In a post-COVID-19 world, traveling has shifted. We’re not traveling from pillar to post, cramming in as much activity and sightseeing as we can. We want to take in everything there is to the destination. We’re soaking up the culture, spending time with the local people, and appreciating all there is to offer from the land.
Sure, we love cramming in a photo-op at that popular destination that ‘travel influencer’ visited, but what if we put that aside for a minute, and got back to what traveling should really be about? Discovering and exploring something new to you, and taking the time to do so properly.
Trust me, I’m guilty of it too. Planning an itinerary for three separate destinations in five days, visiting every tourist hotspot there is to get my photo op in, and not making much time to take in local culture. What I’ve realised about trips like these, is they’re never as memorable as the ones where I choose to stay for days and immerse myself.
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If you’re rushing from one tourist destination to the next without much time to settle in between, you wouldn’t have made much space to make lasting memories, and that’s where slow travel comes in.
Slow travel is all about setting time aside to get to know your surroundings. Strolling the streets of your destination, familiarising yourself with the local fauna and flora, eating street food, and visiting where only the locals go. Making connections with people you wouldn’t usually, and allowing yourself the time to experience the destination ‘like a local’ instead of jetting off to the next photo op.
“Slow travel allows you to soak in the present moment while remaining sustainable for local communities, preserving regional cuisine while supporting local farming and eating local food,” says Raymond Bickson from Bickson Hospitality Group in an article published on Forbes.
He continues:
“This is travel that leaves a thumbprint on the soul for the traveler.”
And that’s just what it is. Experiences stick with you more than anything else. When you take the time to really experience a new culture and way of life, you’ll build lasting memories. You’ll remember the food you ate, the people you met and the stories you heard. Those stories will nourish your soul, and broaden your perspective on life. Why skip out on the opportunity?
I’ll choose rural France over the generic tourist photo in front of the Effiel Tower any day.
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