The slowest journey on. Slow travel vs circumnavigation. Comparing mass tourism with a threat to the Earth might be an exaggeration, but no: the world’s cultural heritage, local

When I started “exploring the world” through abroad, my first trip was an 8-day tour of Europe. We traveled around 5 countries by bus.

I was able to say whether I liked this trip or not only a week after arriving home. When the “roof” fell into place from the sights seen and kilometers traveled.

The principle: have time to get around and see everything, or, more simply put, galloping across Europe worked 100%.

I don't want to rest like this anymore. Not because everything is fast, fast and a lot, but because you don’t really have time to comprehend and digest one piece of information before a new excursion begins.

Our website will introduce you to a new direction in tourism and type of travel - slow travel. This is a slow and leisurely acquaintance with the traditions and customs of other countries and maximum immersion in a new culture.

Has this ever happened to you: you come back from vacation more exhausted and tired than you were before leaving?

Vacationing is stressful: one excursion follows another, you have to have time to see all the palaces and ruins, attractions and waterfalls, and don’t forget to buy souvenirs...

The slow pace of life is becoming increasingly popular and even gaining momentum.

I’ll tell you a secret: not all people live by the principles “...faster, higher, stronger...”.

Work after work and on weekends, depend on your smartphone, social networks and the Internet...get everything done yesterday.

This is what the slow movement offers: to live today and now, to solve issues without the all-knowing Google, to make decisions as your heart and experience tell you.

The magic of slow travel is when the emphasis is not on excursions, but on leisurely trips around the country.

Life will slow down (at least for a week) in a small rural cottage, you will love going to the local farmers market for groceries, getting to know your neighbors and allowing yourself trips to nearby cities (for a day). Stress will disappear and the budget will not suffer.

You can travel slowly: over several years or over two weekends

How did such a direction in tourism appear?

In Italy, in the 1980s, a protest began against the opening of the McDonald's chain in Rome. Slow food was opposed to fast food. Family leisurely meetings in cafes and pizzerias, the traditional way of life of Italians defended their right to exist.

Slow travel means renting a small cottage for a few days or a week and exploring the area by car or on foot. Cycling through nearby villages on dirt country roads, avoiding highways and highways.

Slow movement

Best Slow Travel Destinations

Europe is the most popular destination for such travel. Renting a car and housing is developed and available to everyone, public transport works without failures, historical sights are at every step, English language understood everywhere.

Slow travel is not for everyone

How to plan a slow travel

Renting an apartment is more economical than a hotel for more long stay. You must reserve accommodation in advance.

This can be done on the following sites:

• Airbnb
• HomeAway
• TripAdvisor

There is a practice of exchanging houses. This is an alternative for long-term living in another country. You can agree to rent a car from your exchange partner. The most popular site for this is HomeExchange.com.

You can view profitable housing options right now.

Food is also “slow”

Find local markets and try the cuisine of the town where you went.

A small bakery nearby will delight you with fresh catch and aromatic pastries for breakfast...

Slow travel is not for everyone

If you are used to living in a rhythm, in a hurry to travel around all the countries of the world and are charged with tireless energy, then this type of tourism may seem boring.

If this is your only trip to Italy or, then you should think carefully about what is more important: to merge with the culture and local people or to see as many sights as possible.

You can travel slowly over several years systematically, or over two weekends. The main thing is to change your attitude towards rest.

Doing less rather than more is the first step to Slow travel, especially if time is short.

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Have you ever returned from vacation feeling more exhausted than before you left? Many travelers live hectic, busy lives, and the frantic pace continues during the trip as they rush from one tourist attraction to another. But there's a grassroots movement that's quietly emerged as a solution to tourist burnout: slow travel.

What is slow tourism?

Slow travel is an offshoot of the slow food movement, which began in Italy in the 1980s in protest of the opening of McDonald's in Rome. The slow food movement aims to preserve regional cuisine, local farming, communal dishes and traditional cooking methods. This cultural the initiative has since evolved into an entire way of life known as “Slow Motion,” which emphasizes connection—connection with food, connection with families, and, in the case of travel, connection with local population and culture.

Slow travel is not so much a specific mode of transport as it is a way of thinking. Instead of trying to cram as many attractions or cities into each trip ("4 cities in 3 days," for example), the slow traveler takes the time to thoroughly explore each destination and experience the local culture. According to the philosophy of slow travel, it is much more important to know one small area than to see only a few different areas - this way you will have something to see on your next trip.

Slow travel can mean:

• renting a cottage or apartment for a week at a time and exploring your immediate surroundings on foot or by car,
• cycling from one village to another on country roads rather than on the highway,
• crossing long distances by train rather than by air so you can see the scenery along the way.

But no matter how you do it, travel slows down and makes the most of every moment of your vacation.

Benefits of Slow Travel

It allows you to form a stronger connection with the place you are visiting and you will feel much less rushed. With the "slow" route, you won't have the stress of trying to hit new way in your guide. Instead, you'll stay in one place long enough to get to know your neighbors, shop at local markets, and choose your favorite coffee shop. Slowing down in other countries not only allows you to escape your own busy daily life, but also allows you to naturally immerse yourself in the pace of another culture.

Another less obvious benefit of slow travel is that it is much safer for environment than other types of travel. While airplanes have been identified as a major contributor to global warming, trains are a much greener alternative, as are bicycles and, of course, your own feet! And even traveling by car becomes less harmful to the environment when you only drive short distances.

Slow travel is more economical. Staying in one place for a week or more reduces your travel costs, and home rentals are often more economical than hotels because they allow you to cook your own meals rather than eating out. If you choose a home exchange, you'll save even more.

One thing to remember is that while the slow pace of travel can be leisurely and relaxed, getting to know new culture much more difficult than just getting to the main tourist places. Part of the reward of slow travel is overcoming language barriers, differences in customs, and other potential stumbling blocks to making connections with the new people you meet.

Best Slow Travel Destinations

Europe is the most popular place for slow travelers, because vacation rentals are plentiful, systems public transport efficient, historical sites are relatively close to each other, and English is widely spoken.

However, slow travel is a mindset, not a destination, and with a little planning you can vacation almost anywhere.

Accommodation. Slow travelers tend to stay in holiday apartments, which are more economical than hotels for longer stays and are also more spacious and comfortable. Be sure to book your rental in advance and keep in mind that many properties must be booked from Saturday to Saturday. House swapping is another good alternative for long-term stays. Your home exchange partner will get to know your friends and neighbors, making you immediately feel part of your new community. You can even use your exchange partner's car while at their home.

Nutrition. In the spirit of slow food, find local ingredients and try the cuisine of the place you're visiting. Are you cooking for yourself? In the morning, join the locals on fish market to pick up a fresh catch for dinner, or stop by the bakery for a baguette straight from the oven. If you eat out, choose local cafes and restaurants.

Transport: traveling around railway can be a relaxing and often luxurious way to experience the countryside, especially in places like Canada and Europe. Trains in these regions are convenient and efficient, and there are plenty of fare options to help you cut costs.

Other "slow" alternatives include cycling, river boats, walking and even running.

When "slow" is not an option

While slow travel is becoming an increasingly popular option for people who want to enrich their travel experience, it's not for everyone. If visiting a lot of attractions every day leaves you feeling excited and energized, then you may find the more casual pace of life frustrating or boring. If you think this might be your only trip to Italy (or New Zealand, or Morocco), then you need to decide what is most important to you: traditional excursions or cultural experiences.

This is when you come somewhere and live without thinking about time, instead of constantly moving from city to city, like on a trip around the world.

Adventurer and journalist Jonathan Engles, who looks like Tom Hardy from Mad Max, recently published an article about slow travel. He claims that they are much cooler than any circumnavigation.

You should stretch out the feeling of time while traveling, savoring the tastes and smells, absorbing rich colors with your eyes, without taking out your camera. Feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and then listening to the songs of crickets. Slow travel allows you to get lost, duck into a tempting bar and watch the locals flock to it.

Characters

Experts

About saving

Ivan Morgunov. Obviously, it is more economical to stay in one place. Unless, of course, it's London.

About whether to slow down

Mila Demenkova. All the round-the-world trips and speed races are entertainment for boys, who will then compare themselves with tomatoes. If you want, you slow down, if you want, you jump from place to place.

About travel fatigue

Alexander York. The correct strategy is to use a specific location as a base for traveling around the area.

Moment with transport

Anna Egorova. Kilometers of travel can be boring for hiking. If I had a car, I would choose this.

About dating while traveling

Alexander York. In places where there are many interesting people, I want to get to know each other and communicate constantly.

Upon returning from vacation, many are haunted by the feeling of an unfulfilled program: in a couple of weeks there was not enough time to visit, experience, photograph everything they wanted. Such regrets are unknown to Clive and Jane Green, who went to. On their yacht, the couple traveled 51 thousand nautical miles and visited 56 countries. Thanks to media reports, millions of people around the world learned about them. But before you sigh about the impossibility of such a long vacation, it’s worth delving into the essence of the amazing hike. From the unusual experience of the Greens, you can still get some ideas for your modest two-week vacation.

Not downshifters and not record holders

The Greens were not trying to set a record and had no plans to flee their native Wales in search of better life, they are not contenders for a position in the Guinness Book of Records and are not downshifters in the classical sense of the word. The idea of ​​a British cruise was based on the concept of slow travel.

Take your time and you will see everything

The concept of slow travel is not new. It received a second wind in the bustling 21st century, but was very popular in the 19th century. The French travel poet Théophile Gautier (1811–1872), for example, was a good two centuries ahead of modern advocates of slow tourism when he argued that the world needed to “slow down.” The same opinion was shared by the Swiss researcher and writer Isabelle Eberhard (1877-1904), who also insisted that the most important thing on the trip was to get to know better the life of the people living in the country.

Slow travel is a fashion trend that is gaining popularity all over the world. Its main idea is not only to abandon standard tours, but also to hurried tourism, which the majority have chosen for themselves modern people generally. Fans of slow travel believe that it is better not to see the famous landmark, but to get many small and unique experiences that allow you to really get to know a new place and relax your soul.

To do this, it is recommended to literally integrate into the life of the locals, neglecting the hotel in favor rented apartment and don't try to see too much in a short period of time. Excursions and sightseeing are not prohibited, but the emphasis is still placed on non-standard impressions and the refusal of guidebooks.

In July 1998, Clive and Jane Green went on a cruise on their 35-foot yacht from Abergavenny, Wales. They traveled for 16 years, 1 month and two days, although at first they only intended to spend a week in Spain. The tourists were in no hurry and made long stops along the route: they lived with tribes in the Asia-Pacific region, swam with seals, helped save shellfish harvests, and were afraid of pirates eastern shores Africa.

The road is already a vacation

Some fans of slow tourism believe that airplanes deprive the traveler of one of the main pleasures - the anticipation of arriving at the destination. Just a few hours, and the journey “from A to B” is coming to an end. This, in the opinion of many “slow travelers,” is fundamentally wrong. Among slow travel adherents, however, there are also those who believe that it is a sin not to take advantage of the benefits of technological progress.

Nevertheless, both opponents of airplanes and their opponents recognize the beauty of long trips by car or train, if they fit into the time allocated for the trip. For example, travel along transcontinental routes, such as Route 66 and Lincoln Highway in the USA, are considered iconic for supporters of the idea of ​​slow travel.

Eco, but not that

Some slow travel ideas have something in common with ecotourism (for example, complete or partial avoidance of air travel). However, the motives of the adherents of these movements are slightly different: ecotourists are concerned about environmental problems, and “slow travelers” are not satisfied with modern methods of moving in space, mostly from a philosophical point of view.

Manifesto of the “slow tourist”

Despite the fact that fans of slow travel disdain guidebooks for vacationers, even they have a set of certain rules. They are interestingly described by the Manifesto for Slow Travel. The article with this title was published by Hidden Europe and is considered a good read if you want to try slow tourism.

10 rules for a slow-hiker

Fans of slow tourism believe that you don’t have to quit your job to take a slow trip. Having a standard vacation of 7-14 days, you can also successfully apply the rules of slow travel.

It is better to stay in one place and explore it well than to see many cities in fits and starts. For example, you can get to know Italy better by renting a house in the countryside, rather than driving around the country trying to see Rome, Florence and Venice in one week.

Try couchsurfing, or an exchange holiday.

Visiting local markets is a lot of fun. And for those who plan to cook their own meals in a rented apartment, the tempting aisles with local specialties are a godsend.

Even those who in their homeland disdainfully turn away from shawarma and fried donuts should try the local street food.

Have a picnic in the park like a true city dweller.

You can sign up for local courses in drawing, diving, salsa, depending on what seems interesting.

You should definitely attend a concert of a popular local pop or rock band. Go to a purely local festival that no one has ever heard of. Visit a local sports championship, the results of which will not be featured on TV news.

Everything in the world can be done slowly

Slow tourism is just a small part of the global movement to slow down modern life Slow Movement. To learn more about this lifestyle, your best bet is to read the 2004 book In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honoré. At one time, The Financial Times compared the significance of this work for adherents of the slow movement with Karl Marx’s “Capital” for supporters of communism.