Why Slow Travel is a More Rewarding Way to See the World
If this is the first you’re hearing about slow travel, then know it’s about so much more than speed. Slow travel is a more intentional way of seeing the world, taking as much time as you can to really get to know your destination – and the people in it – beyond the tourist hotspots.
What is slow travel?
With so much to do and see, vacations often now mean rushing around to tick each site and icon off your list, even if it means spending 5 minutes at each one. Slow travel is the opposite.
Slow travel encourages you to literally spend more time in each destination, but it also inspires travelers to take the time they have in each destination at a slower pace. That could be taking the time to wander the backstreets and discover a coffee shop off the beaten track, or allowing yourself an extra day to take a local cooking class to properly immerse yourself in the culture.
Slow travel isn’t anything new, but it’s certainly taken off more in the post-pandemic years with slow travel in retirement in particular a rising trend.
Slow travel is an extension of the Slow Food movement, founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini and now active across the world. Slow Food started as a reaction and protest to the opening of a fast-food restaurant near Rome’s Spanish Steps, instead shifting the focus back to local, sustainable farming and cuisine.
With that in mind as the grassroots for slow travel, it makes sense that slow travel is all about bringing it back to authentic travel experiences that support local people and ecosystems, and help them thrive. It’s recognizing that while the icons are icons for a reason, they can’t represent an entire destination with all its history and complexity.
Why should I travel slow?
Slow travel allows you to get beneath the surface of your destination, but it’s not just beneficial for you – it’s also better for the places and people you visit. You’ll support local businesses rather than just ticking off the hotspots; picture sipping espresso with the locals rather than rushing around to get in the queue for the Colosseum.
Slow travel is, by its very nature, better for the environment. Rather than taking the quickest route (which is generally flying) and hopping from place to place in a bid to tick off your bucket list, slow travel encourages you to not only spend longer in each place (minimizing the need to travel at all) but also to make the travel in between each place a slower form, like train or coach.
Slow travel can also mean traveling in the off-season, lessening the peak-season impact on a place and spreading the tourism throughout the year.
Slow travel with Insight Vacations
Luckily traveling with purpose, honoring local customs, and giving back to the communities we visit are a huge part of the way we travel at Insight Vacations – it’s why we have a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on every tour, leaving a positive impact on the planet, its people, and its wonderful wildlife.
Our Country Roads tours truly embody slow travel, where it’s about the journey just as much as the destination. Country Roads get you off the beaten track and allow you to explore your destination from the perspective of a local, from home-cooked food from an Irish chef in rural Killarney to sipping sustainably made wine from a family-run winery overlooking Lake Geneva.
This style of tour is perfect for first-time visitors to a country who want to take things slower, or for travelers who have been to a destination before, seen all the iconic sites, and want a new perspective.
Food is at the heart of any trip with Insight Vacations, and our Country Roads tours help you discover each destination a little deeper as you eating like a local and enjoy farm-to-table dining.
Our comfortable coaches make the journey part of the magic, with scenic drives and pit-stops along the way and extra-wide windows to let you take in every inch of the view.
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Slow travel experiences
Below are just a few of the many experiences on our Country Roads tours that embody the spirit of slow travel.
Enjoy a Locally Sourced Irish Farm-to-Table Meal
Get a taste of true Irish hospitality on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience in Killarney where you’ll be hosted by restaurant owners John and Freda. John and Freda have a policy that all food is sourced locally from farms and the coast of the Emerald Isle, while they also grow and harvest all their own fruit and veg. You’ll hear more about their Farm-to-Table concept and sustainable consumption of homegrown produce, while enjoying a delicious meal.
Experience it on: Country Roads of Ireland
Meet Artisanal Hand Weavers in Perugia
Taking time to meet locals and learn their customs is a major part of slow travel. In Umbria, Central Italy, you’ll meet Marta in her artisan workshop on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Learn how she offers employment opportunities for local women and how they preserve the ancient craft of loom weaving while contributing to the protection of Umbria’s cultural heritage.
Experience it on: Country Roads of Umbria & Tuscany
Ride the Glacier Express
Travel doesn’t get any slower than Switzerland’s Glacier Express, known as the slowest train in the world. You’ll travel through the picture-perfect Swiss Alps at a grand speed of 24mph, ascending over 6,600 feet to the top of the Oberalp Pass. The glass-topped train is made for panoramic views, of which there are plenty – from alpine meadows to mountains, waterfalls and viaducts.
Experience it on: Country Roads of Switzerland
Ready to live life in the slow lane? Discover Insight Vacations Country Roads tours.
About Jess Williamson
Jess is an experienced writer and editor, with 6 years' experience working within the whisky industry. Her work has taken her to Scotland and beyond, while her personal travel highlights include backpacking around Vietnam with her sister, trips to California, Madrid, and the Greek islands.
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