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Slow traveling is a type of wellness travel that accentuates a willingness to step outside the hustle of an itinerary and deeply connect to the city you’re visiting. With an emphasis on immersive experiences revolving around fascinating foods, art, culture, history and engaging with locals — slow travel is connecting to the heartbeat of the city.
It’s meant to grow your mind, body and soul, having a lasting emotional and mental impact that affects you during your trip and once you’ve returned home.
In other words, slow traveling is a mindset shift. This shift embraces the unknown and all its possibilities. It gently throws a strict agenda out the window, and says yes to nature’s agenda. Grab that drink with a local you just met during your day outing. Wander through the cobblestone streets to try that tasty hole-in-a-wall restaurant a local urged you to try.
We’ve done both of these and built more meaningful connections to the city and the people as a result.
Not only will slow travel help you deeply connect to locals and yourself, it can also make you a more sustainable traveler. This is because slow traveling implies you’re also participating in more local events and spending more money on local goods and products, which all have a positive impact on the city’s economy since you’re supporting locally owned businesses. Think farmers markets, locally run tours, or family restaurants.
Immerse yourself where ever you go and embrace the saying “live like a local”. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the richness and quality of experiences you’ll have with this simple mindset shift.
Why I love slow traveling
When Evan and I first decided to move abroad and travel the world — slow travel wasn’t on our radar. We had never heard of the term “slow travel”. All we knew was that we wanted to rest, improve our well-being, book that flight and never return.
In 2019, we quit our jobs and went on a crazy year long adventure traveling the world! We didn’t have a honeymoon, so our friends referred to this trip as that. But, deep down we knew it was so much more, it was a lifestyle change for us. (Sidenote: we’re still planning our honeymoon and hope to take it sometime next year, in case you’re wondering!)
We started our adventure in Barcelona, Spain, spending three months indulging in the magnetic and astonishing beauty of the Catalan region. I still vividly remember the first week in our apartment — a 5 bedroom flat rented from a local and elderly Catalonian man.
As soon as we met him, he whisked us away with his lively stories about his country, love life and tenderly spoke French to us as if we could taste his pungent words that transported us to an afternoon along the coast in the French Riviera.
Listening to his stories is why I love slow traveling — it gives you ample time to intimately connect to others. It allows you to tap into this raw and deep human connection, forging more beauty and joy as you travel. His story is unique, as all our stories are, and truly listening to those different narratives builds greater understanding of love and empathy. I believe these are some of the biggest gifts anyone can freely give and receive from traveling.
Sidenote: If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, here are some guides to help with planning — things to do in Barcelona and a vegan restaurant guide.
Our second day in Barcelona, our landlord invited us to go shopping with him to set up our room. We quickly accepted and spent the day doing some serious retail therapy, then grabbed lunch. Right when we thought the adventure was over, he pleasantly surprised us with a trip to a goat farm. Originally, we thought the plan was to return home after shopping, but the universe had other plans. Off to the goat farm we went.
We were greeted warmly by the farm owners who chatted our ears off in Spanish and Catalan. The woman I met kept staring at my feet and persistently telling me how they were big. (Keep in mind, I’m 5’10” and played collegiate volleyball – I ain’t short! If you want to learn more about my story read this. )
“Tienes pies grandes”, she loudly expressed, then pointed to her own large feet, a kindred spirit.
She too had big feet. Quickly, she explained how hard it was to shop for larger women’s shoe sizes in Spain, giving me her top advice on how to find suitable shoes.
Simultaneously, from the corner of my eye, Evan came running over to me.
“They slaughtered the goat, right in front of me”, Evan said, stunned by disbelief because no warning was given. After, they threw the goat over a wooden board to drain it’s blood for a Halal meal our landlord wanted to prepare to welcome us to his country.
I was shocked. I’m vegan-ish and wasn’t sure what to do. Food is a big part of community and communing with people, and I didn’t want to be rude by not eating the food presented. However, I also have food allergies and can have some serious consequences if I eat dairy or gluten. You can read more about how to travel with food allergies here.
Adventuring is another reason why I love slow travel. With a slower pace of travel, there’s more freedom to take in random opportunities. Because of this freedom, the quality of adventures tend to be deeper and richer experiences. If we weren’t staying an extended time in Barcelona this memory, along with countless others, such as adventuring Ibiza in the off season, meeting random strangers on the train, making new friends that helped us find a remote hot springs in Bulgaria tucked in the woods, and countless more, would have never happened.
Contrary to faster travel, slow travel unlocks adventure because you have more time, energy and opportunity to embrace the unknown. “Travel fatigue” or burnout doesn’t occur since you’re not rushing to catch your next flight or bus. While photos are nice, and saying “I’m going to XX destination” gives you “bragging rights”, that’s not what travel is intended for.
Besides, the exhilaration and energy from moving fast runs out quickly. Personally, it’s exhausting for an extended time, because you burn through energy faster (I’m talking about months on end, not a week long trip.)
“Travel fatigue” is rarely experienced with slow travel since you’re deeply immersed in the reasons why we travel in the first place. From exploration and rest, to recharge and growth, travel is meant to be enjoyed. Slow travel gives you a new lens and perspective to do it.
Everyone travels for a different personal reason. In fact, I am a big believer that travel can be a healing experience when we allow the experiences of our trip to transform us and design the reality we’ve always wanted. Slow travel truly unlocks this potential and can truly transform those who travel in this manner. Travel is suppose to awaken and enliven you — to push you and expand outside your comfort zone. It’s to educate, inspire, motivate and help you deeply connect to nature, the land, the culture and the people.
Wellness resources for travel
- 10 Wellness Habits Every Travel Should Know
- The Best Self-Care Gifts for Travelers
- Simple Recipes to Make in Airbnbs
- 3 Ways Travel Transformed My Energy
- Simple Tips for Pain Management During Travel
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