take away from it if you implemented a slow travel mindset and remember, “there’s always another trip”.

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The Art Of Slow Travel—And 6 Tips To Help Plan Your First trip

Slow travel is becoming increasingly popular and it’s my favorite way of traveling, as well.

Whenever I tell my stories about my travels, people are amazed and say they envy my experiences. For most of these people I know, travel means going on a weekend trip to a trendy city, staying in an expensive hotel and barely leaving its spa or jam-packing their itinerary and coming home exhausted, needing a vacation after their vacation. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being a tourist if that’s what you truly enjoy.

But for me, oh for me, travel is something different. While I can enjoy a weekend trip to Paris or Madrid sometimes, bouncing from one sight to the other, these trips always leave me with the feeling of not getting as much as I could. What I really love is traveling slow. To stop and smell the roses. To travel with intention. Picking a destination and staying there for weeks or months, or at times, even years.

I am thirsty for experiences a weekend getaway can’t always satisfy. I want to spend as much time as possible with discovering new parts of the globe, losing my itinerary while going to lesser-known places, living life with the locals and making deep connections with their culture, taking time to follow their advice, tasting wondrous street food, learn their language and just savoir every experience a foreign land can provide. These moments are priceless and will never fade, but leave you with a unforgettable lifelong experience otherwise you could not live.

How to travel slow?

When I did my research for this post, I came across several articles that advise readers about how to slow travel, but in my opinion that goes against the whole idea of slow traveling. Slow travel is not about following set paths or itineraries, it’s actually the opposite. And as we are all so different what works for one would not work for another. If there is only one rule that should be followed is to travel with intention.

That being said, here are a few tips that help me to decide to pick my slow travel destination.

1. Determine your timeline

It’s important to know how much time do you have to travel. Do you have 21 days of holidays which you can spend all at once? Or can you take out months of work/school? Do you have a remote job that allows you to work from wherever, whenever? It’s a common heterodoxy to think that slow travel requires a lot of time. You can have an amazing slow travel experience in week as well as in months.

2. Set realistic goals

Determining  your time frame is important to be able to set your goals. I always write a long list of things I wish to experience then I divide it into two separate lists. On one of the papers I keep my list of the most important things. The things I’m dying to experience. On the other list I write down everything else that would be cool to do or see, but my world would not collapse if I didn’t get to them.

For example, if you have a week off you could hop around and visit 4 different cities, or you could choose one (or max. 2) and fully explore it for yourself. (I prefer to avoid the stress with getting up early to travel from one place to the other, check in and check out of accommodations so often or directing myself again in a brand new place.)

3. Work out your budget

This is also something that really depends on the person. I know individuals to whom all the money in the world wouldn’t be enough while others can travel for six months with just 200 euros in their pockets. Which one are you? It’s important to know to figure how much money you personally would need and what do you have to calculate with. There are many options here: you can spare your money in advance and spend it while you travel, or you can even make money while traveling (working, interning, volunteering). You can cut off your expenses as well if you do work exchange. Consider couchsurfing or booking way before traveling to find cheap accommodations and flights.

4. Pick your destinations

When slow traveling best approach is to keep your mind open and be flexible. Doing your research about places is useful but you’ll find the best attractions when talking with locals and most of the times it’s worth to trade in something from your bucket list for a unique experience. Many times I found the best restaurants, stores and accommodation by making friends with locals, otherwise I’d never figure about the hotel that works in a monastery as it is not found online. It is also one of the best ways to make long-lasting and meaningful connections with others while abroad, especially if you travel alone.

5. Make the most out of it

By “making the most out of it” most of us would think of different things (again), you should find balance between a packed itinerary and not doing any research and roaming the streets all day in hopes that something amazing will fall on your lap. (Though that works for some, too.) Here you can reach back to your lists you wrote in step 2 and check in with yourself. For me making the most out of my slow travel experiences can look different day to day. We all need to listen to our bodies and despite I plan the day ahead what I want to do next, I know myself and if I force myself to go sight see when my body calls for a day of rest, I don’t feel guilty for sitting on a bench in a park with my artisan ice cream and watching people as they pass by. The intention is to fill the trip with experiences that fulfill you instead of burning out or not doing anything (it’s easy to get lazy if you stay in one place for months).

6. Dare to do changes

It can happen with anyone that we choose a place we always dreamed of but then it just feels off and the place doesn’t vibe with us. Instead of forcing yourself to explore, allow yourself to choose another nearby destination that sparks your interest. It’s still worth to lose some time with transportation then having a sour mouth after a bad, forced experience.

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An Easy Slow Travel Guide to Mastering the Art of Experiencing More

Posted by Francesca Brooking | Sustainable Travel | 2

Curious about slow travel and wondering how to do it? This detailed slow travel guide features tips and ideas to help you revolutionise the way you travel. 

Itineraries longer than our arms, endless tickets to book, queues at attractions, and underlying stress simmering below the surface… we’ve all been there. 

Holidays are supposed to be a relaxing break from our busy lives but more often than not we return home needing a holiday FROM our holiday. 

But what if you could experience more without running yourself ragged? What if you could travel in a way that benefits you and the place you’re visiting? What if you could be a sustainable traveller but still feed your wanderlust? 

The answer is slow travel. 

This comprehensive slow travel guide tells you how to experience more while doing less on holiday. 

What is slow travel?

To put it simply, slow tourism is a form of travel which involves ditching planes for overland transport such as trains, walking, cycling, or boating. 

On a deeper level, slow travel is a mindset focused on human connections and authentic experiences rather than viewing travel as a commodity. 

Slow travellers take their time to experience a destination instead of just passing through it. They seek real, first-hand connections with the people who live there rather than encounters designed for the tourist’s benefit at popular attractions. 

The aim of slow travel is to see MORE by doing LESS. This might seem counterintuitive but it’s the quality of the experiences that matter, not the quantity.

For example, rather than cramming all of Italy into a two-week itinerary, you spend a week or two getting to know Tuscany. 

Slow travel is sustainable travel. It gives you the opportunity to go off the beaten path, contribute to the local economy, and enjoy the journey rather than focusing only on the destination. 

It benefits you too. You feel more rested and fulfilled, and with a deeper understanding of the place you’ve visited.   

What are the origins of slow travel?

Slow travel has its roots in the slow food movement which ignited in Italy during the 1980s to fight against McDonald’s opening near Rome’s Spanish Steps. 

The fast food chain represented all that was wrong with the way life was speeding up alongside people’s dwindling interest in the food they were eating. 

Officially founded in 1989 in Piedmont by Carlo Petrini, Slow Food International sought to rekindle the appreciation for the small, local producers, chefs, artisans, and farmers that make Italy’s food so renowned. 

The same principles behind the slow food movement form the basis of slow travel too. Just like slow fashion and slow living in general. 

Who is slow travel for?

First, let’s bust some misconceptions. Slow travel is not just for retirees or digital nomads with buckets of time and money to travel. 

Slow travel suits everyone young and old from budget backpackers to luxury travellers as well as families, couples, and groups. There are no restrictions!

Travelling slowly isn’t about the amount of time you have, it’s about what you DO with that time. Your five-day trip can still count as slow travel. 

The only requirements to slow travel are being open, going with the flow, and enjoying the journey as much as the destination. I’ll share more about how to do this later. 

The benefits of slow travel 

Here are some top reasons why the slow travel movement is so important. 

You experience local culture 

Slow travel invites you to interact with the local community away from the tourist attractions. 

You can get to know the local culture by taking part in a traditional activity or event, learning the language or finding the best restaurant that tourists don’t know about. 

You get to see what it’s like to live there and meet people with fascinating stories to tell. 

Plus, getting an authentic cultural understanding helps bust prejudices or misconceptions about a place. Read my guide to taking ethical travel photos to find out more. 

It benefits the local economy 

The longer you stay in a place, the more money you will spend on shopping, days out, and buying souvenirs from local businesses etc. 

In other words, your hard-earned cash goes directly into the local economy rather than the pockets of large international companies – otherwise known as tourism leakage. 

A sustainable way to travel 

Slow tourism is more sustainable because your positive contributions to the local area outweigh the negatives. 

You support local businesses, go off the beaten path, use public transport, avoid tourist hotspots, and travel at a slower pace rather than rushing around. 

It lowers your carbon footprint

The faster you travel (flights, driving etc) the bigger your carbon footprint. The slower you go (hiking, cycling or staying put in a place for longer), the lower your impact. 

That’s not to say you can’t fly at all as a slow traveller. You should just make sure to use lower-impact transport when you’re there. 

Slow travel relies most on public transport which requires less fuel and has fewer carbon emissions than planes. 

For example: 

• A return flight from London to Amsterdam is 136kg per passenger
• A return train journey from London to Amsterdam is 27.2kg per passenger

A note on cars: driving isn’t always more carbon-efficient than flying. Your carbon footprint varies depending on the number of passengers, the car’s model, and what it runs on. 

Slow travel saves money 

Since you’re spending longer in places, it’s easier to budget. You don’t have to pay for expensive plane tickets or tourist attractions. 

Instead, you live more like a local by eating at cheaper restaurants, cooking at your accommodation, and using public transport. 

You see more 

Slow travel asks ‘what do you want to experience?’ rather than ‘where do you want to go?’ By spending longer in a region or place, you start to really see it. 

Perhaps you’ll have a chance to see market day or experience a local custom? Maybe you’ll find a new favourite coffee shop or discover something that’s not on your original itinerary!

Travel shouldn’t be about following a cookie-cutter itinerary of the next person. It’s an experience uniquely tailored to you. Giving yourself the time to experience a place makes it unique to YOU. 

You meet more people 

It’s a given that if you’re going to spend longer in a place, you’re going to meet more people – and that’s exactly what travelling should be about! 

It reduces overtourism 

Slow travel reduces the impact of overtourism because it’s less about chasing the thrill of a ‘must-see’ and more about authentic experiences. 

As a slow traveller, you’re not following the well-worn tourist trail to the top attractions. Instead, you stay in fewer places, avoid expensive tourist hotspots, and go off the beaten path. 

This alleviates the pressures of overtourism in busy places and gives money to overlooked areas. 

You feel less like a tourist 

When you travel at a slower pace, you see what the destination is like from a local’s point of view. 

You might become more familiar with the culture and infrastructure (like how the public transport system works) or learn some of the language. 

In other words, you feel more connected to the place and its people!

It’s better for you

Our daily lives are hectic enough without making our holidays busy too. Slow travel allows you to enjoy your trip rather than cramming as much as you can into your itinerary. 

Trust me, you’ll feel much more refreshed when you arrive home from your slow travel holiday. 

This is what travel is all about!

Slow travel reminds you why you love to travel in the first place. It takes you further than what you read online or see on social media for an immersive experience that’s unique to you.  

Ecotourism and slow travel 

Ecotourism and the slow travel experience go hand in hand because they both benefit small off-the-beaten-path communities in an eco-friendly way. 

Like ecotourism, slow tourism helps to develop our cultural awareness and understanding of nature in the places we travel. 

Many experiences rooted in ecotourism are already examples of slow travel. Read my list of ecotourism activities to see the connection. 

The best ways to travel slowly 

These are some of the best slow travel activities: 

Backpacking 

Typically associated with twenty-year-olds travelling on a budget (most likely in Southeast Asia), backpacking is an easy way to travel slowly too. 

You move slowly from one place to the next using public transport as it’s often the cheapest way to travel. 

Perhaps you’ll stay in a hostel for a few weeks at a time, maybe working for six months and travelling for the next six? There’s no rush. 

Housesitting 

What if you could get all your accommodation for free when you travel? Housesitters take care of a homeowner’s property and pets while they’re away in exchange for free accommodation. 

You do basic cleaning, water house plants, feed the pets, and collect any mail for the agreed-upon length of time. It’s a great way to get to know the area and live like a local. 

Always go through a proper website like Trusted Housesitters for your safety. 

Remote working 

It’s never been easier to work from anywhere and adopt the digital nomad lifestyle. Remote working gives you the chance to settle down and experience the place for longer. You live there rather than travel through it. 

While being a digital nomad in itself is legal, digital nomads tend to travel on tourist visas which is a legal grey area. You’re not supposed to work on a tourist visa. 

However, an increasing number of countries are launching their own digital nomad or remote working visas.  

A note on renting: If you decide to stay in an Airbnb, try to avoid areas that have housing issues. Many communities are being priced out of their homes or can’t find anywhere to move because of holiday rentals. 

Cycling holidays

Cycling is one of the most sustainable ways to travel since carbon emissions are reduced to a minimum.

It allows you to slow down and take in your surroundings. Plus, it’s great exercise, gives you lots of fresh air, and a digital detox!

Make sure you’re comfortable on a bike and you’re physically able to handle the long days of cycling. That doesn’t mean you have to be a fitness fanatic though. You can go at your own pace and watch your stamina grow each day. 

Create your own cycling itinerary or find guided and self-guided tours at Skedaddle, Much Better Adventures, and H+I Adventures. 

Train travel 

Many new train routes and sleeper trains are cropping up, making it easy to travel around mainland Europe without flying. 

Travelling by train invites you to enjoy the journey. There are few luggage restrictions, no extra waiting around at airports, and you can sit back and watch the changing geography unfurl outside your window. 

Trains in Europe are affordable and if you opt for a sleeper, it saves you the cost of a hotel room for the night. These trains are modern and comfortable too with sleeping arrangements to suit your budget. 

See the Man in Seat 61 for train route itineraries in meticulous detail. I hope to take the train from London to Italy one day!

Homestays 

Where better to live like a local than with a local? During a homestay, you stay with a local family in their home as their guest. 

Homestays give you the opportunity to stay in places that might not have hotels or other tourists. It’s also a great way to try home-cooked dishes, get travel tips, and support the local economy. 

Stay safe by booking your homestay through a legitimate platform. Homestay is an obvious one. Another good option is Workaway if you want to combine a homestay with volunteering or a working holiday. 

Multi-day hikes 

Hiking is a fantastic way to connect with the place you’re travelling through. Plus, it’s easy to build a hiking itinerary to suit your interests. 

You can hike through the countryside, passing through small towns and villages as you go. Stay in hotels or go camping, incorporate the history of the local area or make the focus food and wine.

A hiking trip can be as long or as short as you like. Remember to follow the Leave No Trace principles and ensure you’re physically up to the challenge you’ve given yourself. 

Slow travel tours

Intrepid Travel runs guided small group tours all over the world and each one is led by a local guide, focuses on local experiences, and incorporates homestays throughout. 

If you prefer the self-guided approach, Byway Travel creates bespoke itineraries without a single flight involved. 

Original Travel uses local concierges to help you get an authentic experience of the place you’re visiting. For more tour ideas, read my guide to the best sustainable travel companies.

Off the beaten path 

Going off the beaten path is a key part of slow travel. This means avoiding the well-worn tourist trails and opting for lesser-known places that appreciate your custom more. 

It’s not about visiting places that are unsafe. You’re choosing regions that tourists don’t know about.   

Think of alternative destinations to the most popular places. For example: 

• Riomaggiore instead of Cinque Terre in Italy 
• Foelgandros instead of Santorini in Greece
• Choquequirao instead of Machu Picchu in Peru 
• Doubtful Sound instead of Milford Sound in New Zealand
• Lombok instead of Bali in Indonesia 

You get the idea!

Farm-to-table experiences

Farm-to-table experiences mean getting to know where your food comes from in the local area. Absolutely no food air miles and no fast food! 

So what does a farm-to-table experience look like? How about seeing how halloumi is made in a Cypriot village before eating it at the restaurant around the corner? 

Or perhaps doing a wine trail tour in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island? The possibilities are endless (and utterly delicious!). 

Easy slow travel tips 

Here are some quick tips to help you master the art of slow travel: 

Leave gaps in your itinerary 

Don’t try to plan every moment of your trip. Allow yourself to go with the flow and see where it takes you. 

Have a few must-dos in place but be flexible in case you want to move things around. Leaving gaps in your itinerary will allow you to stay curious about the place you’re visiting. 

Pay attention to how you’re feeling too. Don’t fancy doing that walking tour? Don’t! It’s your trip. 

Choose alternative ways to travel 

If you’re travelling closer to home, look at alternatives to flights. We’re more connected than ever and it has never been easier to get the train rather than fly. 

Similarly, when you’re travelling, use public transport rather than flying to multiple places.

Look for authentic experiences 

The best way to see below the surface of a destination is to ask the locals for recommendations. Start with the local Visitor Centre or ask the reception staff at your hotel. 

Avoid big tourist attractions which will only have you fighting through crowds just to get a photo. Most of the time, they just aren’t worth the hassle. 

Slow travel destinations and holidays

Any country in the world can be a slow travel destination!

Here’s a quick list of some of the easiest countries to slow travel in, and some trip ideas to get you started. 

New Zealand 

New Zealand is a beginner-friendly destination for backpackers. It was the first destination I visited as a solo traveller.

I spent over three months travelling from the top of the North Island to the southern point of the South Island. 

Slow travel ideas: Backpacking! New Zealand has an easy-to-navigate backpacking culture. You can find cool hostels, flexible backpacking tours, and amazing scenery.  

Australia 

Australia is so vast that slow travel is the only way to do it any amount of justice. You can spend from six months up to one or two years here and still not see it all. 

Australia’s landscape differs throughout the country so you’ll always encounter something new. The lively travel culture makes it a no-brainer for many backpackers.

Slow travel ideas: Australia has an abundance of epic road trips like Coral Coast to Broome in the west. Hop in a campervan and feel the freedom of the open road. 

Another vast country with so much to see, there’s a reason why so many Americans rarely venture outside of it. You can find every type of landscape here from deserts to mountains. It’s a land of contrast. 

Slow travel ideas: USA is well-known for its national parks such as Yellowstone and Rocky Mountains National Park. If you’re a nature lover, why not pick one to explore either by road or on foot?

Canada 

Canada offers plenty of opportunities to embrace slow travel and get off the beaten track. 

Sample the quiet fishing village life in Newfoundland where the seasons are part and parcel of life. Or get deep into nature at a remote retreat surrounded by rainforest. There’s so much to see and do.

Slow travel ideas: Road-tripping is an amazing experience in Canada but if you don’t drive, you can enjoy a 1200-mile train journey through Western Canada for just over $100. 

Mainland Europe 

Mainland Europe provides ample opportunities for slow travel as it’s so diverse and interconnected. 

Interrail is a fantastic way to get around and you can find a pass that suits your budget and timeframe. 

Notable countries include: 

Portugal 

Portugal is one of the cheapest countries to visit in Western Europe. It’s also easy to get around with FlixBus (I did this when I spent three weeks in Portugal during the summer!). 

Slow travel ideas: Make Lisbon your base and explore the Algarve or wine-producing Alentejo region. Or why not make the most of Portugal’s new digital nomad visa and work in a sunny beach town? 

France 

France is well suited to that slower pace of holiday – and it’s so easy to get there by train from the UK. Get outside Paris and find picturesque French towns nestled within a beautiful and diverse countryside. 

France has plenty of road trips you can do but more eco-friendly options include the high-speed TGV train or cycling holidays. 

Slow travel ideas: France is known for its cycling (Tour de France!). 

Why not cycle the Garden of France aka the Loire Valley? The 800km cycling route takes you through a UNESCO World Heritage Site with castles and wineries to look out for. 

Italy 

Where better to enjoy slow travel than in the birthplace of the slow food movement? Head out of the cities and discover a slower-paced life in the regions of Piedmont, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, and Tuscany. Or explore Italy by train in search of ‘La Dolce Vita.’

Slow travel ideas: Walking holidays mixed with wine-tasting and cooking classes are popular. 

Or why not go wilder still with a multi-day hiking adventure in the Italian Dolomites? You could also create an Italy by train itinerary – something I’m keen to do myself too!

United Kingdom

The UK has plenty of slow travel opportunities (despite trains being expensive). Enjoy walking routes, such as the Hadrian’s Wall Path, the Cotswolds Way, and the Snowdonia Way. 

Wales is also a great place for cycling holidays, and you can camp or road trip your way around Scotland and Northern Ireland. The possibilities are endless!

Slow travel ideas: Why not explore Britain’s waterways by narrowboat? You can hire a boat with a skipper or learn the ropes yourself.  

Spain is one of the most popular countries to visit in Europe, but you can still find a slower pace of travel off the beaten path. 

The Balearic islands of Mallorca and Menorca are quieter than some of their party-hub neighbours. Here, you can find pretty fishing towns and incredible seafood. 

Alternatively, Northern Spain is less touristy (if you avoid Barcelona), the scenery is breathtaking, and the food and wine are exceptional. 

Slow travel ideas: Northern Spain’s Feve trains run on a trio of railways that are often hidden from railway maps. 

Running on 1000mm narrow-gauge lines, they connect Bilbao in the Basque Country to Ferrol Galicia with more than 100 stops along the way. 

Slovenia is the first country in the world to be declared a Green Destination. Its capital Ljubljana is one of the few cities in Europe with a car-free centre. 

Public transport is easy to use and accessible both inside and outside of the cities so slow travel is a no-brainer!

Slow travel ideas: Slovenia’s tourism board has put together an exciting new cycling route which is perfect for foodies and nature lovers. 

The Green Gourmet Route passes boutique sustainable wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants. It takes about two weeks to complete and it can be guided or self-guided. 

Slow travel FAQs

Does a cruise count as a slow travel holiday?

While you’re technically travelling overland, cruising doesn’t count as slow travel. Cruises contribute to overtourism as they unleash thousands of passengers on a port at a given time. 

Passengers rarely spend longer than a few days at the port so they don’t have a chance to support the local economy or get to know the culture. 

A passenger on a cruise ship emits about two times more CO2 than someone who flies and stays in a hotel! 

Boat travel tip: look for smaller expedition ships like Hurtigruten or container ships instead of enormous passenger cruise liners.

Does flying count as slow travel?

The further away you want to travel, the more time you need. An endless amount of time to travel isn’t a luxury that most can afford. 

While flying isn’t technically viewed as slow travel, you can still embrace its core principles when you reach your destination. 

As a slow traveller, you don’t have to give up flying altogether as long as your intention is to fly less while experiencing more. 

Does slow travel require lots of time and money?

No, anyone can enjoy slow travel. They don’t have to be retired, rich, or digital nomads. 

This guide should give you plenty of slow travel inspiration whether your trip is a weekend or several months!

Can families travel slowly? 

Yes! Slow travel is an enriching experience for children . Plus, spending longer in a place is much less stressful than attempting to cram as much as you can into an itinerary. 

How do you prepare for your slow travel trip?

Ditch your rigorous itinerary but don’t forgo research! I recommend reading up on your destination so you know what you’ve got yourself into. 

More tips include: 

• Learn about the customs and traditions 
• Learn a little bit of the language like ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘hello’ 
• Wise up on exploitation so you know what to avoid 
• Pick a few activities you would like to do but leave time for wandering

Slow travel guide final thoughts 

I hope this slow travel guide has helped you see the benefits of a gentle travel pace.

When it boils down to it, slow travel holds many of the core reasons why we travel – for meaningful connections, new adventures, and memories that last a lifetime. 

What’s not to like? 

If you have any questions about how to slow travel or would like to discuss the topic further, my inbox is always open.

Looking for more sustainable travel tips? These articles can help!

• What Is Sustainable Travel and How to Do It?
• 10 Amazing Ecotourism Activities To Do Around The World
• 15 Best Ethical Animal Experiences Around the World
• No-Fly Holidays: London to Barcelona by Bus (Review)
• What is Ecotourism and Why is it Important?

This post may contain affiliate / compensated links. As an Amazon Associate, I also earn from qualifying purchases. For full information, please see my disclaimer here .

About The Author

Francesca brooking.

Francesca Brooking is the Founder of Little Lost Travel. A travel expert with a passion for the planet, Francesca is on a mission to help you travel well. From Costa Rica to Jordan, she's travelled all over the world. When she's not off on an adventure, she's reviewing sustainable travel products and writing travel guides.

Good to know that slow travel is catching up with travellers. It is a good way to experience more without getting tired. Moreover, slow travel is good for reducing the carbon footprint.

You’re right, it’s an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint while travelling!

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Hello, I’m Francesca

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Last Updated on 13/10/2023

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What is Slow Travel and How to Experience It

Rushing around famous sights and landmarks, and backpacking to the next destination every few days is exhausting and unsatisfying . We wanted deeper, richer travel experiences. That’s why we embraced slow travel.

What is Slow Travel?

Slow travel is a travel style centred on depth of experience and creating connection to local people and culture. The idea behind slow travel is to immerse yourself fully in the experience of being somewhere foreign, and let go of ‘FOMO’ travel culture.

Slow travel is a conscious decision to travel at your own pace. When you travel slow, you decide not to rush around. You don’t try to chalk up the most countries or cities visited in your 2-week holiday or tick off all of the famous sights. Slow travel focuses on a deeper travel experience of understanding of local culture and lifestyle . You take time to meet local people and experience everyday life in a different country or place.

The slow travel movement is an off-shoot of the slow food movement .  The slow food movement was sparked by local Italians protesting against the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome in 1986. They wanted to protect traditional Italian cuisine and culture, and championed slow food over fast food. The slow food movement advocates supporting local farmers, eating local produce and preserving regional dishes .

Slow travel works off the same principles. Slow travel is about connecting with a community and their culture. When you travel slow, you learn about local habits and customs through speaking to locals and ‘living’ in a place. When travelling slow, you open yourself to cultural experiences, learning bits of the local language and enjoying daily activities rather than focusing on trying to get round all the main tourist sights.

Slow travel is inextricably linked to sustainable travel because it focuses on meeting and supporting local people. You opt to get to know the area and support locally-run businesses, restaurants, guesthouses and community projects when you travel slow.  Because of this, slow travel is often considered low impact and opposite to mass tourism.

Why We Love Slow Travel

We discovered the concept of slow travel during our first house sitting experience in Costa Rica . We’d planned to travel across Mexico, Central America and down into South America. In the end, we spent almost a year in Costa Rica and we didn’t make it to Mexico or South America. After living in a Costa Rican mountain town, we learned to slow down.

As Costa Ricans say: pura vida. It translates to “simple life” or “pure life” and it means don’t stress, don’t rush, enjoy life and be thankful for what you have. That’s when we decided slow travel was the most meaningful and enjoyable way to travel for us.

How to Travel Slow

There’s no specific set of rules about what slow travel is and how to do it. Slow travel is a personal experience and depends on how you find a connect to a place and people. It’s also not about how long you spend somewhere – though of course if you can travel for longer, then great! It can also be difficult to kick the habit of fast travel, so here are our tips on how to travel slow:

Plan to Visit Fewer Places (or Don’t Plan at All)

Instead of cramming your travel itinerary full and feeling exhausted at the end of your trip, travel slower . Don’t hold yourself accountable for seeing so much. Think about how and where you’d really most like to spend your time. A good way to do this is to choose a good central base and book a guesthouse, Airbnb or villa there for a week or two weeks. You can enjoy local life in the community and still take trips outside of town.

Don’t Worry About Seeing All the Tourist Sights

Let go of that urge to blitz round the tourist attractions and monuments in every city. Taking a quick picture at each sight so you can say ‘been there, done that’ is unlikely to leave you feeling satisfied (more likely you’ll be exhausted !)

Slow travel doesn’t mean avoiding tourist sights altogether either. After all, many tourist sights do hold historical and cultural significance. But it means you can be selective and choose to the sights that interest you most. 

Maybe you want to hike mountain trails, relax on the beach or explore local markets in the city instead of seeing the sights, so do that instead .

Give Yourself Freedom and Flexibility

The most important part of slow travel is to give yourself freedom and flexibility. You don’t need to have must-see lists or to-dos for every place you go. Often the best experiences come by chance from wandering around and discovering something or somewhere new. If you want to stroll through a market or pop into a cute coffee shop you stumbled across, then do!  You’ll feel much less stressed if you’re not trying to plan every moment.

Travel for Longer

Slow travel doesn’t mean you have to take long trips, but if you can then its better. The longer you have in a new place, the more time you have to immerse yourself. If it’s possible to take longer trips then opt for that or if not then try to pack fewer places into your itinerary.

One of our favourite ways to travel for longer has been through house sitting . It means we stay in a home in a local area and usually meet the friends of the people whose home and pets we’re taking care of. Because we’re providing this service, we can keep our travel costs down and stay travelling longer.

Read and Research Beyond the Guidebooks

Whilst guidebooks can be extremely handy, they’re only one way to learn about a place. Use different resources to research your trips. Look for online blogs written by locals, or ask questions in Facebook groups of local people in a city. Use Couchsurfing or Meetup to ask locals questions online or to meet them in-person.

Look for novels, films, music and podcasts about and from the places you’re going and learn that way. We watched these great Vietnam-based films before our trip to Vietnam and it inspired our wanderlust even more! When I went to Vienna, I spent time searching out shooting locations from The Third Man . In Taiwan, we visited Jiufen and were awestruck to see the town the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away was based on. We’ve also got some recommendation for great Taiwanese films .

For me, I  find I have a richer experience in a new place if I’ve read about it or seen scenes in a film before going there. For Luke, he tends to connect on a much deeper level if he understands the history. Before and after our trip to Mexico, he spent 20 hours listening to the Revolutions podcast on the Mexican revolution.

Learn the A Bit of the Language

You don’t have to be the next Benny Lewis, but making an effort to learn a bit of the local language is a good idea. Not only does it mean you can more easily speak and meet locals, but it can give you a deeper understanding of the culture. When we lived in Taiwan, understanding the significance and meaning behind some Chinese words and characters improved our cultural understanding.

Join Local Project and Activities, and Meet Locals

No matter how long you have in a place, you can meet locals through apps and organisations. We use Homestay.com (accommodation with locals), Couchsurfing (accommodation and meetups) and Meetup. We’ve used Couchsurfing to go to pub nights and other group meetups. We’ve found like-minded people through board game meetups and digital marketing workshops).

Search for community projects and volunteering projects in each place you go too. You can do this through community-tourism tour agencies, like Local Alike in Thailand or De La Gente in Guatemala, or just on Google .

Peanut butter making workshop with De La Gente in Antigua, Guatemala

Eat Local Food and Buy Local Ingredients

Eat what the locals eat. Slow food goes hand-in-hand with slow travel. Look for locally-run restaurants and cafes, and order local specialities. We’re vegetarian and rarely have a problem finding local specialities.

If you’re on a budget or have a dietary requirement, then opt for local ingredients to cook with. We love buying fresh, local produce from markets and learning to cook with new fruits and veggies!

You can buy local produce for cheaper prices than the supermarkets in Costa Rica.

Stay in Local Accommodation

Staying in local accommodation is a good way to meet local people. It also supports the local economy, rather than supporting foreign-owned chain hotels. Here are some slow travel accommodation options:

Couchsurfing – Though it has lost popularity in recent years, we had amazing experiences through Couchsurfing. During a 3-week trip to Poland in 2014, we were generously hosted by Polish people across the country the whole trip. The trip taught us so much more about Polish people, culture and food than we would have learned otherwise.

Homestay – Homestay is a budget accommodation alternative to Airbnb. You can rent private rooms in host’s own homes at very affordable prices. It’s similar to what Airbnb used to be back in the day, and the verified platform with a review function means it’s safer to use and more reliable than Couchsurfing . Perfect for a local experience and a budget-friendly place to stay.

Airbnb – Airbnb used to be how we most frequently found travel accommodation. We’ve had some wonderful Airbnb hosts who made our travels very special, including our host mum in Chetumal pictured below. In recent years, the platform has become increasingly expensive and doesn’t offer the same ‘local’ experience as it used to. We use Airbnb only in cases where we need a private apartment to work from or where there aren’t other viable options.

Booking.com – We sometimes use Booking.com to find apartments and villas abroad, especially in areas where there are lots of accommodation options. The price comparison function is useful for sorting by ‘lowest price first’ to allow you to find affordable options. The main benefit of Booking.com is that it has by far the most accommodation options.

One of our favourite Airbnb hosts. This lady hosted us for 1 week in Chetumal, Mexico. She made us homemade pineapple tea, recommended all the best museums in town and drove us over the border to Belize!

House Sitting – We’ve been house sitters since 2014. We’ve looked after homes and pets in the UK, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. We work online, so house sitting works really well for us because we have a stable wifi connection and home base. House sitting is perfect for slow travel because sits tend to be at least a few weeks long and you’re living in a local community rather than tourist area.

Home Swaps – If you have your own place, then home swaps let you switch houses for a period of time with someone else. This means you don’t incur any accommodation costs and you have a home-away-from-home. Plus you can get local tips from the home owner you switch with!

Guesthouses – Simply search for locally owned guesthouses and BnBs, rather than chain hotels. You’ll have a more authentic travel experience and you’ll be supporting a locally-run business.

Slow Travel Experiences

You can travel slowly anywhere, but some of my favourite slow travel experiences have been during slow travel in Europe. Our slow travel in Barcelona had us staying in the city for 3 weeks. We spent so much time walking, cycling and hiking around the city. We went to the local gym, shopped at the local markets and ate as many tapas as we could get our hands on. Our trip also got us learning to cook tapas with locals through Barcelona Slow Travel.

We house sat in Antigua in Guatemala for 3 weeks and got involved with local community projects and social enterprises. We joined a peanut butter making workshop with local peanut farmers. This was organised through community tourism organisation De La Gente.

We visited a water filter factory where we learned about how this social enterprise were contributing to solving water issues in the country by providing clean drinking water for rural communities.

We also spent the day learning about Guatemalan culture with an indigenous family through the charity Small Change 4 Big Change and we’ve been supporters of their work ever since.

These are just a few example of slow travel experiences. For us, slow travel has been a mindset change. It’s about valuing quality over quantity. The quality of our travel experiences has become richer since we stopped thinking about the number of places, countries or sights we were trying to get to. The important point here is that slow travel can be experienced anywhere.

Slow Travel and the Environment

From an environmental point of view, slow travel is beneficial. Travelling to fewer places means less need to use transport or take flights. If you’re based in just one or a handful of places, you can usually get around by walking, bike or local public transport . Slow travel is also about local experiences. This means you’re choosing not to participate in mass tourism, which comes with negative environmental consequences .

Will Slow Travel Gain Popularity?

I’d like to think slow travel will grow in popularity, but Google trends shows that ‘slow travel’ now has fewer people searching than it did in 2004. Maybe this means that more people are familiar with the concept and have less need to search it out. Perhaps we still have further to go with advocating for travelling slower.

I like to think there are many slow travellers out there who just aren’t aware of the label; they just travel slow naturally. The more of us who become slow travellers and advocate for the slow travel movement by letting others know about how we travel, the better. 

Slow travel feels like a wholesome and satisfying travel experience. There’s no rushing around, no set schedules, no being on edge about missing buses or trains, and so on. You can experience a place at your own pace without the stress of trying to get to see everything and feeling exhausted at your end of the trip. Try it for yourself!

Charlie Marchant

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Charlie, I liked reading this article because it perfectly sums up what I had in mind with “slow tour”. It is also stimulating because it offers multiple points of evaluation. I like to travel by boat and sailing, that’s why I found these concepts so familiar. In Tuscany I offer a slow e-bike tour to discover this beautiful region off the beaten track, cycling in nature away from the crowds. If you have any suggestions or are thinking of visiting Italy, please let me know. I’d really like to meet you.

Ciao, Alberto

Hi Alberto – Thank you for your message. We absolutely love cycling, though we have spent very little time on boats or sailing. We’ve not visited Tuscany but have heard wonderful stories of it. I will let you know if we travel that way in the future :)

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A Beginner’s Guide to Slow Travel

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There it is, the email from Jack you’ve been waiting for — a screaming deal to Lima. You bust out your card and book the trip of your dreams. Now you just have to plan it. 

You’re envisioning the pastel Victorian houses over surf-lined clifftops, Peruvian cooking classes, bohemian art markets and afternoons lounging poolside. There’s the world-famous restaurant in Miraflores and all the fresh-caught ceviche you can eat. Oh, and you’ll have to plan a trip to Cusco to see Machu Picchu, and to Rainbow Mountain, and Lake Titicaca and you’d really like to go to the Amazon… Uh-oh. There’s so much to see and not enough time!

You are at the crossroads of travel where the question is: To see, or not to see. Do you cram all your dream experiences into one daunting trip or pick only the top few and forever long for the rest? Suppose the solution is not to plan as much as possible but to pick only the essentials and slow things down. Yes, you won’t get to experience it all, but more people each year are taking this counterintuitive approach to travel. They are happily missing out on a few things yet still coming home feeling fulfilled and even refreshed instead of needing a vacation after their vacation. They are planning trips at a more relaxed pace and prioritising what they really value — they are slow travelling.

And as the community of these slow travellers grows, they are redefining the typical vacation goals and changing the travel industry. A 2019 survey found slow travel to be most desired by respondents, beating out other categories like adventure travel and social-media inspired trips. Another top contender was JOMO — the joy of missing out or visiting off-the-beaten-path destinations — an idea some wrap into their own slow travel philosophy. More people are looking for a different kind of travel experience, especially solo travellers .

The Link Between Food and Slow Travel

To start, slow travel can mean touring at a literal slow pace, but the community’s values also include sustainability, cultural immersion and respect for animals and people, to name a few. Before slow travel had a trendy name and modern community, the philosophy was lived and shared by travel writers from as far back as the 19th century, if not earlier. Many of their ideas may seem eccentric to readers today, like shunning trains because they thought they were too fast and modern, yet the core philosophy was much the same. It wasn’t until the 21st century that a cohesive movement with the term ‘slow travel’ began, and it started, of all things, with fast food.

In the 1980s, a proposed McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps of Rome was strongly opposed by some of the local citizens. Protestors coined the term ‘slow food’, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and meant it to mean the opposite of fast food. Instead of a hamburger that is roughly the same as those sold in thousands of stores across the globe, made with cheap ingredients and available in minutes, slow food might be an entrée from a family-owned restaurant which sources their ingredients from the farm down the road and spends an hour preparing it. 

The protestors in Italy saw a negative global cultural shift happening with fast food and all other things ‘fast’ and wanted to share their perspective on the value of ‘slow’. They saw slow food as setting aside speed, sameness and quantity to refocus on depth, quality and variety. In the years since slow food was coined, this core philosophy has expanded to cover topics beyond food. The slow movement wheelhouse includes slow money, slow fashion and increasingly, slow travel. 

One could define fast travel as a one-month tour of 21 European countries or an all-inclusive resort that guarantees we never need to leave the comfort of our pool loungers. These fast travel roads are well-trodden, and for good reasons — they are great for those short on time or so burnt out (and who isn’t both these days?) they can only fathom a chair, a beach and a drink on their holiday. Yet with fast travel, some things are sacrificed for the sake of convenience and comfort. Slow travel seeks to reconsider these tradeoffs. 

If you are looking for something novel, relaxing, or contemplative, to reduce your environmental footprint , or to save money, slow travel may fit the bill. From visiting three countries over a gap year to learning a new language and cuisine to spending the entire afternoon reading a paperback on the beach, slow travel offers a depth of experience and cultural immersion not found with the usual kind of trip.  

The Slow Travel Guide

If you’re feeling slow curious and thinking of making Lima your first slow trip, there are a few decisions to make — defining your priorities, managing your budget and picking accommodations. And since you probably don’t actually have a trip to Lima booked, there’s also the decision of where to go and how long to stay there.

There are as many ways to slow travel as there are slow travellers. Some spend months in one place while others slow travel over two weeks of holiday. There are digital nomads, working on the road, and others who save for years for the trip of a lifetime. Slow travel can be done in a week or many years, in one city or in many countries. 

Most importantly, there are no hard rules for slow travelling, keep in mind the views and ideas shared in this article are just one perspective — don’t be afraid to colour outside the lines.

Financial and Environmental Budget

Slow travel can be more environmentally sustainable and cheaper than traditional vacationing. One of the biggest expenditures of resources on a trip (like money, fuel and carbon output) is transportation. When you stay in one place for a longer time, you get more days exploring for the same cost and carbon output. First, minimize the cost of that plane ticket with Jack’s Flight Club , and where it is impossible to reduce your footprint, consider carbon offsetting . 

Accommodation is often the second biggest cost, but longer reservations sometimes mean cheaper daily rates (although the days still add up). Lower turnover in hotels and rentals also requires less cleaning and water use. Over a trip, the fewer times you switch accommodation, the lower your footprint. Chunking periods of accommodation and transportation is like getting a bulk discount for your wallet and the environment. 

Some people take trains, buses, bikes or their own two feet to leave an even lighter footprint over shorter journeys. This is usually much cheaper and more sustainable but also obviously slower. To further reduce resource use, you could stay in environmentally conscious lodgings like eco-retreats, although these can be more expensive. 

There are many options for funding a slow trip . Some work remotely, others save to spend months or years abroad or take a long-awaited retirement. A few go to work as international teachers or nannies while many more keep their jobs at home and slow travel over holidays.  

If you fall into the latter group and feel a few weeks isn’t sufficient to slow travel, there are options for you too. One easy way is to focus on one destination per trip, allowing deeper immersion in that culture and a lower footprint. To extend the excitement of a few weeks holiday, you could spend the months ahead learning the language, the history or how to cook signature dishes. On your return, host a party and share your experiences, pictures and gifts. Even if your trip is just to the other side of your home country, chances are there are some unique and novel aspects to explore. 

One great example of this comes from the Kyoto City travel board, which launched the Stay Home, Feel Kyoto campaign in response to Covid-19. The campaign allows immersion into Kyoto without ever visiting, a clever way to ‘travel from home’ or make a short trip to Japan feel longer.

For long-term slow travelling, staying within budget is essential. If you like getting your hands dirty, there’s farm labour or hostel work, which provides volunteers with a bed and sometimes food and can massively decrease expenses. But do your research first, some countries restrict volunteering for room and board. Adventurers who walk or bike and camp on their (very) slow journeys also save a lot in the process.  

For longer trips, it’s possible to save even more by minimizing unused belongings. Some slow travellers move out of their apartments or sell their homes and put their things in storage (or their generous friend’s attic). Many also sell their car and major belongings. If living out of a backpack or suitcase doesn’t suit you but you are looking for equally big savings, consider the increasingly popular RV and van living. This can be cheaper than accommodation and transportation, depending on local laws like camping restrictions and the cost of fuel. 

A Deeper Connection

Intrinsic to slow travel is a respect for others. Embracing the regional economy, rather than purchasing from multinational corporations, is the fastest and most dependable way to increase local incomes and help preserve the culture. Skip the super-size menu and go for a mom-and-pop restaurant or choose a homestay over a chain hotel. Visiting local markets and cooking your own meals offers an experience more like the daily lives of locals, employs local food producers and also offers footprint and financial savings. The slow movement emphasizes fairness to both consumers and producers and aiming for a more ethical travel experience. When leaving a place, ask yourself if you are leaving it the same as, or better, than when you found it so that others after you can enjoy the same experience. 

The deepest and most memorable travel experiences are often from connecting with others. While slow travelling, you have time to find your favourite haunt, like a pub or coffee shop, and learn the names of the staff and regulars. You will meet others on the road and for those that become friends, you’ll have the flexibility to get to know them and perhaps become travel companions. One of the best benefits of slow travel is being able to make spur of the moment decisions. 

Slow travel allows you to really get to know a culture. You have time to practice the language, learn about the history or local ecology. You can try many different dishes in restaurants, find your favourite, and maybe even learn to make it or tour local farms and vineyards. Just don’t forget to make a toast to the origins of slow travel.

Where, When and How Long

To slow travel and not feel like you missed out, it takes a little planning in advance. In the example of the trip to Peru above, there were more sites to see than time allowed. Take time to think deeply about what you want your experience to be and prioritize your values. This will help determine what to do this trip and what to save for next time around. You’ll feel better knowing you aren’t missing anything you can’t live without.

Many value the rest and relaxation of leisurely paced trips. Too often, travellers will visit a dream destination then come home exhausted, their memories a blur. Having time to take breaks between highlights can make all the difference. When planning the length of a trip, don’t forget to schedule downtime to recharge. 

Just about any destination is fit for slow travel. If you have relaxation and quiet in mind, the countryside of Europe or the beaches of Central America and the Caribbean are nice. For foodies, there’s the birthplace of the slow movement, Italy, as well as Thailand, Japan and New York City. And for the adventurous, there are trips like Machu Picchu in Peru or a biking tour of China. 

If you’re looking for destinations where you can slow travel on a tight budget, look for backpacker favourites. Typically, backpackers fly into one city and out of another and journey overland between via buses, trains, etc. Southeast Asia, South and Central America and Eastern Europe all have relatively lower costs of food, accommodation and public transportation.

The slow movement is about savouring experiences at just the right speed. This leaves a lot of room for artistic liberty. If you really want to do something, make it a priority and don’t feel confined to any set of rules. If that means making room in a backpacker’s budget for an all-inclusive resort recharge or ticking off the highlights of Europe with a quick tour, do it. 

Whether you’re going to Lima or taking a trip across your home country, slow travel offers a new and intriguing perspective. From priorities to budgets to respecting and preserving cultures, you can now focus on experiencing travel at your own speed and savouring deeper connections with people, time and place along the way.

Did this inspire your first slow trip? We’d love to hear about it! Feel free to drop us a message on [email protected]

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Slow Travel: Embracing a More Mindful Journey

Slow travel is a great way to explore. Check out this guide on the benefits of slow travel and learn more about different ways to slow travel the world.

Ever since the advent of mass travel, people have pondered how to get more out of their travel experiences. Being able to hop on a plane or train to get to a new city or new country saved people a lot of time since they were able to get to their destination faster. It also took away some of the things that make travel so special and life-changing. Individuals were able to travel more frequently but generally stayed for shorter periods. They could travel across a continent in a few hours but missed out on all of the local cultural exchanges in between. 

This, combined with the obvious issue of sustainability and environmental degradation, has made the idea of slow travel become much more appealing to many people. This approach to travel has an emphasis on connecting with people and local cultures while immersing yourself in the everyday life of the destination. It’s a much more sustainable way of traveling, and it puts much less pressure on limited resources than other forms of travel. 

Slow it down with Let’s Roam .

Here at Let’s Roam, we welcome every opportunity to slow things down a bit and enjoy the precious time we have with friends and family. We hope that everyone has the opportunity to do the same. To help, we’ve compiled a collection of fantastic resources to help you turn every ordinary day into something extraordinary. With hundreds of app-based scavenger hunts , virtual games, and travel guides on the Let’s Roam Explorer blog , we’ve got everything you need for a fantastic adventure!

Learning the Art of Slow Travel

Perfecting the art of slow travel can help you have a richer travel experience than you ever thought possible. It can give you a deeper understanding of the world around you and the role that you play in it. To help you get started on this journey, we’ve compiled a list of burning questions regarding the slow travel movement.

Disclaimer : I’ve been a digital nomad/slow traveler for the past two and a half years, and I was freelancing for the first year and a half. For the last year, I’ve been holding a full-time job, working as a freelance writer, and traveling full-time. This includes both slow travel and a faster form of travel depending on the destinations I was visiting. This article incorporates both my slow travel experiences as well as those of my friends who have followed a similar path. 

What is slow travel?

In its simplest form, slow travel just means staying in each place for longer periods. This is often considered upwards of ten days. The more complex definition describes slow travel as something that “emphasizes connection to local people, cultures, food, and music. It relies on the idea that a trip is meant to educate and have an emotional impact, while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment.” According to the Journal of Travel Research , during slow travel, “the traveler’s main goals are relaxation, self-reflection, escape, novelty seeking, engagement, and discovery.”

Slow travelers usually visit fewer destinations and spend more time in each one focusing on experience-based activities. Cultural interactions and outdoor activities tend to be more important to them than sightseeing and to-do lists full of tourist attractions. There is also a genuine desire to understand the nuances of each destination and make conscious decisions about their travel experience. In a nutshell, it is valuing quality over quantity when it comes to travel. It’s the polar opposite of organized tours that pack in a full schedule of sightseeing as you zoom from place to place. As the name suggests, it means traveling at a slower pace and absorbing the sounds, smells, and tastes all around you. 

The slow travel movement is often connected with the slow food movement which began in Italy back in the 1980s when a group of activists came together to protest a McDonald’s opening near the Spanish Steps—one of Rome’s most popular heritage sites. The purpose of the movement was to protect regional traditions and values. It also put emphasis on quality food over fast food and the slower pace of life that Italians are proud of. It has also become synonymous with sustainability, wellness, and self-care.

Is the slow travel movement a new “trend”?

Absolutely not. Slow travel is actually where we started! Before the invention of planes, trains, and automobiles, people mostly traveled on foot or with the aid of animals for thousands of years. The trend for fast travel is actually a recent phenomenon. To put it into perspective, cross-country road trips were still being done in covered wagons 150 years ago. This meant that their journeys were much, much slower, taking months or even years to cross continents rather than a matter of hours. 

In saying that, there’s been a renewed interest in traveling slowly in order to attain a richer travel experience. While much of the current slow travel trend is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been an emerging movement to a kinder approach to travel for many years in terms of the environment and local communities.

The biggest change is actually the number of people that could travel slowly increased exponentially when remote working became more widely available. Many people jumped at the chance to go back to some of their favorite countries and learn more about them. Sadly, as more and more companies are expecting their employees to work in the office, the number of people from the United States that are currently traveling may decrease. Without a doubt though, this “new” form of travel is definitely here to stay!

What are the benefits of slow travel?

To be honest, the list is endless! On a personal level, slow travel is much, much easier to do long-term. As great as it sounds to travel full time, there is always a risk of getting burnout. Think about how exhausted you feel after a two-week vacation where you’re hopping from place to place. Now multiply that feeling by like 100. Only then can you can get an idea of how tiring it is to do this long-term while working remotely.  

It can also save you a lot of money. When you travel slowly, you generally cut down significantly on transportation costs as you are flying, bussing, and driving much less. You’re also usually able to get better deals on accommodation if you’re willing to commit to staying for at least a week. The prices drop even more if you plan on staying a month. Many digital nomads choose to stay in destinations for at least a month at a time because of this.

On a broader level, slow travel is so much better for the environment. As many of us already know, the environmental impacts of travel are substantial. Much of this is due to air travel and single-use plastic consumption at a destination. When you travel slowly, you usually reduce the number of flights that you take. You also often rely more on going to grocery stores and cooking at home than say, grabbing a quick meal at McDonald’s, which also helps reduce the amount of non-recyclable garbage that you produce. 

Slow travel also tends to help the local economy much more than staying in places for a short time. Slow travelers generally spend more money at local shops, restaurants, homestays, and guest houses. They also spend less at international fast-food chains or branded hotels. Rather than going into the coffers of a big international corporation, it will instead end up in the bank accounts of local people.

What are the cons of slow travel?

One of the biggest problems with traveling slowly is that it can get lonely sometimes, especially if you’re a solo traveler. Imagine moving to a new city every few weeks and trying to develop a social life. You sit in cafes and restaurants watching other people with their friends and family, and you may find yourself second-guessing your travel choices.  

Traveling quickly can often make it easy to forget that you are lonely as you’re focused on getting from place to place, organizing your travel plans, etc. When you travel slowly, you have a lot more downtime to reflect. You may find yourself feeling a bit out of your comfort zone if it’s your first time traveling alone for an extended period of time. You really need to be comfortable being by yourself or with just one or two other people. 

What are the different types of slow travel?

 Slow tourism is traveling at your own pace in a way that is meaningful to you. 

Just like the fact that people travel for a wide array of reasons, people also do slow travel for different reasons. Some of the most common reasons that people may choose to do slow travel include spiritual tourism, culinary tourism, volunteer tourism , or simply remote work options.

Different budgets impact the way that people travel. People who are traveling on a shoestring may choose to volunteer in hostels in exchange for free accommodation or rent inexpensive Airbnbs or vacation rentals. They also tend to go to free events or find ways to make their money stretch as long as possible while still enjoying cultural experiences. People with a larger budget can choose to stay in better quality accommodation or even to use a hotel as their home base. They also tend to take advantage of the services offered by tour operators. These local experts can facilitate unique activities that may be off-limits to others. 

Is slow travel the same as digital nomading?

In many cases, yes. Every digital nomad has a slightly different lifestyle based on the way that they earn money, the passport that they hold, and their own preferences. However, by and large, most digital nomads are also slow travelers. They live in apartments, go grocery shopping, attend cultural events, and generally live a pretty similar lifestyle to many of their local counterparts. 

I personally straddle the gap between extreme travelers and digital nomads. I will often travel to off-the-beaten-path countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, etc. for a few weeks. Then I relax a bit, get caught up on work, and try to be as stress-free as possible for a while. This was the pattern that I followed for several months in 2021 and 2022. During this time, Istanbul and Cairo as bases between trips. This was a very different experience than someone slow traveling through Mexico or digital nomading in Bali.  However, it shows just how versatile this lifestyle is.

Meanwhile, I am friends with travel bloggers and vloggers who will rent a place for a month and get as much work done as possible. They will then spend a few weeks traveling through a country. I also know people who will stay in destinations for months at a time. They’ll fully immerse themselves in the culture by taking language classes and attending local Couchsurfing or Meet-Up events. The great thing about slow traveling is that you can shape it however works best for you!

Is slow travel the same as sustainable travel?

Yes and no. There’s definitely a lot of overlap between slow travel and sustainable travel. They aren’t always the same, though. Slow travelers and sustainable travels tend to place value on the same things. While slow travel is almost always sustainable, sustainable travel isn’t always slow. 

What type of slow travel is best?

This really depends on you and what you want to get out of your slow travel experience. If you’re traveling for a short amount of time (less than a month), you may want to base yourself in a few different cities across Europe or Asia. This gives you time to get to know your local cafes and bars. You may even start to recognize the people who work at your local grocery store. If you stay a little bit longer, you may even be able to know exactly where everything you need is located in the grocery store which is a big win!

If you’re planning on slow traveling for a few months and aren’t going to be working at the same time, you may want to consider joining a volunteer project or taking cooking or language classes. In certain destinations, you can even take part in spiritual retreats, yoga teacher training courses, and dance classes. Doing an activity allows you to meet more local people as well as other foreigners. In turn, this gives you more of a chance to develop more of a social life and a routine in destinations. By the end of it, you may find that you’ve learned an incredible amount about everyday life in a particular destination. This is particularly true when you think about what you would have experienced otherwise.

Is this possible to do long term?

Definitely! Many people have been doing it for years! If you’re able to work remotely and have a lot of time on your hands, you can always slow travel and combine it with short trips. This could mean basing yourself in Bangkok for three months, then taking advantage of the multitude of cheap flights on offer around Southeast Asia. 

If you’re planning to hop between destinations, make sure to download the Let’s Roam app before you go! Here, you can access hundreds of scavenger hunts, art walks, ghost hunts, and pub crawls for destinations worldwide. This is a great way to get to know a new place and have a great time doing it!

I did this for four years while I was based in Hong Kong. I feel like I kind of got the best of both worlds. I got an in-depth look at life in Hong Kong and China. Meanwhile, I got a taste of Japan, South Korea, and many Southeast Asian countries. While I was definitely considered an ex-pat instead of a slow traveler, the same strategy is used by many long-term slow travelers. They can work their way around the world one region at a time. In a way, it’s kind of like being back in college. You have your major. Then you have all your electives that help you shape your education into exactly what you want. 

Where can I find more information on slow travel?

Tons of social media channels provide insight into what it’s really like to slow travel and what new experiences lie in store for you. These may be influencers, travel bloggers, van lifers, conscious travelers, travel companies, or really anyone who has an interest in the slow travel movement. They can help you mentally unpack the art of slow travel and decide whether or not it is right for you. This will give you a deeper understanding of the pros and cons of slow travel. It can also show how to make slow travel a reality for you based on your unique circumstances. 

Is this the end to bucket list travel?

It doesn’t have to be! Bucket list travel has been a driving force behind people rushing to certain destinations. However, the slow travel movement is certainly not the end of it. There just needs to be a slight change in focus. Rather than having a long list of tourist attractions, restaurants, or shops that you want to visit because you saw a photo of them on Instagram, try to prioritize having authentic experiences. Instead of going to the top-ranked places on Trip Advisor, go to the local food joint around the corner from your Airbnb. Skip the fancy clubs and go to the dive bars full of old men wearing sweater vests. After two decades of travel, I guarantee you these experiences are the things that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. 

Are you ready to roam?

We hope that this article on slow travel has shown you the benefits of traveling more slowly and sustainably and that it has inspired you to try it for yourself on your next trip. As always, we would love to hear your feedback, and please let us know if there’s anything we may have missed!

If you want to read more information on slow travel, digital nomading , or any of the destinations listed above, make sure to head over to the Let’s Roam Explorer blog . This blog features hundreds of destination guides, must-see lists, and travel articles that can help you make travel planning much easier. Our team writes all of our blogs, and they’re full of first-hand travel tips that can save you time and money. Before you head out the door, make sure to download the Let’s Roam app . Here, you’ll have access to all of our fun-filled, app-based scavenger as well as great user-generated information. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Slow travel simply means spending a lot of time in one place while immersing yourself in cultural experiences and everyday life. It’s generally more sustainable and fulfilling than other types of travel.

Many digital nomads are slow traveling their way across continents. They often spend one time getting to know a country or region before moving on to the next one.

You can slow travel even if you only have ten vacation days a year . You simply need to pick a destination that you really want to get to know. Check out the Let’s Roam Explorer blog for inspiration!

Honestly, there isn’t much of a difference! Slow travel and digital nomading are actually very similar. Most digital nomads are also considered slow travelers.

If you want to learn more information, check out the Let’s Roam Explorer blog . Here, you can find hundreds of areas on different forms of travel, interesting destinations, and much, much more!

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Home » Responsible Travel » The Art of Slow Travel (How to HACK Travel 2024)

The Art of Slow Travel (How to HACK Travel 2024)

I’m going to let you in on a secret. I don’t like bucket lists . I know, I know, I’m aware of the irony that a travel blogger doesn’t like a cornerstone of the travel industry.

The thing is, I feel like we go travelling and miss the entire point of travelling . Somewhere between seeing the fifth and seventh wonder of the world, the world stops seeming so wonderful.

So what do I like instead?

I like squatting in the corner of a kitchen in a far away country making the perfect tortillas with my Guatemalan neighbour. I like making flashcards for a language I don’t speak yet so that I can tell dirty jokes with my Portuguese work mates.

I want to take time to become neighbours and friends and familiar with the places I travel to.

I like to travel slowly. 

Slow travel is a way of structuring your travels so that you are completing quests and seeking meaning rather than ticking things off your itinerary. There’s also a near spiritual satisfaction when you know that you have earned your way in blood, sweat, and literal tears to make it to a destination.

It can be intimating to Marie Kondo the crap out of your itinerary that no longer serves you joy. But trust me, my dude, the sweet reward of slow travel is  so worth it.

Come with me as we dive into the world of letting go of where we need to be. Come learn about slow travel. 

Slow Travel Origins

Why should i travel slowly, how to slow travel, ultimate slow travel experiences, slow travel faqs, the slow travel finale.

Slow travel is actually a splendid offshoot of the slow food movement. The slow food movement arose in Italy during the 1980s as fast-food chains like McDonalds attempted to infiltrate and outcompete local businesses. 

Italy said, no – but in Italian (which is really just an overly-emphatic ‘no’ with wild hand gestures), and the slow food movement was born. It emphasises a connection to place and valuing local businesses and their high-quality products over cheap, mass-produced food.

Essentially, it’s a movement of quality over quantity . 

Slow travel , then, is a f*ck you to the vacuous Insta-famous travel bloggers and their fast food take on travel. It’s about throwing your caution to the wind and travelling without a phone.

You prioritise connection with local people over another selfie with the Eiffel Tower. It’s about sitting in a hole in the wall store on tiny plastic chairs and trying the best soup you’ve ever had in your life. As you look around, the smallest details create an imprint on your mind. So this is what travelling is about .

It’s about writing your own manifesto . Slow travel is the whole reason you hit the road in the first place.

Skip Your Itinerary

For me, there’s a mindset shift that is crucial to slow travel. My rigid itinerary would have me up at 6 am to try Trip Advisor’s best croissant and then shuttle on to the top 10 places you have to see before you die. You then rinse and repeat for 12 exhausting days. It’s a life-changing experience and then we go back to clocking in and out of the 9 – 5.

My slow travel itinerary would have me impulsively buy a bus ticket to a town I’d vaguely heard of. It gives you time to scour local newspapers for some part-time work. There’s time to learn the recipes of my housemates; eat at local restaurants. It’s about getting under the skin and becoming part of the fabric of the town.

I let my travels genuinely change me.

But if we want our travel experiences to change us, we’ve got to let them in. When I found myself working on a sailboat, we ended up spending a lot of time in the Caribbean. Every Monday morning, the cruise ships come to St Thomas and every Monday evening the cruise ships leave.

The times we ended up sharing the island with twenty thousand cruise ship passengers, a strange sense of helplessness came over the crew and me. Here were all these people in such a rush , that they seemed to miss the entire point of their vacation. 

Not only did they not seem relaxed as they ran about the island, but they seemed to miss all the little details about the streets too. It was like travel knocked on the door and they said, go away I’m looking to go travelling. 

I thought it would be great if someone missed their cruise ship home. How much more interesting would they find this island if they worked in the bar for a few months and made friends with weirdo sailors like us. I wanted to show them through the backstreets and local buskers. 

I wanted them to travel slowly.

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If the most simple way of describing slow travel is quality over quantity, then I think it becomes clear why you should do it – to enhance the quality of your travels!

How exactly does travelling slowly enhance the quality of your travelling? I think it prevents traveller burnout . You know the feeling: you get back from an exciting and jam-packed trip more tired than you left. You need a vacation from your vacation!

By slowing down, you get back to the roots of what it means to take time out from your life. It’s not to see as much as you possibly can – it’s about restoring yourself and your energy levels. 

Slow travel is also far more sustainable, far less expensive, and far more enjoyable than a high-speed tourist chase of attractions.

Slow Travel and Sustainability

Yeah, look, the world can feel pretty f*cked. It’s on fire, it’s running out of water, plastic is choking turtles, Keeping Up With the Kardashians is in its 20th season… And yet even as we look on at this slow-moving asteroid of destruction, it can feel like we have very little in our power to change the course of action. 

We are too accustomed to next day shipping, international flights, and being able to buy travel experiences like we do new clothes. If I want to go see the Great Barrier Reef, provided I have the money, I can leave tomorrow and see the damn reef.  

So on the one hand, we know that in order for there to be a Great Barrier Reef in thirty years we need to take drastic action. On the other hand, that round the world ticket just went on sale…

Do you travel fast or travel slow? For the sake of being a responsible tourist , I think you should travel slowly.

The first step is to take this literally. If you set yourself on the quest to see the Great Barrier Reef, you understand that the journey is as enjoyable as the destination.

Consider how you will arrive at the reef? Will you fly into Cairns and take a boat tour one day, and a scuba diving trip the next, before flying to the Whitsundays and staying the night?

Or will you hitchhike to Cooktown? Will you live the boat life and sail your way from Bundaberg through the Torres Strait? You could swap hotel chains for homestays, Couchsurfing, or Airbnb. A few weeks instead of a few days? There’s always local produce to eat – or even try your hand at spearfishing (where it’s permitted, of course). 

Not only do you cut your carbon emissions by flying less and eating local, but I would argue you see the ‘real’ Great Barrier Reef. Australians are known for being sarcastic, a little abrupt, but on the whole, decent people. If you’re just another tourist flying in and flying out, you’re going to get the bare minimum from the locals.

If you slow down – or do something a bit out of the ordinary like get seasonal work or hitchhike into town – you might get a few funny looks at first. “You wanted to see the reef, did you mate? So what, you had to stay for the season to do that, did ya?”

But underneath the bluntness, is an appreciation that someone slowed down and stayed . 

Slow Travel and Combating the Travel Blues

I think there is pressure these days to ‘see it all’. You might never come back! Quick, make sure you get a selfie and post it to Instagram – or you might as well have not come!

This need to travel glued to your phone and to tick off destinations keeps you in a constant state of stress. Now while the best travel pushes you, it shouldn’t leave you feeling like a pile of limp, wet noodles.

The fact of the matter is, you are never going to see it all. So you might as well make what you do see worthwhile. Going back to the Great Barrier Reef example: rather than going on one scuba diving trip before flying back to your soul-crushing 9 – 5, you could live in Cairns for a few months.

Instead of being ushered onto the boat after two hours of splashing in the water, every morning at 7 am, you could swim with the fish before making your morning coffee. You’d get to freedive, snorkel, scuba dive, sail, and generally play water baby goodness as part of your daily routine.

Travel is supposed to be a step away from the grind culture. You should travel to offbeat locations to challenge yourself, sure. You should learn new skills, new languages, new ways of life. But there’s no need to attach KPIs to your regimented travel routine. You’re not going to “fail” travelling if you don’t see the best places in the worl d .

You’re going to beat the travel blues by slowing down; by living somewhere and making a morning routine out of what most people consider a mere bucket list item .

Wanna know how to pack like a pro? Well for a start you need the right gear….

These are packing cubes for the globetrotters and compression sacks for the  real adventurers – these babies are a traveller’s best kept secret. They organise yo’ packing and minimise volume too so you can pack MORE.

Or, y’know… you can stick to just chucking it all in your backpack…

Slow Travel IS Low Budget Travel

This ties into the next point. Slow travel is cheap. So while I could write an epic guide to broke backpacking , I could also just tell you to slow down . 

But that doesn’t make any sense? How does staying somewhere longer turn out to be cheaper?

The thing is, it’s not usually the place itself that is expensive – it’s getting there! The main expenses around travelling are:

• The overland transport
• The accommodation
• The attractions

So it follows if you fly from Paris to Rome to Madrid and back to London over the course of two weeks – that’s going to add up!

Limiting your timeframe means you have fewer options and can’t keep an eye out for cheap flight deals, for example. You also take away the slower travel options of trains, buses, hitchhiking, or van life. When you HAVE to be somewhere, you pay for immediacy. 

Once you arrive in a place, the concept of slowness continues to save you hard-earned dosh. If you don’t have anywhere in particular to be, you can opt to scout out a sick local homestay. You could also try fly and swap vacations – the most authentic way to experience life as a local IMO.

All of this cuts down on your accommodation costs. This leaves you a good chunk of coin for food and touristy attractions. 

If you really want to stretch your coins, you could learn to dumpster dive for your food. Even if you don’t fancy plating up discarded food, slow travel can lead to cheaper and higher quality meals. 

Slow Travel and Quality

Travelling slowly is simply more enjoyable. Quality is a bit of a sticky, and deceptively unknowable concept. It really asks, what is best?

The dominant cultural messaging for the last few generations was that you needed to see everything, do it all, be well rounded, but don’t lose your job! This led us to cram ourselves into these rigid little itineraries that leave no room for a regenerating planet – or self. 

Luckily, we’ve said ‘no, it’s not a phase, mom’. Slow travel simply feels better.

Like anything, there’s an art to doing slow travel well. But, also like anything, it’s better to get out there and start doing it – even if at first you are doing it imperfectly.

Remember, that above all slow travel is about connection . It’s about seeing life from a perspective other than your own. 

I feel like there isn’t a whole lot of point in giving you a prescriptive guide on travelling slow – it defeats the whole point. The point of opening up your travels to chance and spontaneity is to ignore travel bloggers like me and make your own adventure!

Buuuut, here are a few tips to get you started with travelling slowly:

• Give up some “purpose” – i.e leave gaps in your itinerary!
• Train, don’t plane.
• Get a little lost.
• Learn a new language .
• Spend more time in one place . 

One way you can foster a genuine connection with a place while spending more time there is by volunteering. Giving back and getting involved in a local community is the core value of slowing down your travels. You get to sink your teeth into a new culture and learn more about the people there.

While I am quite comfortable turning up in a new town and checking the local notice boards for volunteering opportunities, I think there’s something to be said for organising a volunteer placement before you hit the road.

You can use a platform such as Workaway or, our personal favourite, Worldpackers ! It’s a review based platform specialising in connecting volunteers with meaningful projects all over the world.

The website is easy to use and you know exactly what to expect out of a program before you get there. And broke backpacker readers get a 20% discount on their subscription!

So now that you’re juiced up and inspired to slow down and perfect the art of meandering, what kind of epic travel experiences do you have to look forward to? 

You can start by exploring your hometown! Maybe there is a local farm to table restaurant that you’ve always wanted to try, or a pottery class that you’ve always wanted to attend! It pays to think of your own town as somewhere full of layers and hidden secrets, too.

When you do hit the road, and you want to do so sustainably, there are a few epic slow travel experiences that come to mind. 

Living the Vanlife

Your first foray into the world of travelling at a snail’s pace may involve getting yourself a little home on wheels. In the same way that a snail goes about life with their house on their back, living the van life means taking your home with you. 

Living out of your van encourages you to appreciate the journey between destinations. The road less travelled is usually bloody gorgeous – and has way less traffic. When you do arrive in a new town, you already have your accommodation sorted!

Vanlife is wonderful because your possessions are pared down, your pace of living is slow, and your appreciation of long term slowness is increased. Plus, it’s cosy!

But you know what? Vanlife is also grotty, challenging, and hardly ever goes to plan.

I remember living out of my van and driving with my mate on a South Island road trip . Now, I knew that it was winter and I knew that New Zealand was prone to flooding and I had even checked the weather forecast and seen a hectic storm was on the way. But I (recklessly) said, fuck let’s keep driving.

We woke up to discover that we couldn’t drive onwards in the morning because the road was closed. Oh shit, no worries, we’ll just drive back to where we came from.

Except that road was closed too. We found ourselves stuck in a town, with no motel, in the middle of the largest flood in 10 years.

After getting us bogged, and then unbogged, and restarting our battery in torrential rain, I made the decision of any rational person: I said, well we can still go to the pub. Drinking in a local pub with the road closed in two directions is probably the best thing that could’ve happened to someone who decided to keep driving through a flood warning!

Anyway, a fair few drinks were shared. In the end, we had multiple offers for a place to stay until the roads were open again. Vanlife is not always easy and it’s not always pretty. But man, it certainly forces you to slow down and forge connections in the strangest of places!

The Dreamiest of All Slow Travel – Boat Life

Sailing takes slow travel and turns it into poetry. You rely on the wind and the currents to take you from A to B. Having the weather as your decision-maker forces you to think about your travel in terms of seasons.

Working so hard to reach a destination makes it that much sweeter – and the destinations are already pretty sweet. But after sailing across the Pacific for 30-odd days, the first sight of land touches the sublime. Earning your way to a destination in blood, sweat, and night watches is one way to ensure you have a deep and unending appreciation for a place!

The old salts live by the phrase, the best plans are written in the sand at high tide . You make a plan to spend a season sailing the Caribbean. But then, you realise that there is an excellent weather window to cross the Atlantic , and you heard that the wine over there is really quite nice.

Provided your boat is in tip-top shape and your crew haven’t mutinied, you may find yourself somewhere in Portugal thinking, huh, this is nice . 

Sailing is also environmentally sustainable. The adventures you and your floating tin have really drive home this sense of responsibility for this pale, blue dot we call home. And that, more than anything, is the point of travelling slowly.

Hitchhiking

So this one time in Mexico, my pet chicken and I stood on the side of the road in the Yucatan and decided to hitchhike. 

My chicken ended up falling asleep because it was taking a while for someone to stop for us. I kept myself busy by spotting shapes in the clouds. It’s truly astounding how beautiful the world is when you’ve got nowhere to be. 

Eventually, someone pulled over and offered us a ride. Of course, we got to chatting. There is not much I like more than a good old fashioned chit chat with a stranger. The next thing I know, we had taken a turn from the main highway in order to find the best taco my new friend remembered having as a kid.

The best tacos turned into sampling the best mezcal in town which somehow turned into karaoke in a small bar in rural Mexico. My chicken was given so much free food that she fell asleep in the middle of the blaring karaoke music!

When I started that morning, I had absolutely no idea where the day would take me. Perhaps I’d end up camping by another beautiful beach again. Perhaps I would make it closer to the border. But as it turned out, I made a good friend and was privileged to try the best tacos in the Yucatan. 

Hitchhiking is a special form of slow travel because it puts you right in the thick of it. This is what travel is about. You slowly, slowly make it somewhere. The where becomes less important. The when becomes almost irrelevant. The locals become your neighbours and the country becomes your home. 

What is slow travel?

Slow travel is about swapping a high-intensity itinerary full of 12 cities in as many days, for a leisurely stroll through the same town for the duration of your getaway. It’s about taking the train, eating local, and camping more often than you get on a shuttle bus to the nearest wonder of the world. It’s essentially about quality over quantity.

How do I start slow travelling?

You can start in your hometown! I think it starts with a sense of curiosity and openness to conversations with people you’ve never met. You leave gaps in your itinerary and deliberately get a little lost. You give yourself more time, rather than less time in a destination so that you can start to follow your curiosity more than your planner.

Why is slow travel the best?

I think it is a more enjoyable and restorative way to travel. You don’t come back from your holidays exhausted! But it’s also kinder to the planet, and better for local economies. There is no need to scale up your adventures and send you money to large travel chains. Instead, you can take tours run by local guides, stay for a couple of weeks in a local homestay, and enjoy the small things about the town you’ve found yourself exploring.

When you do hit the road, ask yourself this: Where do I have to be?

The world is big and life is short, sure. If you can’t ever see everything, then you should enjoy what you do see. By slowing your pace through the world you are able to let the world change you. 

Over the years that I have travelled the world, I have certainly seen some incredible landmarks. But a country has never felt ‘done’ to me. I’ve never completely seen or experienced everything a place has to teach me. I have lives and homes scattered across the globe.

There is also a mystical element to the unknown. And slow travel emphasises the element of chance. When you don’t have to be somewhere, you allow spontaneity to guide your travels.

When I didn’t have to cross the border by a certain date, I got to enjoy a night of karaoke in a small-town bar in rural Mexico. I got to make friends that I stay connected with to this day. 

This has been slow travel’s ultimate lesson to me. That my neighbours in Mexico have more in common with my friends in Germany than they have differences. We are united in the pursuit of a life in which we feel free. 

Next time you plan to hit the road, take your time and stop to chat with the fruit vendor, the bus driver, and the people at the park. You will enjoy throwing your itinerary out the window and allowing the world to change your perspective. I think you will enjoy travelling slowly.

And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links . That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!

Indigo Blue

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Love this! We spent last year slow traveling through Mexico and the Lesser Antilles and we can’t wait to get back & sail around the rest of the Caribbean. Im determined to slow travel at least 4 months a year. It’s the dream life.

Love this article!

Great write-up! We are currently slow-travelling the world and much prefer this way of travel to bouncing around from place to place. Slow travel allows you to immerse yourself more fully into a culture and make long-lasting friendships all over the world.

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How to Enjoy Slow Travel

Written by daisy valdes, adventure travel | outdoor travel | rv lifestyle | travel | travel tips.

Ever wanted to make the most out of vacation? Slow travel is about exploring new places and immersing yourself in the local cultures. Discover the benefits of traveling slowly and tips on how you can enjoy it! 

Have you ever noticed how fast-paced your travels can be? It’s like racing to see everything, but you end up actually seeing nothing.

I’ll admit I was one of those travelers racing through cities, trying to see everything in a week. My travel plans looked like a marathon, and I was constantly stressed trying to plan the next best thing. In this rush, I realized I missed exploring the culture and locations that made the area unique.

Which is why I started to embrace slow travel.

Slow travel—also known as “meaningful travel,” “low impact,” and “sustainable travel”—offers a laid-back approach that values quality over quantity. By living more sustainably and being conscious of how you travel, you can improve your mental well-being and foster a sense of community, all while deeply exploring the world.

What's in This Article:

Tips for Enjoying Slow Travel

Slow travel is not about how many cities you can visit in a week but how deeply you can connect with the area and enjoy yourself.

It’s about enjoying your vacation to the fullest instead of chasing surface-level experiences.

So how can you slow travel and enjoy it?

Learn to Stay Longer in Fewer Places

When you learn to stay longer in fewer places, it starts to feel more like a home rather than a location to be crossed off on a list. So why not have more homes in every country?

Instead of staying one or two days in an area before moving on, consider spending 7 to 10 days there so you can explore everything there is to see and do!

Especially if you are a digital nomad , you can work virtually from anywhere. So you can rent out an entire apartment for a month as you explore new cities and destinations.

As you stay longer in fewer places, you can explore more and connect with the locals, all while making unforgettable memories.

Opt for Overland Travel

When traveling to places less than a day away, instead of flying, you can opt for overland transportation options such as taking a train or bus ride.

My favorite way of overland travel is by car, van, and RV , especially if you’re taking a road trip across the country. Imagine you’re taking a road trip through the mountains, and you see an elk eating on the side of the road! That is such an incredible sight you could not have seen if you were traveling fast by plane.

Elk on the side of the road during a road trip across North Carolina. Photo by Daisy Valdes

By opting for overland transportation, you can also take an amazing train ride across the Rocky Mountains . Where you can enjoy the beautiful countryside landscapes, experience unforgettable excursions, and even have a relaxing spa day before or after your train ride.

That sounds way more enjoyable than dealing with the stress of airport security and the anxiety that comes with flying.

So despite how you travel, try to opt into overland transportation so that you can enjoy yourself more and reduce your carbon emissions, all while traveling in style.

Plan Less, Explore More

While having a plan is great, you can easily get frustrated or upset when things don’t go as planned. Instead, embrace spontaneity and give yourself unplanned room to discover new adventures.

This is personally how I make the most out of my vacations. I plan the basics, such as transportation, accommodations, and a couple of main activities, but the rest of the trip is free to explore new activities based on local recommendations or adventures.

This is precisely what I did when I booked an adventure based on a local’s recommendation to go horseback riding through the Andorran mountains. I loved this activity, and it was such a fun and spontaneous experience!

Spontaneity can lead to the best experiences, such as horseback riding through the mountains of Andorra. Photo by Daisy Valdes

So, instead of scheduling your day with jam-packed activities, allow yourself the freedom to explore the area. You may even become more spontaneous as you decide to visit new places, take part in new adventures, and grow into a more confident traveler.

Connect with the Community

The best thing about traveling slowly is developing deep and meaningful connections with people.

When you’re not rushing across cities, you can invest time in exploring the local area. You can learn about the local language, people, traditions, and dance rhythms.

When I traveled to Kenya, I made it a point to learn a new Swahili phrase every day. I also took dancing lessons with the Maasai Tribe to learn their famous and traditional dance, Aumdu. This enhanced my experience while in Africa and bonded me with the locals as we had a mutual understanding and respect for one another. Plus, I learned awesome dance moves that I got to bring back home with me.

Daisy Valdes dancing with the Maasai tribe in Kenya. Photo by Daisy Valdes

So, as you travel slowly, you can enjoy the experience of connecting with the local communities and making new memories that will last a lifetime.

The Benefits of Slow Travel

As you begin the art of slow travel, you will discover many benefits.

You Can Explore More

You might assume by traveling slowly, you see less compared to traveling to multiple cities in one day. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. By staying in one area longer, you cut out the dead time spent in transit, and you can enjoy your vacation more!

Slow travel allows you to explore more and still work on the road. Photo by Matthias Zeitler via Pixabay

Slow travel is perfect for those who want to explore more and gain a deeper connection with the area’s culture.

It is especially ideal for digital nomads, as you can explore an area more while focusing on your work. Plus, traveling slowly increases your work productivity and improves your work-life balance since you’re not worried about rushing to the next destination.

Reduce Your Environmental Impact

The best part about traveling slowly is that you inherently travel more sustainably . The sustainable side of slow travel emphasizes the reduction of carbon emissions, support for local economies, and prevention of over-tourism.

For example, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact by staying longer in fewer places and choosing overland transportation. Plus, by choosing more environmentally friendly activities, you can explore the untouched areas of a country while experiencing its full beauty.

During one of my first vacations after I started practicing slow travel, I met up with a group of people and went mountain biking through the breathtaking mountains of Andorra. I could explore the local area, meet new friends, and participate in a fun, environmentally friendly activity!

Mountain biking in Andorra. Photo by Daisy Valdes

By traveling slowly, you can explore the world and positively impact both the environment and the communities you visit.

Slow Travel Improves Your Mental Well-being

The stress that comes with traveling is often a hidden topic that most people don’t talk about. Especially the anxiety that comes with rushing to the next location and never thoroughly enjoying the present moment.

But when you give yourself the luxury of time, you naturally feel more calm. This is true when you travel slowly.

So instead of rushing to do all the activities in a city in one day, try spending an entire week in an area so you can truly enjoy all that a place has to offer.

Not only will you naturally lower your stress and anxiety levels, but you will allow yourself to fully immerse yourself in the culture and live in the present moment at every place you travel.

It Reduces Your Financial Burdens

Traveling slowly is an excellent way for you to save money. When you don’t hop from place to place, you can spend less on high transportation costs and fees. Plus, if you stay longer in one spot, you can enjoy various “long-term stay” discounts on your hotel accommodations.

Also, when you’re not always on the go, you have more time to discover fun, low-cost activities in the area. Slow travel allows you to enjoy more while spending less, whether it’s a local park, a budget-friendly meal, or a free event.

Starting Your Slow Travel Journey

So, next time you plan a trip, ask yourself: Do you want to check places off a list, or do you want to truly experience it?

By choosing to travel slowly, you can truly experience a place, its culture, and its people. It’s not just about saving money or reducing stress; it’s about enriching your soul and travel experience.

Give slow travel a try, and let your journeys leave lasting imprints on your heart. We invite you to explore  Wander With Wonder for more ideas on road trips and living the RV lifestyle .

Slow Travel FAQs

What is slow travel.

Slow travel is about connecting with those you meet and discovering the people, the culture, the food, and other aspects of daily life.

Why is Slow Travel the Best Way to Travel?

Slow travel encourages more eco-friendly experiences. You don’t try to go to as many different places; you choose public transportation and road trips over airline travel; you support the local economy.

What Makes Slow Travel Special?

Slow travel embraces the local communities you encounter. It fosters a connection with people rather than attempting to check something off your bucket list. It is about embracing the moment and digging deep to discover the heart of a destination.

Digital Nomad | Sustainable Travel

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| The Art of Aliveness for All

10 Slow Travel Tips for Your Next Adventure

By Kyle Kowalski · 22 Comments

In the last post, I defined slow travel and outlined 3 slow travel myths.

If you’re ready to get started with slow travel, the tips in this post will put you on the right path.

Just like you don’t want to live a superficial life, don’t skim the surface of your travel. Live—and travel—intentionally. Go deep!

Get an appreciation for a different way of life (which some would argue is the whole point of travel in the first place). — Intrepid Travel¹

These slow travel tips are based on my own research and personal experience. I believe traveling this way is better for you, your wallet, local communities, and the environment.

1) Go into it with the mindset of living like you’re at home, or even better, living like a local: Traveling shouldn’t be an excuse to live unsustainably or in an unhealthy way. Your mindset will impact why and how you travel. And, good home habits should travel with you.

2) Do all your homework ahead of time:  My wife and I used to wing it when it came to travel. Ironically, we are buttoned up in our day-to-day lives, but travel planning always seemed to happen after the trip had already started. Once we started living intentionally, we realized that our time is the most important thing we have. And, time spent traveling is limited. So, now all the planning happens in advance through just-in-time learning . This is also helpful if something causes your initial plans to change at the last minute. You’ve already done all the homework and can adapt and be flexible in a more time-efficient way.

3) Know yourself and your top priority each day: Priority is intentionally singular. Know why you are traveling and plan what is best for your interests. For my wife and me, we like being active and sightseeing. We tend to avoid tourist traps, chain restaurants, boutique hotels, and things like that. One important fact that we all need to accept is that we can’t do everything: we can’t choose every path in life, we can’t learn everything, we can’t read every book, we can’t see every square foot of the Earth, and we can’t see and do every single thing when we travel. Intentionally pick the things that will make your final itinerary. Follow essentialism , the disciplined pursuit of less but better.

4) Balance your itinerary and leave open time to create space, margin, and spontaneity:  I’ve created a habit of time blocking my daily schedule. I follow the same approach for travel. Stick to scheduled times, but allow the rest to fall into place naturally with plenty of space and margin incorporated. You never know when you may discover something off the beaten path.

5) Do less to experience more: Reject FOMO! As people continue to pick  experiences over things , we can all learn how to have the best experiences possible. Just like the hedonic treadmill of lifestyle inflation and endless consumption, the same can apply to experiences if we aren’t careful. The concept of “less is more” isn’t just for your things. It also applies to your time. Having less is more. And, doing less is more. It will give you more time to deeply immerse yourself in the few experiences you decide to do. You’ll be able to savor the experiences instead of counting down to the next to-do or to-see on your list.

6) Connect with the world around you:  Instead of rushing through everything, stop often. My wife and I did a mountain biking trail in Lake Tahoe that takes the average person roughly 3 hours. It took us 5! We stopped a bunch, jumped in a lake to cool off, and found countless opportunities to savor the breathtaking views or take a picture. I’m all for taking photos and videos on trips. If you plan enough time in your schedule, you should have plenty of time to take pictures as well as actually soak in the natural splendor ( forest bathing , anyone?). Just follow digital minimalism and don’t live your trip through your lens. That’s the sign of a schedule that’s packed way too tightly.

7) Save money or spend locally:  Traveling also shouldn’t be an excuse to blow a bunch of money. We try to apply the principles of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) at home or on the road. But, it’s not just about saving money. It’s about you “voting” where your dollars go. When you spend, try to spend in a way that supports the local community.

8) Eat local, healthy food:  Inspired by the Blue Zones diet, we try to eat healthy, plant-based food. Or, you can apply the SLOW acronym of S ustainable, L ocal, O rganic, and W hole. Our process here is fairly simple. We use Yelp as a starting place to see our options in a location and then filter from there. We’re almost always able to find a local place to eat, and usually opt for organic, vegan, or vegetarian options. Depending on how long we’ll be in a location, we’ll also go to a grocery store to stock up on healthy food and save even more money.

9) Do everything at the right pace:  Just like slow living , not everything about slow travel is literally slow. Just ask my heart rate while hiking and mountain biking!

10) Find joy in the journey:  It’s about the journey, not the checkboxes on your sightseeing list. Always remember the story of the tourist and the fisherman . You can choose to be the fisherman.

Do you have any experience slow traveling? Please share in the comments!

• https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/slow-travel-movement/

About Kyle Kowalski

👋 Hi, I'm Kyle―the human behind Sloww . I'm an ex-marketing executive turned self-education entrepreneur after an existential crisis in 2015. In one sentence: my purpose is synthesizing lifelong learning that catalyzes deeper development . But, I’m not a professor, philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, anthropologist, scientist, mystic, or guru. I’m an interconnector across all those humans and many more—an "independent, inquiring, interdisciplinary integrator" (in other words, it's just me over here, asking questions, crossing disciplines, and making connections). To keep it simple, you can just call me a "synthesizer." Sloww shares the art of living with students of life . Read my story.

Sloww participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase a book through an Amazon link, Sloww earns a small percentage at no additional cost to you. This helps fund the costs to support the site and the ad-free experience.

Reader Interactions

September 24, 2018 at 5:06 AM

Thanks, for sharing 10 excellent tips for travel. I fully agree with this article. I seem when we traveling, we should download an offline version of the area you are in on Google Maps. I would love to credit my impeccable map reading skills, but in reality, I usually rely on Google Maps to determine my location. Whenever possible, Cameron and I download offline versions of these maps which let the app run smoothly without WiFi.

October 30, 2018 at 10:01 PM

Thank you, John. Good addition!

October 17, 2018 at 2:48 AM

Your post is very interesting to read. It’s very informative and helpful. Usually, I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing that I never stop myself to say something about it. You’re doing a great job. Keep it up.

November 18, 2018 at 10:02 AM

Thanks so much, selena!

November 28, 2018 at 5:56 AM

Amazing article and tips guys. I’ve read it with such a big pleasure, and I felt each of them. I’ve traveled a bit, just 14 countries till now, but I can say you have an amazing list of tips. Keep up with the good work.

November 28, 2018 at 10:57 AM

Thank you, Smith. Hopefully you can apply some of the slow travel tips on your 15th country and beyond!

February 8, 2019 at 2:39 AM

Nice blog. I love traveling because it’s always fun with family and friends. Also, the more you travel the more you explore.

February 27, 2019 at 11:59 AM

Thank you! I agree. This is one of the few areas in life where more equals more 🙂

February 26, 2019 at 7:50 AM

Great tips! Eating local healthy food is a must for me – I love discovering new tastes and new foods.

February 27, 2019 at 11:57 AM

Thanks Jessica, and same here!

March 18, 2019 at 4:27 AM

Thanks for the information.

March 28, 2019 at 1:42 AM

You got it, Rohit.

March 18, 2019 at 4:28 AM

Good one, keep it up.

March 28, 2019 at 1:43 AM

Thank you, Varun!

March 26, 2019 at 1:01 PM

Thanks a ton. I love your no-nonsense approach to all this.

March 28, 2019 at 1:40 AM

Thank you, Huong.

July 18, 2019 at 1:50 AM

This is great post, I like it. Thanks for sharing helpful information. Your writing is very good, I really use full this post. thank you very much.

July 18, 2019 at 1:28 PM

You’re welcome!

November 12, 2019 at 8:16 AM

Totally agree. I love slow travelling. At times I chose the longer route, taking bus instead of the tube (london), and I ended up taking in more sights and just being present. Taking a spontaneous picnic when I see a beautiful park. Yes I get distracted from the route but it’s my vacation, time off anyway.

December 13, 2019 at 11:48 AM

That’s the spirit, Denise! Presence and spontaneity.

December 4, 2020 at 5:53 AM

Wonderful tips! My partner and I full time travel normally( not since Covid sadly )

He used ot be a chef so the first thing he does is go to a local store and gets only fresh ingredients. Then makes something locally inspired for us. It helps get us in the head space for a new adventure.

March 2, 2021 at 9:05 PM

Amazing, Maria! Having a chef in the relationship probably really spices things up (pun intended)!

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Culture Trip's Top 12 Slow Travel Destinations

Editorial Manager

Slow travel allows us to experience different destinations in a way that is both relaxing and enriching. It’s all about forgoing hectic city itineraries and whistlestop tours of never-seen-before destinations in favour of taking the time to actually get to know them – embracing the local culture and different ways of life . From road trips in California to exploring Kyoto by bike, here’s our pick.

Slow travel doesn’t have to be in an exotic destination; it could be as simple as visiting your nearest seaside town or national park, or even taking the scenic but slightly longer route to your nearest train station. The point is to appreciate what makes a place unique, and make the most of the time you have there. When travelling abroad, that means staying local wherever – and whenever – possible.

California, USA

California is a spectacular location to visit for any number of reasons, but how to make the most of a trip to this vast state on the west coast of America? There’s the obvious glitz and glamour of Hollywood in Los Angeles , but the vibrant Downtown district offers a much more laid-back experience. Street food is a major draw here and there’s arguably no better way to discover the City of Stars than by hopping from one food vendor to the next.

To explore the rest of the state, you could take things slow with a road trip on some of the famous highways that run between destinations such as San Diego and San Francisco . There’s no need to rush, and these seven outstanding sustainable hotels provide a great selection of places to stay right across the state.

Isle of Skye, Scotland

A popular film location , the Isle of Skye certainly feels cinematic when you first lay eyes on it. The largest island of the Scottish Inner Hebrides, Skye boasts a spectacular mountainous landscape that wouldn’t look out of place in The Lord of the Rings . You can catch a ferry to the port of Armadale and there’s a small airfield for private use, but by far the easiest way to reach this destination is via the Skye Bridge. If you don’t hire a car, you can take either the bus or train from mainland cities Glasgow and Inverness .

The Talisker Distillery is a popular attraction on Skye. We recommend visiting to warm your cockles with a single malt whisky before setting off on a ramble around this unspoiled Scottish gem . For resting tired limbs, we recommend a stay at one of these boutique boltholes .

Travel has never been anything but slow in Sri Lanka . This large Indian Ocean island nation was once part of the maritime Silk Route – an ancient trading route that connected China and Roman-controlled ports in Egypt – and in modern times it has emerged as a favourite destination for taking it slow. The ancient Anuradhapura region is strewn with temples and ruins, while there are cultural treasures to be found on every other corner in the country’s capital, Colombo .

There’s an extensive road network that connects all the major points of interest, but by the far the most magical way to get around is by rail. Photogenic trains and stunning scenery combine for the defining images associated with slow travel, while luxury resorts and relaxing retreats complete the experience.

Tulum, Mexico

Tulum was once a sleepy beach town that few people outside of Mexico had heard of, but the slow trickle of visitors has turned into a constant stream in recent years. Nevertheless, there’s still a way to enjoy the Mayan ruins, sandy beaches and local culture without feeling as if you’re stuck in a tourist trap. The key is to avoid staying in an overcrowded beach hotel. Instead, pick a boutique property in the heart of Tulum itself. It’s a good 20- to 30-minute walk from the town centre to the coast, but you can easily hire a bike and cut that journey time down.

If you go, pick a place to stay for a few nights and take each day as it comes. There are lots of things to do around town, but there’s no need to plan more than a day or two in advance.

Matera, Italy

This rocky outcrop of Sassi di Matera, in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, was largely abandoned until the 1980s ,with only a few inhabitants left. After considerable investment by the Italian government towards improving living conditions, visitors have slowly returned and now Matera is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

If you really want to embrace the relaxed way of life in Matera, do as the locals do and book a stay at one of its incredible cave residences . Unlike other places, these rock-hewn properties aren’t a gimmick and provide an authentic way to immerse yourself in la città sotterranea (the underground city).

Kyoto, Japan

Japan’s cultural capital Kyoto may be one of the more crowded destinations on this list, but there are a great selection of places to stay across the city that allow you to live like a local , from traditional ryokan to luxury modern hotels with onsen facilities. There’s also a thriving street food scene that any visitor ought not to rush – check out this article on the must-try meals around the city .

Kyoto is an essential stop if you’re planning to travel around Japan by train , but you might want to make it your final destination as it’s a hard one to leave behind.

We recently showcased Costa Rica for its nationwide focus on sustainability , and we’re sticking with it for this slow travel guide. The country’s diverse ecosystem has allowed a number of innovative property solutions to develop organically in recent years, and the result for visitors is a great range of ecofriendly lodges to stay in. Unlike other countries where green tourism initiatives are becoming increasingly central, Costa Rica has already done this at scale, keeping the costs low for consumers and providers alike.

If you’re looking for a place to take the family to in 2021, you should consider a trip here as there are also a wide array of family-friendly tours we can recommend.

Cappadocia, Turkey

Central Turkey is often overlooked by tourists in favour of coastal cities in the north and south, but this region is truly unmissable. Cappadocia is home to breathtaking natural parks, remarkable geological features and countless cave dwellings still lived in by locals today. Many of these properties now also function as hotels – check out our pick of the best you can book in this article – offering outsiders the chance to experience a more sedate travel experience either before or after they take to the skies in an unforgettable hot air balloon ride .

Cappadocia is a semi-arid region with lots of natural rock formations, so it’s a place you can easily unwind, and there are more than enough things to keep you entertained should you wish to extend your stay .

Wanaka, New Zealand

With its mountains and coastline, the South Island in New Zealand is a year-round magnet for outdoor adventurers, and Wanaka remains beautifully unspoilt thanks to strict protection rules. Historically, the area was a fishing and hunting spot for the Maori people – something you can still do today .

Rolling vineyards are a relatively new addition, although the beautiful landscape has remained largely unchanged over time – film boffins might recognise the lakes and peaks from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time (2018). If you’re tempted to visit, keep your carbon footprint to a minimum by staying at one of these fabulous ecofriendly places to stay .

Vancouver Island, Canada

If you cast your eyes away from the cities skyscrapers, Vancouver Island , on the west coast of Canada, feels miles away from the BC capital. To get here, you can take commercial flights to cities such as Victoria and Nanaimo, or hop on a seaplane for a special adventure . You could also catch a ferry across the Strait of Georgia – a good option if you’d like to bring your own car. However you get here, there’ll be a whole brochure of things to do when you arrive – from wining and dining in the Cowichan Valley to hiking in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and whale watching offshore .

Whatever you do, though, just take it slow. Here’s our suggested itinerary for a four-day trip , and a curated selection of the best places to stay on the island .

Granada, Spain

Granada is best known for its mesmerising Alhambra Palace, a centuries-old Moorish citadel that sits atop a vibrant hill overlooking the city. The Sierra Nevada mountains – home to Europe’s southernmost ski resort – beckon on the horizon to complete the pretty picture seen from the El Mirador de San Nicolas on the other side of the valley. You’ll do well to avoid the crowds here – such is the popularity of the viewpoint – but you can find quiet through the narrow, labyrinthine streets of the whitewashed Albaycin , which winds down the hillside below.

There are some stunning hotels in the city – and amazing hotels, lodges and apartments beyond its borders too – that we highly recommend. To get a real flavour of the Andalusia region and its North African heritage, consider a two-week break to give yourself time to explore the cities of Seville and Cordoba , both home to equally captivating Islamic-era landmarks of their own.

There are countless reasons to visit Singapore , from its colourful streets to its modern architecture, but best of all is the hawker culture, especially if you’re a street food fanatic. This food scene is so legendary, in fact, that it has attained Unesco recognition . In essence, this practice boils down to enjoying an open-air meal in one of the many hawker centres around the city-state. It’s one of the best local experiences you can have – a fantastic way to taste authentic Singaporean food and support small local businesses while you’re at it.

Singapore is a world leader when it comes to sustainability , proving that megacities can actively, and effectively, reduce their carbon emissions through renewable energy sources. You can do your part by picking a forward-thinking place to stay when you visit, and making greener choices about how you get around the city.

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Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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• March 10, 2023
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Slow Travel: A Comprehensive Guide on Tourism’s Next Big Trend

Are you tired of running around from one destination to another, experiencing only the surface level of each place? Do you yearn for a more meaningful and immersive travel experience that allows you to truly connect with the local culture and people? If so, then slow travel may be your answer.

In this blog post, we will explore what slow travel is and how to do it effectively. So sit back, relax, and let’s delve into the world of slow travel together!

What is slow travel?

Slow travel is a movement that promotes sustainable, authentic travel experiences. It’s about spending more time in fewer places, immersing yourself in the local culture, and connecting with the community.

Slow travel has become a popular alternative to traditional tourism, which often involves rushed visits to multiple destinations. Slow travel is about quality over quantity – it’s about savoring the journey and making meaningful connections with the people and places you visit.

There are many different ways to slow down your travels. You can stay in one place for an extended period of time, or take your time exploring a region or country. You can also choose to travel off the beaten path, avoiding crowded tourist spots in favor of more authentic experiences.

No matter how you choose to slow down your travels, the goal is always the same: to connect with the world in a deeper, more meaningful way.

What are the benefits of slow travel?

There are many benefits to slow travel, including the ability to truly experience a destination, meet local people, and save money.

For example, when you take the time to get to know a place, you’re more likely to have authentic experiences and meet local people who can show you around. You can hang out with friendly in-destination travel experts who can give you a deeper background about the place that you are visiting.

Slow travel can be done on any budget – even if you’re tight on cash, there are ways to make it work. And, by slowing down your pace of travel, you’ll actually end up saving money in the long run.

How to plan a slow travel trip

When most people think of travel, they think of packing their bags and hitting the road for an extended period of time. But what if you took a different approach? What if you planned a trip that was focused on slowing down and savoring your experience? This is what slow travel is all about.

Read on for some tips on how to plan a slow travel trip.

1. Choose Your Destination Carefully

When you’re planning a trip focused on slow travel, it’s important to choose a destination that lends itself well to this type of travel. You want somewhere with plenty to see and do, but not so much that you feel like you need to be constantly on the go. You also want somewhere with a rich culture and plenty of opportunities to interact with locals. Popular slow travel destinations include Italy , Spain , Portugal , Greece , India , and Morocco .

2. Plan for Longer Than You Think You Need

One of the best things about slow travel is that it allows you to really take your time and explore everything your destination has to offer. So when you’re planning your trip, make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy each place. Don’t try to cram too much into one trip or you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and rushed.

3. Consider Different Types of Accommodation

Staying in a hotel or resort is perfectly fine if that’s what you want, but you may also want to consider other types of accommodation for your slow travel trip. Hostels, Airbnb rentals, homestays, and guesthouses are all great options if you’re looking to connect with locals and experience the place like a local.

4. Research Public Transportation Options

Slow travel is all about taking your time and soaking up the scenery along the way. So do some research before your trip on the public transportation options available in your destination. This will allow you to plan routes that will let you explore at a leisurely pace instead of rushing from place to place.

5. Make Plans But Remain Flexible

When it comes to slow travel, it’s important to have an idea of what activities and sights you’d like to see during your trip, but it’s also important not to get too attached to any particular plan or itinerary. Remain open and don’t set yourself up for disappointment by planning a trip that’s too short. Be prepared to spend at least several weeks in each location you visit.

What to pack for a slow travel trip

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best packing strategy for a slow travel trip will vary depending on the individual traveler’s needs and preferences. However, there are a few general tips that can help make packing for a slow travel trip a bit easier.

First and foremost, it is important to pack light. Slow travel generally involves a lot of walking and public transportation, so travelers need to be able to carry their belongings with them easily. This means packing only the essentials and leaving behind any unnecessary items.

Second, it is important to pack versatile clothing that can be mixed and matched to create different looks. This way, you won’t have to pack as many clothes and you’ll have more outfit options while on your trip.

Finally, be sure to pack any necessary medications or toiletries, as well as any other items that you might need while on your trip. By following these tips, you can make packing for a slow travel trip much simpler and less stressful.

Slow travel destinations

Here are a few of our favorite slow travel destinations:

1. Tuscany, Italy

With its rolling hills, medieval villages, and world-famous wineries, Tuscany is the perfect place to relax and take your time. Spend a few days exploring Florence, then head out into the countryside for some fresh air and stunning scenery.

Explore  Classic Tuscany

2. Kyoto, Japan

This ancient city is full of history and culture, making it the perfect destination for a slow traveler. Spend your days strolling along the streets of Gion or admiring the temples and gardens, and make sure to sample some of the fantastic local cuisine.

Experience  Kyoto Evening Gion Food Tour

3. Santorini, Greece

With its white-washed buildings and stunning caldera views, Santorini is a must-visit for any slow traveler. Spend your days wandering around the winding streets of Oia or exploring the ruins of Akrotiri before finishing off with an unforgettable sunset.

Try this Santorini Weekend Getaway

4. The Scottish Highlands

This rugged region of Scotland is perfect for getting off the beaten path and exploring some of its peaceful beauty. From lochs and mountains to charming villages and castles, the Highlands offer something for everyone.

Drive around Scotland in this 8-Day Itinerary

How to extend your slow travel trip

Slow travel is all about taking your time to experience a destination, so why not extend your trip and make the most of it? Here are some tips on how to extend your slow travel trip:

1. Stay in one place for longer

Instead of moving around constantly, try staying in one place for a longer period of time. This will allow you to really get to know an area and experience everything it has to offer.

2. Slow down your pace

One of the best things about slow travel is that it forces you to slow down and enjoy the little things. So instead of rushing from one activity to the next, take your time and savor the moments.

3. Connect with locals

One of the best ways to get an authentic experience of a destination is by connecting with locals. Talk to them, learn about their culture and way of life, and you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable experience.

4. Go off the beaten path

To really get away from it all and immerse yourself in the destination, go off the beaten path and explore areas that are less touristy. You’ll be surprised at what you find!

5. Take your time planning

One of the great things about slow travel is that there’s no need to rush when planning your trip – take your time researching different destinations and activities so that you can create a tailor-made trip that suits your interests and needs perfectly

Ready to slow travel?

Slow travel is a great way to get the most out of your travel experiences. By taking your time and truly immersing yourself in a new environment, you can form deeper connections with the people and places that you visit. Whether it’s learning a new language, taking cooking classes or exploring nature trails, slow travelling allows you to create memories that will last a lifetime. So if you’re looking for an alternative to rushed sightseeing tours, consider slowing things down and seeing what hidden gems await you on your journey!

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What Is Slow Travel? The Pros and Cons of Slow Tourism

What is slow travel? The terms slow tourism and slow travel are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, but the specifics of this approach to travel are difficult to pin down, as are the benefits and drawbacks. We set out to help define exactly what slow travel is, and how it can add to or detract from your own travel experience.

What is Slow Travel and Slow Tourism?

Slow tourism is simply the idea of re-focusing the goals of travel, de-emphasizing collecting experiences, and instead prioritizing interactions with people, culture, and environment in the places you visit.

Mass tourism has conditioned us to treat travel as a competition to collect (and more recently to share via social media) as many attractions, activities, and experiences as possible from a list (the type of list we, as travel bloggers, often supply). Slow tourism offers an alternative, encouraging travelers to simply be present in a new place and be open to the opportunity to learn and grow by consciously engaging with that environment.

Where Did the Term Slow Travel Come From?

Slow Travel is not a new idea, in fact, it is thought to have come about in the late 80s. The term appeared in the wake of the slow-food movement which accentuated the importance of locally-sourced produce and home-cooked meals as an alternative to the increasing uptake of processed foods and fast food restaurants.

Where slow food offered a healthier and more sustainable approach to food consumption, slow travel was a similar reaction to the rise of mass tourism. Particularly, it proposed to eliminate some of the negative aspects of traditional travel, such as threats to cultural identity, environmental impacts, and the general commercial nature of mass tourism.

After experiencing growth for almost two decades, interest in the term seems to have peaked in popularity back in 2004 with as many as 20,000 people googling the term on a monthly basis. In the following decade, interest waned by as much as 80%. However, since 2018 the term has been slowly but steadily increasing in popularity once again.

What Would the Vanabonds Know About Slow Travel?

We’ve always been about slow travel!

Beyond the fact that, more often than not, our means of travel (vans, boats, and hiking shoes) are inherently slower methods to explore an area, it has also been a fundamental part of our approach to travel. In fact, it’s right there on the front of our website, “This page is about…slow, self-directed travel regardless of the means.”

Of course, the commercial nature of the blog sometimes puts us at odds with this objective and occasionally leads us to participate in mass tourism more than we otherwise might in order to report fully on a destination. Nevertheless, slow travel remains a core tenet of our travel ethos.

How Do You Slow Travel?

While using “slow” transport and staying longer in a destination can both help reach the objectives of slow tourism, the essential element isn’t necessarily traveling slowly. What is essential is focusing on your approach and attitude to travel.

For those interested in pursuing this approach to travel, there is no rigid set of guidelines to follow but rather a shift in mindset. Forget about trying to achieve a pre-ordained set of experiences and instead focus on experiencing a new place, people, and culture through immersion.

Some ideas that can help reach this goal include:

• Opt to stay in one location longer
• Explore new regions on foot or via public transport without lists, itineraries, or firm plans
• Do as the locals do, shop where they shop, eat at local restaurants, and if possible participate in local activities and events
• Actively avoid places and activities geared toward tourists
• Choose to stay in accommodations that will put you in proximity to local people such as homestays
• Use public transport and walk to get around
• Learn at least a little of the local language and use it
• Be open to opportunities to engage and exchange with local people
• Engage in tours and activities organized and led by local people – Airbnb experiences, local tip-based walking tours, and privately organized cooking classes are good examples

What are the Benefits of Slow Travel and Slow Tourism?

There are many significant benefits of slow tourism for the traveler, the communities they visit, and the environment. Through deliberate, conscious effort, travel can expand our horizons and deepen our knowledge and understanding of people and places. It can deliver economic as well as social and cultural advantages to the local communities we visit. Slow travel also has the potential to minimize some of the negative impacts that travel can have on ourselves, our community, and the environment.

Personal Development and Growth

When we allow it, travel can expose us to new experiences and introduce us to different ideas, lifestyles, and mindsets. By its nature, slow travel often also leaves room for reflection. This combination of perspective and the space to absorb and reflect on it can lead to personal development and growth.

A Deeper Knowledge and Understanding of Places, People, and the World Around Us

Slow travel allows us to connect with people and cultures from around the world. Through these connections, we can develop a far deeper understanding of people and places. We can learn far more about the geography, food, history, and culture of a place when we immerse ourselves completely in a new environment than we ever could from a guidebook or surrounding ourselves with other tourists visiting the top X things to see in a region.

Practicing Slow Tourism Can Combat Travel Fatigue

Mass tourism can often be draining, physically and mentally. The mentality that we need to constantly consume to travel properly can quickly leave us burnt out, stressed, and exhausted.

Attempting to visit all of the best attractions, sites, tours, restaurants, bars, and hotels, can be a challenging, stressful, and exhausting task. It can also leave us unfulfilled because, despite an Instagram album of the greatest hits, our experience may feel inauthentic.

By removing the obligation to take part in every experience promoted by tourist organizations and focusing on simply being in a new place, a lot of the draining aspects of mass tourism can be avoided.

Slow Travel Can Reduce the Financial Burden of Travel

Speaking of draining, tourism is a business, and when you travel you are the consumer. Mass tourism is designed to separate you from your cash as quickly and efficiently as possible. By stepping away from the constructs of traditional tourism we can avoid some of the costs. Forgoing typical touristic attractions and activities in favor of engaging with local people, businesses and the environment is often a far cheaper way to spend money when traveling.

Economic Benefits to Local Communities

The local community also reaps economic benefits from slow travel which can have a direct positive impact on the people living in the places you visit. When you slowly travel and mindfully interact with local businesses you directly benefit the local community. Conversely, when you stay in brand names hotels, book tours through large companies, and eat at chain restaurants your money is siphoned away from the community.

Reducing the Negative Effects of Over Tourism and Over Commercialisation

For a long time, tourism has been touted as an economic boon to local communities, but there are many examples of over-tourism having horrendous impacts on local communities while lining the pockets of tourism operators and developers. Sayulita in Mexico is one example of a former paradise and at one point the epitome of a slow travel destination that has today become severely tarnished by over-tourism, and there are many more examples.

Social Benefits to Local Communities

Slow travel can lead to an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and culture between travelers and local communities while avoiding the negative side effects of rampant over-tourism. The opportunity to share something when you travel is a powerful and productive benefit of travel that has been eroded by mass tourism, which is more often than not a one-way transaction.

Environmental Benefits of Slow Travel

Slow travel can also be better for the environment. By minimizing our movement we reduce our own carbon footprint. By choosing to interact with local businesses and avoiding hyper-commercialized tourism, we are choosing a more sustainable type of tourism and removing the incentives that drive over-tourism. Finally, in some cases, we can as individuals have a positive impact on local environments both through clean-up efforts and through the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

What are the Drawbacks and Barriers to Slow Travel?

Embracing slow travel and prioritizing immersion in local culture and connections with people and places can have enormous benefits, but it is not for everyone and it is not always easy.

Slow travel is not practical, achievable, or even attractive to many travelers. There are a number of barriers and drawbacks that may dissuade travelers from adopting the principles of slow tourism.

Scarcity of Time

Time is a major consideration. For most travelers, time is a scarce resource and this scarcity can often lead travelers to preference-focused itinerary-based travel.

Prioritizing Convenience

Convenience is also a key factor. Many travelers consider travel as a relaxing break from stressful ‘real life’, rather than an opportunity to challenge themselves. This type of traveler prizes ease of access to experiences over slow travel.

Prioritizing Comfort

Another issue at play is comfort. Many travelers prioritize the creature’s comforts, something that is not always compatible with slow travel.

Where Are the Best Destinations for Slow Travel?

While slow travel is more about how you choose to travel than where some destinations are undoubtedly more conducive to slow tourism.

Some of the best destinations to focus on for slow travel are those destinations that don’t have an existing tourism culture. This means going to at least one or two towns or regions away from existing tourist hubs or better yet steering well clear of tourist hotspots altogether. By doing this you are far more likely to find authentic travel experiences and local communities less jaded and weary of tourists.

Other destinations that can be excellent opportunities to slow travel are those experiences with community interaction in-built. Volunteering, work-away programs, or community-driven projects like Sapa Valley homestays in north Vietnam or the Pueblos Mancomunados in Oaxaca, Mexico .

Finally, one question that is often overlooked when thinking about where to slow travel is, when should I slow travel? This question is arguably more important than where. Many travel destinations are seasonal and visiting many beautiful parts of the world during the ‘off season’ can reveal fantastic opportunities to slow travel to some of the most popular destinations in the world.

Hopefully, we have been able to shed a little light on slow travel, at least as we see it. If you have a question or a comment, please let us know below!

Looking for more travel lifestyle inspiration? Try some of these articles

• Full-Time Travel: 12 Essential Things You Need To Know
• The Cost of Living on a Sailboat Full-Time (with Examples)
• Van Life or Boat Life? Which Is the Best
• How to Start Van Life in 12 Simple Steps
• Is Van Life Worth It?
• 9 Simple Van Life Tips for Living on the Road in a Van
• 9 Things to Know for Working from the Road

Want to save this Slow Travel and Slow Tourism blog post for later? Pin it!

In 2016, I had been dumped by my girlfriend, fired from my job, and the lease on my house was running out. Facing moving back in with my parents, 26, jobless and alone I decided to listen to the message the universe was trying to send me. I took off on my first solo backpacking trip, with a one-way ticket to Bangkok and a well-thumbed Lonely Planet guide. From there I wandered Southeast and Central Asia, traveled the Great Steppe, and made my way across Russia and throughout Europe.

In Estonia I met Kelli, who, despite having a less frantic travel style, shared my my restless spirit and passion for exploration. Together, we embarked on a new journey, van life. Over four years we travelled across three different continents with three different vans.

In 2022, as the world began to re-open post COVID we took an opportunity to realise a long held dream, to live aboard a sailboat. Since then we have spent two summers in the Mediterranean, sailing and living aboard our little sail boat Whisper. When we aren't sailing we continue to live our nomadic lifestyle, guided by a philosophy of slow travel and self directed adventure be it by van or backpacking.

We find excitement through our journey into the unknown, stillness and content in the beauty of the places we discover and we find ourselves in the vastness of our world.

Hopefully, we can help you find what you're looking for too. Get lost with us and find your own path.

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The experts: travel agents on 20 ways to book a sustainable and sensational summer holiday

Keen to get away? Here is how to find a great deal, pick the perfect destination and support the local community

A holiday should be relaxing, but booking one can be a fraught experience, with days lost to endless scrolling, comparing reviews and prices. How can you be sure you are getting a good deal? Travel agents share their tips for the most affordable, sustainable and memorable trips.

1. Book like an agent

“Everybody views themselves as a travel agent and they can be up to a point,” says Paul Sharp from Newcastle upon Tyne, who operates as part of the Travel Counsellors network and has 30 years’ experience in the industry. He says the rise of budget airlines and online booking have led to people feeling confident about organising trips themselves. What is the one thing we should know when doing so? “It is a false economy to book things separately because you have no protection,” Sharp says. He gives the example of someone planning a trip to South Africa to watch rugby, who booked flights with the airline and hotels directly and rugby tickets elsewhere. The game was cancelled but the flights and hotel were non-refundable. If they had been booked together, the trip would have been covered under package travel regulations. “Book with a company you trust and know – there are a lot of sites that crop up and you don’t really know their provenance,” he says.

2. Be an early bird

“Planning in advance is always going to be better value,” says Helen Youngman , an independent travel agent and partner at 360 Private Travel , based near Norwich. “Late deals do exist, but a lot of hotels use ‘dynamic pricing’, which means prices increase as availability goes down. Flights are only going to increase in price the closer you get to the departure date because the fuller the flight gets, the more expensive it will be.” Sharp adds: “Don’t hang on for a last-minute deal because you could end up disappointed. Scheduled flights tend to be available about 11 months in advance, so that is the best time to book. Also, at that stage, a lot of hotels and accommodation providers will have early-bird specials.”

3. If you do book late, be flexible

Jessica Bollinger, who works in the Bristol branch of Danish travel agent Kilroy , which specialises in youth and adventure holidays, agrees that late deals are now something of a myth. “They are not unheard of, but with a last-minute deal there are certain things you’re not going to get. So you have to be really open-minded as to where you’re going to go,” she says.

4. Avoid peak season

The cheapest time to travel is always outside the school holidays, says Youngman, with Christmas and new year the most expensive times. Can you get a good deal if you fly on Christmas or New Year’s Day itself? Sometimes, she says, “but a lot of people are catching on to that trick”. If you have to go in the school holidays, be open to going somewhere off the beaten track. “Being clever about destinations is a good plan,” says Youngman. “In Europe, look farther east at places such as Montenegro, Albania and Georgia. And Morocco is a good summer destination for families.”

5. Midweek can be more affordable

“Midweek can be cheaper, it just depends on availability,” says Youngman. “A Thursday to Monday trip is going to be slightly more expensive than Monday to Friday, but all travel fares are based on availability, so the further in advance you can book, the better.”

6. Take out travel insurance when you book

A lot of people sort out their insurance at the airport, says Sharp, but it is best to do it as soon as you have booked your trip. He says: “Travel insurance doesn’t just cover you if you lose a bag or are poorly while you are away. It also covers you should you need to cancel for an insurable reason before you travel.” This includes illness or a bereavement.

7. On solo trips, consider a group tour

If you are travelling alone, “pretty much anywhere is possible”, says Youngman. “Embarking on your first solo trip can be daunting, which is why small group tours are an amazing way to travel with like-minded people. Some companies I work with are doing specialist female-only tours with visits to female entrepreneurs, co-operatives, makers and bakers. Small group tours are great because they handle all the logistics, include really immersive experiences and are safe. They pick you up from the airport, and from that point onwards, you’re travelling with other people and you’ve got an expert guide.”

8. Have a daily budget

“We advise setting a daily limit for yourself while travelling and then multiplying that number by the days you are away to get the amount to save for your spending money,” says Bollinger. “When you work it out like this, it makes a lot more sense in people’s minds, especially young people who don’t have much budgeting experience. It also keeps you accountable to yourself, so you don’t blow everything right at the beginning and then have nothing left for the end.” To stick to a tight budget, she says: “Cook food as you go along and use public transport instead of tourist buses – this will really help you save money.”

9. Consider all-inclusive options

“If you are going to spend a lot of time eating and drinking in the hotel, I recommend upgrading to an all-inclusive option if possible,” says Youngman, “especially if you’d like a cocktail or two and you’re grazing throughout the day. Otherwise it can all add up and when you check out it costs a fortune.” With active holidays such as skiing or safaris, she adds: “If you have the option to choose an all-inclusive package that includes the activities, food and drink, that is usually a more cost-effective way of travelling. Because sometimes they will really sting you on the extras and it will be more expensive.”

10. Work your way around the world

“A working holiday is a great way to fund your trip,” says Bollinger, who helps people book travel to Australia, New Zealand and Canada by organising working holidays so they can extend their stay. “A lot of jobs will be hospitality-related, but if you go to a more rural spot you can do farm work, and if you have qualifications already, sometimes those can be used. Working holidays in Canada are often at ski resorts near Vancouver, so you get the added benefit of being in a beautiful place to take advantage of the winter sports.”

11. Travel as sustainably as possible

“You can get to most places in Europe by train , so if you are open to slowing down and having a more relaxed itinerary, not only are you travelling more sustainably, but you have more time to absorb the culture surrounding you,” says Youngman. “Be good to the environment you are travelling to see.” She stresses the importance of limiting flights as much as possible, especially internally, and avoiding indirect long-haul options. “We highly recommend ‘open-jaw flights’, which means you fly into one destination and out of another, to limit the number of flights,” says Bollinger. “We also promote travelling for longer in one destination as opposed to trying to go to many in a short time, and travelling overland when possible, instead of taking multiple flights.”

12. Offset carbon emissions with a reputable company

When considering carbon from flights, says Thomas Power of Pura Aventura , a B Corp sustainable travel company in Brighton: “Don’t believe the airline schemes, or anyone else who promises you absolution for a few quid. While 85% of offset schemes may be worthless, there are high-quality carbon credits starting at about £20 a tonne.” These can be bought to compensate for CO 2 emissions. Companies such as “ C Level ​ ​help you at least take positive action to balance your impact”, says Power.

13. Think of responsible travel as a ‘fair exchange’

When travelling, says Power, consider: “What are we giving and what are we receiving? Is it a fair exchange? Is somebody getting something in return for what I am receiving in this transaction?” This applies to everything from “taking a cruise to Venice and not giving anything to the city, to going camping in Sussex and getting a supermarket delivery to your tent instead of going to the village shop or buying eggs from the house down the road”. This concept of “fair exchange” can be beneficial for everyone, he says, by giving you access to unique experiences. “In terms of the economy, the less money that leaves the village, town or city, the better,” he says.

14. Embrace the great outdoors

If you camp out “you are closer to nature than any other accommodation option”, says Brodie Farrow, of the online camping and touring travel agent Pitchup . There are many benefits to this, she says: “It is really good for mental health. It is also a much more sustainable option: the carbon footprints of outdoor holidays tend to be much lower than hotel stays, as people travel by car rather than flying and it promotes local produce and low-impact activities such as hiking in the surrounding area. The accommodation or pitches are much less carbon intensive than hotels, too. And you have a positive impact on the community that you are visiting: camping attracts a higher number of customers at a lower cost than hotels do, which can help to underpin the viability of local facilities such as the shop, the bar and takeaway, and that benefits the wider community.”

15. If you are camping-phobic, glamp

“There really is something for everyone,” says Farrow. “You can get glamping accommodation with four-poster beds if you prefer camping in luxury, or you can go really wild and remote, with no facilities, out on your own and back to nature. I think you would be hard-pressed to say that there is nothing that appeals.” Although glamping has become a fairly pricey option, she says: “Some types are much cheaper than others. You can get some ‘pod-only’ camping accommodation, where you bring your own bedding, starting from £15 a night.”

16. If the weather is terrible …

… And you are under canvas, “try to keep your bedroom a wet-gear-free zone”, says Farrow. “Store and dry wet stuff in your porch area rather than in your bedroom compartment. Protect your equipment by putting it in plastic bags or dry bags. Don’t let anything touch your tent walls or you will have soggy socks.” For activities, she suggests, “swimming in the sea, because you are wet already, or going to the pub”. If you are disappointed by the weather on a non-camping holiday, “as annoying as it is, try to embrace it”, says Sharp. Many people come back from their holidays exhausted because they try to see and do everything when they’re away. Instead, he says: “Have a lie-in, ask local people which is the best restaurant for a long, lazy lunch and, most of all, relax and recharge your batteries – it’s a holiday after all.”

17. For best value destinations, try …

“Go for Belgrade over Berlin,” says Youngman. “It has an underground culture scene very similar to Berlin 20 years ago.” For backpackers, Bollinger suggests: “Some places in Central America can be really affordable. Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala are good options for someone wanting to think outside the box.” Sharp says there are more affordable options in “Cyprus, Bulgaria, Turkey and Egypt, compared with Spain and the Balearics, which are becoming increasingly expensive due to cost of living increases”. If you are looking for a staycation, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Cornwall are some of the most popular UK locations on Pitchup, says Farrow, which can inflate the price. Locations such as Pembrokeshire and the Isle of Wight are cheaper.

18. For a trip of a lifetime that doesn’t cost the earth …

“North Macedonia is just amazing,” says Youngman. “Ohrid has beautiful cobbled streets, Ottoman architecture , fantastic food and wine and you can visit the most biodiverse lake in Europe.” Farrow says: “I camped at the foot of Ben Nevis last year before hiking up it. The weather was terrible but it was worth it for the unreal views.” While Bollinger’s most memorable trip was “Interrailing in Europe and finding a way to do things on my own. It was before smartphones, so it was a very interesting experience and built up my confidence in travelling.”

19. If in doubt, follow local people

“Live like a local person by taking local buses and eating in local spots,” says Bollinger. “It is going to save you money, and will also let you experience life in a different way.” Power adds: “People want to go to Peru but they never come back talking about Machu Picchu, they come back talking about the people they met. Buy local and connections will happen for you. In the absence of interaction with your host community, the things you see are just wallpaper.”

20. And remember: you get what you pay for

“If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is,” says Sharp.

• The experts

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Travel Insurance

Cheapest travel insurance of April 2024

Mandy Sleight

Heidi Gollub

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Updated 9:52 a.m. UTC April 11, 2024

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Editorial Note: Blueprint may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured here on our site. This commission does not influence our editors' opinions or evaluations. Please view our full advertiser disclosure policy .

WorldTrips is the best cheap travel insurance company of 2024 based on our in-depth analysis of the cheapest travel insurance plans. Its Atlas Journey Preferred and Atlas Journey Premier plans offer affordable travel insurance with high limits for emergency medical and evacuation benefits bundled with good coverage for trip delays, travel inconvenience and missed connections.

Cheapest travel insurance of 2024

Why trust our travel insurance experts

Our team of travel insurance experts analyzes hundreds of insurance products and thousands of data points to help you find the best travel insurance for your next trip. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content . You can read more about our methodology below.

• 1,855 coverage details evaluated.
• 567 rates reviewed.
• 5 levels of fact-checking.

Best cheap travel insurance

Top-scoring plans

Average cost, medical limit per person, medical evacuation limit per person, why it’s the best.

WorldTrips tops our rating of the cheapest travel insurance with two plans:

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheaper travel insurance plan of the two, with $100,000 per person in emergency medical benefits as secondary coverage and an optional upgrade to primary coverage. It’s also our pick for the best travel insurance for cruises .
• Atlas Journey Premier costs a little more but gives you $150,000 in travel medical insurance with primary coverage . This is a good option if health insurance for international travel is a priority.

Pros and cons

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheapest of our 5-star travel insurance plans.
• Atlas Journey Premier offers $150,000 in primary medical coverage.
• Both plans have top-notch $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.
• Each plan offers travel inconvenience coverage of $750 per person.
• 12 optional upgrades, including destination wedding and rental car damage and theft.
• No non-medical evacuation coverage.

Cheap travel insurance for cruises

Travel insured.

Top-scoring plan

Travel Insured offers cheap travel insurance for cruises and its Worldwide Trip Protector plan gets 4 stars in our rating of the best cruise travel insurance .

• Worldwide Trip Protector offers $1 million in emergency evacuation coverage per person and a rare $150,000 in non-medical evacuation per person. It also has primary coverage for travel medical insurance benefits, which means you won’t have to file medical claims with your health insurance first.
• Cheap trip insurance for cruises.
• Offers a rare $150,000 for non-medical evacuation.
• $500 per person baggage delay benefit only requires a 3-hour delay.
• Optional rental car damage benefit up to $50,000.
• Missed connection benefit of $500 per person only available for cruises and tours.

Best cheap travel insurance for families

Travelex has the best cheap travel insurance for families because kids age 17 are covered by your policy for free when they’re traveling with you.

• Free coverage for children 17 and under on the same policy.
• $2,000 travel delay coverage per person ($250 per day) after 5 hours.
• Hurricane and weather coverage after a common carrier delay of any amount of time.
• Only $50,000 per person emergency medical coverage.
• Baggage delay coverage is only $200 and requires a 12-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for seniors

Evacuation limit per person

Nationwide has the best cheap travel insurance for seniors — its Prime plan gets 4 stars in our best senior travel insurance rating. However, Nationwide’s Cruise Choice plan ranks higher in our best cheap travel insurance rating.

• Cruise Choice has a $500 per person benefit if a cruise itinerary change causes you to miss a prepaid excursion. It also has a missed connections benefit of $1,500 per person after only a 3-hour delay, for cruises or tours. But note that this coverage is secondary coverage to any compensation provided by a common carrier.
• Coverage for cruise itinerary changes, ship-based mechanical breakdowns and covered shipboard service disruptions.
• Non-medical evacuation benefit of $25,000 per person.
• Baggage loss benefits of $2,500 per person.
• Travel medical coverage is secondary.
• Trip cancellation benefit for losing your job requires three years of continuous employment.
• No “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade available.
• Missed connection coverage of $1,500 per person is only for tours and cruises, after a 3-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for add-on options

AIG offers the best cheap travel insurance for add-on options because the Travel Guard Preferred plan allows you to customize your policy with a host of optional upgrades.

• Travel Guard Preferred upgrades include “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage , rental vehicle damage coverage and bundles that offer additional benefits for adventure sports, travel inconvenience, quarantine, pets, security and weddings. There’s also a medical bundle that increases the travel medical benefit to $100,000 and emergency evacuation to $1 million.
• Bundle upgrades allow you to customize your affordable travel insurance policy.
• Emergency medical and evacuation limits can be doubled with optional upgrade.
• Base travel insurance policy has relatively low medical limits.
• $300 baggage delay benefit requires a 12-hour delay.
• Optional CFAR upgrade only reimburses up to 50% of trip cost.

Best cheap travel insurance for missed connections

TravelSafe has the best cheap travel insurance for missed connections because coverage is not limited to cruises and tours, as it is with many policies.

• Best-in-class $2,500 per person in missed connection coverage.
• $1 million per person in medical evacuation and $25,000 in non-medical evacuation coverage.
• Generous $2,500 per person baggage and personal items loss benefit.
• Most expensive of the best cheap travel insurance plans.
• No “interruption for any reason” coverage available.
• Weak baggage delay coverage of $250 per person after 12 hours.

Cheapest travel insurance comparison

How much does the cheapest travel insurance cost.

The cheapest travel insurance in our rating is $334. This is for a WorldTrips Atlas Journey Preferred travel insurance plan, based on the average of seven quotes for travelers of various ages to international destinations with a range of trip values.  

Factors that determine travel insurance cost

There are several factors that determine the cost of travel insurance, including:

• Age and number of travelers being insured.
• Trip length.
• Total trip cost.
• The travel insurance plan you choose.
• The travel insurance company.
• Any add-ons, features or upgraded benefits you include in the travel insurance plan.

Expert tip: “In general, travelers can expect to pay anywhere from 4% to 10% of their total prepaid, non-refundable trip costs,” said Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip.

Is buying the cheapest travel insurance a good idea?

Choosing cheaper travel insurance without paying attention to what a plan covers and excludes could leave you underinsured for your trip. Comparing travel insurance plans side-by-side can help ensure you get enough coverage to protect yourself financially in an emergency for the best price. 

For example, compare these two Travelex travel insurance plans:

• Travel Basic is cheaper but it only provides up to $15,000 for emergency medical expense coverage. You’ll also have to pay extra for coverage for children.
• Travel Select will cost you a bit more but it covers up to $50,000 in medical expenses and includes coverage for kids aged 17 and younger traveling with you. It also offers upgrades such additional medical coverage, “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage and an adventure sports rider that may be a good fit for your trip.

Reasons to consider paying more for travel insurance 

Make sure you understand what you’re giving up if you buy the cheapest travel insurance. Here are a few reasons you may consider paying a little extra for better coverage. 

• Emergency medical. The best travel medical insurance offers primary coverage for emergency medical benefits. Travel insurance with primary coverage can cost more than secondary coverage but will save you from having to file a claim with your health insurance company before filing a travel insurance claim.
• Emergency evacuation. If you’re traveling to a remote location or planning a boat excursion on your trip, look at travel insurance with a high medical evacuation insurance limit. If you are injured while traveling, transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility could cost in the tens to hundreds of thousands. It may make sense to pay more for travel insurance with robust emergency evacuation coverage. 
• Flexibility. To maximize your trip flexibility, you might consider upgrading your travel insurance to “ cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage . This will increase the cost of your travel insurance but allow you to cancel your trip for any reason — not just those listed in your policy. The catch is that you’ll need to cancel at least 48 hours before your trip and will only be reimbursed 50% or 75% of your trip expenses, depending on the plan. 
• Upgrades. Many travel insurance plans have optional extras like car rental collision and adventure sports (which may otherwise be excluded from coverage). These will cost you extra but may give you the coverage you need. 

How to find the cheapest travel insurance

The best way to find the cheapest travel insurance is to determine what you’re looking for in a travel insurance policy and compare plans that meet your needs.

 “Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every trip is different, and every traveler has different needs, wants and concerns. This is why comparison is key,” said Morrow.

Consider the following factors when comparing cheap travel insurance plans.

• How often you’re traveling. A single-trip policy may be the most cost-effective if you’re only going on a single trip this year. But a multi-trip travel insurance plan may be cheaper if you’re going on multiple international trips throughout the year. Annual travel insurance policies cover you for a whole year as long as each trip doesn’t exceed a certain number of days, usually 30 to 90 days. 
• Credit card has travel insurance benefits. The best credit cards offer perks and benefits, and many offer travel insurance-specific benefits. The coverage types and benefit limits can vary, and you must put the entire trip cost on the credit card to use the coverage. If your trip costs more than the coverage limit on your card, you can supplement the rest with a cheaper travel insurance plan.
• The coverage you need. When looking for the best travel insurance option at the most affordable price, only buy extras and upgrades you really need. A basic plan may only provide up to $500 in baggage insurance, but if you only plan to take $300 worth of clothes and accessories, you don’t need to pay more for higher coverage limits.

Is cheap travel insurance worth it?

Cheap travel insurance can be worth it, as long as you understand the plan limitations and exclusions. Taking the time to read your policy, especially the fine print, well before your trip can ensure there won’t be any surprises about what’s covered once your journey begins.

“If a traveler is looking for coverage for travel delays, cancellations, interruptions, medical and baggage — a comprehensive travel insurance policy will provide the most bang for their buck,” said Morrow. But if you’re on a tight budget and are only worried about emergency medical care and evacuation coverage while traveling abroad, stand-alone options are cheaper.

Before buying travel insurance, you should also consider what your health insurance will cover. 

“Most domestic health insurance plans, including Medicare, will not cover medical bills abroad,” said Morrow. Even if you’re staying stateside, you may find value in an affordable travel insurance plan with medical coverage if you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). 

A cheap travel insurance plan is better than none at all if you end up in a situation that would have covered some or all of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses.

Methodology

Our insurance experts reviewed 1,855 coverage details and 567 rates to determine the best travel insurance . From those top-scoring travel insurance plans, we chose the most affordable for our rating of the cheapest travel insurance.

Insurers could score up to 100 points based on the following factors:

• Cost: 40 points. We scored the average cost of each travel insurance policy for a variety of trips and traveler profiles.
• Medical expenses: 10 points. We scored travel medical insurance by the coverage amount available. Travel insurance policies with emergency medical expense benefits of $250,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.
• Medical evacuation: 10 points. We scored each plan’s emergency medical evacuation coverage by coverage amount. Travel insurance policies with medical evacuation expense benefits of $500,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.
• Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver: 10 points. We gave full points to travel insurance policies that cover pre-existing medical conditions if certain conditions are met.
• Missed connection: 10 points. Travel insurance plans with missed connection benefits of $1,000 per person or more received full points.
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade: 5 points. We gave points to travel insurance plans with optional “cancel for any reason” coverage that reimburses up to 75%.
• Travel delay required waiting time: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance policies with travel delay benefits that kick in after a delay of 6 hours or less.
• Cancel for work reasons: 5 points. If a travel insurance plan allows you to cancel your trip for work reasons, such as your boss requiring you to stay and work, we gave it 5 points.
• Hurricane and severe weather: 5 points. Travel insurance plans that have a required waiting period for hurricane and weather coverage of 12 hours or less received 5 points.

Some travel insurance companies may offer plans with additional benefits or lower prices than the plans that scored the highest, so make sure to compare travel insurance quotes to see your full range of options.

Cheapest travel insurance FAQs

When buying travel insurance, cheapest is not always the best. The most affordable travel insurance plans typically offer fewer coverages with lower policy limits and few or no optional upgrades. Add up your total nonrefundable trip costs and compare travel insurance plans and available features that cover your travel expenses. This strategy can help you find the cheapest travel insurance policy that best protects you from financial loss if an unforeseen circumstance arises.

Get the coverage you need: Best travel insurance of 2024

According to our analysis, WorldTrips , Travel Insured International and Travelex offer the best cheap travel insurance. Policy coverage types and limits can vary by each travel insurance provider, so the best way to get the cheapest travel insurance plan is to compare several policies and companies to find the right fit for your budget.

A good rate for travel insurance depends on your budget and coverage needs. The most comprehensive travel insurance plan is usually not the cheapest. But cheap trip insurance may not have enough coverage or the types of coverage you want. Comparing different levels of coverage and how much they cost can help you find the best cheap insurance for travel. 

The average cost of travel insurance is between 5% to 6% of your total travel expenses for one trip, according to our analysis of rates. However, you may find cheaper travel insurance if you opt for a plan with fewer benefits or lower coverage limits. How much you pay for travel insurance will also depend on the number of travelers covered, their ages, the length of the trip and any upgrades you add to your plan.

Travel insurance covers nonrefundable, prepaid trip costs — up to the policy coverage limits — when your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason outlined in your plan documents. Even the cheapest travel insurance policies usually provide coverage for:

• Medical emergencies.
• Trip delays.
• Trip interruption.
• Trip cancellation.
• Lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

However, if you’re looking to save on travel insurance, you can shop for a policy that only has travel medical insurance and does not include benefits for trip cancellation .

Even when you buy cheap travel insurance, you can often use upgrade options to customize your policy to meet your specific needs. 

Some common travel insurance add-ons you may want to consider include:

• Rental car damage coverage. 
• Medical bundle.
• Security bundle.
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
• Adventure sports bundle.
• Pet bundle.
• Wedding bundle.
• “Cancel for work reasons” coverage.
• “Interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage.
• “Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage .

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Mandy is an insurance writer who has been creating online content since 2018. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer, Mandy spent 15 years working as an insurance agent. Her work has been published in Bankrate, MoneyGeek, The Insurance Bulletin, U.S. News and more.

Heidi Gollub is the USA TODAY Blueprint managing editor of insurance. She was previously lead editor of insurance at Forbes Advisor and led the insurance team at U.S. News & World Report as assistant managing editor of 360 Reviews. Heidi has an MBA from Emporia State University and is a licensed property and casualty insurance expert.

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12 Best Low-Carb Pasta and Noodles You Can Buy Online

According to nutritionists and professional chefs, these pasta alternatives are the best of the best.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Prebiotic Pasta

Zenb yellow pea pasta.

Best High-Fiber Pasta

Thinslim foods impastable low carb fettuccine.

Best Two-Ingredient Low Carb Pasta

Chickapea organic chickpea pasta spirals.

Best High-Protein Pasta

Explore cuisine organic edamame & mung bean fettuccine.

Best Chickpea Pasta

Barilla chickpea rotini.

Best Nut-Based Low Carb Pasta

Cappello's almond flour spaghetti.

Best Wheat Pasta

Goodwheat single ingredient wheat pasta.

Best Butternut Squash Pasta

Green giant butternut squash veggie spirals.

Best Hearts of Palm Pasta

Palmini hearts of palm linguine.

Best Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Solely organic dried spaghetti squash.

Our Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen food editors and registered dietitians in the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab tested over 50 pasta and noodle alternatives to find the best low-carb pasta brands to add to your pantry.

If you're wondering what you can use in place of noodles for a low-carb diet, any of these top-ranked options can be a good substitute for regular pasta. "If you’re diabetic or watching your carbohydrate intake, low-carb pasta alternatives can be a great mealtime option that gives a similar taste and texture as the real thing without excessively spiking blood sugar levels," says Stefani Sassos , M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., director of the GH Institute Nutrition Lab. "They can also be a convenient way to incorporate more veggies, legumes, fiber and protein into your diet." The Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab analyzed low-carb pasta alternatives for their nutrition facts, ingredient lists, taste, texture, cooking times and more. Our top picks have about 30 grams of net carbs or less, although some clock in at slightly higher than 30 grams. Our picks prioritized high-fiber and high-protein content which contribute to the satiety of each low-carb noodle. Our experts favored picks that had minimal ingredient lists with favorable texture and taste profiles.

Below our reviews of the best low-carb noodles and pasta alternatives, you'll find more information on how we selected the best low-carb noodles, plus tips on what to look for while shopping.

What makes this legume product unique is that it's made from 100% yellow peas and not the usual chickpeas or lentils. While this choice has one of the highest amounts of carbs on our list, these noodles still have much fewer carbs than traditional pasta. They deserve a shout-out for the high amount of fiber and protein per serving. Y ellow peas are also a good source of prebiotics which act as the food for probiotics to work their magic and boost good gut bacteria.

The key to preparing this pasta is to not overcook it because it can get mushy. Also, keep in mind that quite a bit of foam can form on the surface of the pasta water when cooking, which is normal. Our testers reported that this pasta has a great flavor when paired with sauces.

Our experts are fans of this low-carb pasta because of its super clean ingredient list. At only five ingredients, two of which are fiber sources (from oats and wheat), this noodle is extremely high in fiber , which will keep you full for longer and reduces the risk of blood sugar spikes. Impastable low-carb pasta also makes a variety of shapes, providing lots of versatility to pair with a number of pasta sauces.

When cooking, be sure to keep a close eye on the noodles as they can get mushy quickly. These noodles are also higher in sodium than other picks, so choose sauces that are lower in sodium and be cautious when seasoning. If you are not used to consuming large amounts of fiber, start slowly to avoid digestive issues such as gas and bloating and make sure you are drinking enough water — at least eight cups per day — to avoid constipation.

Made with only chickpea and lentil flour, this low-carb gluten-free noodle is a great source of plant-based protein, with 13 grams per serving. Finding alternative sources of protein is important for those who are eating a vegan diet or cutting back on animal-based sources. While it is lower in fiber than other options, its lower carb count means it still clocks in at under 30 grams net carbs.

Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine

Made with two simple ingredients, organic edamame and organic mung bean flour, these noodles are a nutritional powerhouse with 24 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber per serving. Although they make a great choice for diabetics and those following a keto diet, they can be enjoyed by anyone. They cook quickly and are sturdy in texture with a good consistency that doesn't fall apart, according to our testers. They have a great flavor.

Straight from Italy's market-leading pasta maker, this high-fiber chickpea pasta is lower in carbs and is made with only one ingredient: chickpeas. It contain eight grams of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, and is a rich source of potassium. These noodles are available in four shapes and sizes, they have a slightly earthy taste and stay intact while cooking. Our experts loved this versatile pick, exclaiming it was the "best of all the chickpea pasta we tested in terms of taste and texture."

Find these almond-based noodles in the freezer section of your grocery store. The brand, which also makes delicious gluten-free pizza bases , is a favorite of both the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen and the Nutrition Lab for its top-notch simple ingredient list and mild flavor. Rather than using a grain or bean base, this pasta is made with almonds, so it is both gluten- and grain-free. While it is higher in sodium than other low-carb pastas, pairing with a low-sodium sauce will help to balance out the flavor and salt levels of this pick.

Cited by our experts as being the best tasting of all the low-carb noodles and the most similar to traditional white pasta, GoodWheat pasta is made with one ingredient, durum wheat semolina. A disadvantage of the high fiber semolina is it that does take longer to cook at around 14 minutes. GoodWheat is both high in fiber and protein and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It can be enjoyed with a variety of sauces and toppings. It is also United States farm grown, non-GMO and kosher certified.

A favorite with our experts because of its single uncomplicated ingredient — butternut squash — these veggie spirals are also a GH Nutritionist Approved Emblem -holder. They are super convenient because peeling, prepping and spiralizing a butternut squash can be very tough. These spirals are certified gluten-free and a great way to add more veggies into your cooking repertoire. Keep them in the freezer then throw them into a skillet for a meal base in minutes. While they have a different texture from the more legume- and grain-based options, you're getting a full serving of veggies or more in every serving. If you're looking for another veggie option from Green Giant, our experts also loved Green Giant's Zucchini Veggie Spirals .

You probably have seen these noodles pop up on your social media feeds as they have been gaining popularity due to their versatility and low-calorie profile. Made from hearts of palm, these noodles make a great base for any red sauce dish. They don’t get mushy and remain al dente, holding up well to any topping. Fans describe the taste as being similar to artichoke hearts, with a slightly earthy taste and fibrous texture. Our experts agree that the slight flavor of hearts of palm dissipates with a great sauce.

If you don't have the 45 minutes it takes to prepare spaghetti squash , these noodles are a super easy stand-in and take only five minutes. Use that time saved to make an incredible pasta sauce . Like a lot of other picks on this list, Solely pasta is made from only one ingredient: organic dried spaghetti squash. These low-calorie noodles can be used in place of almost any pasta recipe and with one portion you're getting one serving of vegetables. While our experts — even the picky ones — loved the taste and hearty texture, the only downside is that one box better serves two to three people instead of the stated four.

Simply Nature Edamame Spaghetti

These spaghetti noodles from GH Nutritionist Approved Emblem -holder Simply Nature at ALDI are made with only organic edamame. They contain a ton of natural fiber — 13 grams — so our experts recommend a bit of extra time when cooking to soften them up. This pasta will likely foam when cooked because it is releasing a combination of proteins and carbohydrates, so keep an eye on them while preparing. They taste great, but we recommend adding a splash of olive oil after cooking to prevent sticking.

Brami Curly Macaroni Pasta

Lupini beans form the base of this high-protein noodle. While traditionally found as gently pickled and jarred, Brami also blends this ingredient (native to the Mediterranean and North Africa) with semolina durum wheat to create a tender and nutritious pasta that our tasters adored . Clocking in at 31 g net carbs, it's slightly higher than some of our picks, but the box also boasts 6% of your daily dose of iron and potassium per 2 oz serving.

How we chose the best low-carb pastas

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we are always testing food products and nutrition-related services in every category, from healthy snacks and supplements to food subscription boxes and meal delivery services . Our experts are committed to bringing you the best of the best when it comes to quality, performance, flavor, nutrition and more.

Our registered dietitians and GH Test Kitchen pros evaluated dozens of pastas and pasta alternatives for this story, focusing on ingredient lists, fiber counts and protein content. We also took into account cooking times, texture, taste and overall food quality. Our top picks consider a wide variety of dietary preferences, from high-fiber and high-protein options to gluten-free and soy-free offerings.

What to look for when shopping for the best low-carb pasta

When choosing a low-carb or alternative pasta, start by considering what you want to achieve:

✔️ Reduce carbs: If your goal is primarily about reducing your carbohydrate intake, you might want to consider some of the veggie or shirataki noodle options on this list.

✔️ Increase fiber: If your goal is to increase your fiber intake, legume-based pasta could be a great place to start.

✔️ Flavor: If you are looking for a mouth-feel similar to traditional pasta or are dealing with picky eaters, we recommend wheat pasta which provides a more familiar experience.

It's also important to note that low carb doesn't always mean healthiest. "Carbs aren’t the enemy, and the quality of the carbs we consume is just as important as the quantity," Sassos says. When picking carbs to eat, choose ones that are nutrient-dense and complex that will fuel your body. "These include fruits and veggies, whole grains and legumes," Sassos says. "Plus, these foods naturally come packed with nutrients like fiber and even protein which can help stabilize blood sugar levels."

What type of pasta is lowest in carbs?

"Vegetable-based pastas, such as zucchini noodles or hearts of palm noodles, tend to be lowest in carbs and calories," says Sassos. "They are also packed with nutrient-dense vitamins and minerals and are naturally gluten-free. Shirataki noodles and kelp noodles are also quite low in carbs and calories."

Can pasta be no carb?

Not technically but these veggie-based noodle options, like zucchini noodles and shirataki noodles, are your best bet if you're aiming to cut back on carbs and maintain a low-carb diet. "Some may have as little as five to 10 grams of carbs per serving," says Sassos. Also important to note: low-carb options aren't always the most nutritious. "While a low carb pasta may fit into your diet plan, it’s not always a more nutritious choice. A bit of nutrient-dense, complex carbs from a fiber-rich pasta can be both a filling and satisfying option," she adds.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

As a dietitian and low-carb pasta enthusiast coming from an Italian background, Amy Fischer , R.D.N., is an expert in the field of healthy pasta. She has worked as a recipe developer for several food companies, and she also has extensive experience in the commercial side of the food business.

Becca Miller is the associate food editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she researches and writes about food. She has taste-tested dozens of noodles to find the best of the best, including low-carb pastas and gluten-free noodles. She considers herself a pasta connoisseur and is always on the hunt for the best noodles to buy and new sauce recipes to try.

While researching this article, Amy and Becca worked closely with Stefani Sassos , M.S., R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab. Growing up with a family in the restaurant business, Stefani is an avid home cook who relies on low-carb, high-protein pasta alternatives several times a week to make nutrient-dense dinners for her family.

Amy (she/her) is a registered dietitian with the Nutrition Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute , covering nutrition- and health-related content and product testing. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Miami University of Ohio and a master's degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. Prior to Good Housekeeping , she worked at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City as a cardiac transplant dietitian. She has authored numerous chapters in clinical nutrition textbooks and has also worked in PR and marketing for food company start-ups.

Becca Miller (she/her) has been working in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen since 2018, where she researches and writes about tasty recipes, food trends and top cooking tools. She graduated from NYU with a liberal arts degree focusing on creative writing. She makes killer scrambled eggs, enjoys a glass of un-oaked chardonnay and takes pride in her love of reality television.

Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, where she handles all nutrition-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. She is also Good Housekeeping’s on-staff fitness and exercise expert. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.

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‘Fallout’ Is a Different Nolan Approach to Nuclear War

Unlike ‘Oppenheimer’—or fellow video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’—Jonathan Nolan’s new series embraces a much wackier tone

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By any measure, Jonathan Nolan is a successful artist. He created Person of Interest , arguably the last great sci-fi drama hailing from a broadcast network, and followed that up with Westworld , which, at the time, had the most-watched first season of any HBO series. Nolan is no slouch on the film front, either, scoring a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Memento . It’s an undeniably impressive CV, and yet no matter what Nolan accomplishes, he’ll always be under the shadow of his older brother. You’ve probably heard of him:

In terms of achievements within the same field, the Nolans are not unlike the Schumachers: One brother, Michael, is considered one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One; the other, Ralf, put together a respectable racing career that included six wins and 27 podiums. Of course, the Nolans have also managed to collaborate on several occasions: In addition to Memento , the brothers have cowritten The Prestige , The Dark Knight , The Dark Knight Rises , and Interstellar . But it’s now been a decade since the siblings worked together on a project, and despite Nolan’s success in the world of television, he’s currently mired in a slump.

For all the plaudits that Westworld received, including nine Emmy wins from 54 nominations, the series suffered an unprecedented fall from grace. After four seasons with increasingly diminishing returns, HBO didn’t just cancel Westworld : It removed the show from its streaming platform altogether. (These days, you can still find Westworld on free, ad-supported streamers such as Tubi.) By that point, Nolan and Lisa Joy, his wife and creative partner, had a first-look deal in place with Amazon’s Prime Video, which picked up their next sci-fi series, The Peripheral . While Nolan and Joy were only executive producers on the show (rather than creators or showrunners), The Peripheral was their first chance to make an impression at their new streaming home. It didn’t exactly go to plan.

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The Peripheral ’s eight-episode first season reportedly cost $175 million, and the series was emblematic of the failure of Prime Video’s excess spending to produce anything even resembling the immense popularity of Game of Thrones , as Jeff Bezos (somewhat unrealistically) craved . And while The Peripheral was originally renewed for a second season amid largely positive reviews , Prime Video retroactively canceled the show during last year’s Hollywood labor strikes. Considering Nolan and Joy’s deal with the streamer is worth $20 million a year, Prime Video was hardly getting a good return on investment. (If any company can afford to throw a bunch of money around, though, it’s Amazon.) But perhaps Nolan and Joy had yet to put their best foot forward.

On Wednesday, Prime Video released the first season of Fallout , the highly anticipated adaptation of the postapocalyptic video game franchise of the same name. (Nolan and Joy are credited as cocreators.) Setting aside Nolan and Joy’s recent stumbles, Fallout couldn’t have arrived at a better time. For years, video game adaptations held a less-than-stellar reputation throughout Hollywood: The best of the bunch were probably Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil movies, and those should be appreciated as thoroughly entertaining schlock. Lately, however, these kinds of projects have taken the industry by storm : The Super Mario Bros. Movie became the second-highest-grossing film of 2023; one of Peacock’s rare success stories is Twisted Metal , which has been renewed for a second season. But the undisputed crown jewel of video game adaptations is HBO’s The Last of Us , the Emmy-winning, postapocalyptic drama that tugged at heartstrings as often as it freaked the hell out of viewers with fungi-related horrors .

The Last of Us is an easy point of comparison for the Fallout series: Both examine what happens to humanity when civilization collapses; both feature zombielike creatures; both are storied franchises with large, built-in fan bases. But that’s where the similarities between these two series end. While The Last of Us is almost punishingly depressing, with few moments of levity, Fallout embraces a much wackier tone: As far as sci-fi predecessors go, it feels more of a piece with blockbuster-era Paul Verhoeven . But just because Fallout doesn’t take itself too seriously doesn’t mean it wasn’t a serious undertaking: After whiffing with The Peripheral and the end of Westworld , this is the series where Nolan finally gets his mojo back.

Fallout imagines an alternate America in which advances in nuclear technology and the retro, kitschy aesthetics of the Eisenhower era never ended. (As a result, there was no Vietnam War, Watergate scandal, or any other notorious event of the late 21st century embedded in our nation’s history.) By 2077, however, America and China engaged in nuclear war, transforming the planet into an irradiated wasteland. The story then picks up 219 years later by following Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), a young woman who has spent her entire life in a Vault: technologically advanced underground bunkers that house orderly communities until it’s safe to repopulate the surface. After Lucy’s Vault is attacked by a group of raiders who kidnap her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), she ventures out to the surface in the hope of finding him.

Naturally, Lucy doesn’t know what she’s signed up for. While Vault dwellers follow a familiar code of ethics, it’s every man (or irradiated creature) for himself on the surface. Over the course of Fallout ’s eight-episode season, Lucy crosses paths with Maximus (Aaron Moten), a lowly squire for the Brotherhood of Steel—think fascistic, medieval knights with futuristic mech suits—and Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), a former movie star and mutated gunslinger who has roamed the wasteland for centuries. (In the franchise’s parlance, Cooper is known as a ghoul.) Lucy, Maximus, and Cooper share a common goal: They seek to acquire an artifact lodged in a severed head (it’s a long story) that could be the key to saving civilization.

As someone unfamiliar with the games, the highest praise I can give to Fallout regards how accessible it feels. The world-building is fascinating, especially when the show digs into the history of the Vaults and the massive corporation, Vault-Tec, responsible for building them. The wasteland is a Wild West full of terrible surprises: mutated animals ranging from bears to cockroaches to a giant axolotl , opportunistic cannibals, and organ harvesters. The violence, when it does arrive, is cartoonishly over the top, as if every character populating this universe mainlined Quentin Tarantino’s filmography.

But if you look past the ludicrous gore, Fallout isn’t just imagining how humanity would destroy itself: The show is, in its own way, biting the hand that feeds it. Nolan, who directs the first three episodes, opens the series with a scene in which Cooper witnesses nukes razing Los Angeles, which, if nothing else, makes for an interesting companion piece to Christopher Nolan’s Trinity test sequence in Oppenheimer . But while Oppenheimer ends with the existential fear that it might only be a matter of when, not if, our most powerful nations engage in nuclear war, Fallout pins the blame on the insatiable greed of megacorporations. If a company’s entire business model is predicated on selling high-tech fallout shelters, for instance, it’s in their best interest to inflame tensions. As one character puts it, America outsourced the country’s future to the private sector; the results speak for themselves.

Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch to compare the sinister corporate entities responsible for nuclear annihilation to Amazon, but when one of Fallout ’s evil masterminds achieves a twisted form of immortality, it’s easy to connect the dots to the real billionaires aspiring to do the same . (Likewise, the evil corporations in Fallout monopolized their industries with unchecked power, and what’s more Amazon than that ?) That deep-rooted cynicism extends to Fallout ’s commentary on Hollywood, positing that the industry is trending in a direction where art will be completely subsumed by the demands of commerce. “Forget Hollywood. The future, my friend, is products,” an actor tells Cooper in a flashback. “You’re a product, I’m a product, the end of the world is a product.” Later, when power is restored in the ruins of Los Angeles, the old Hollywood logo lights up—as does the “sponsored by” signage right under it.

In other words, Fallout has a lot on its mind outside of callbacks and Easter eggs for fans of the games. Not all of it works: Maximus and the intricacies of the Brotherhood, in particular, aren’t fleshed out, while some of the show’s attempts at edgy humor fall flat. But on the whole, this is a wacky, wonderfully immersive series that deserves to stick around for the long run. As for Nolan, after his recent stumbles in the realm of science fiction, it’s great to see him stick to the genre with a project that radiates so much confidence.

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