Why Slow Travel is the Ultimate Way to See the World in 2024

Slow down. Take a moment. Breathe. This isn’t just sage advice for daily life—it’s also the philosophy behind the biggest travel trend of the year: slow travel.

In a world that constantly tells us to go faster, see more, and check off bucket lists, many travelers are opting for a different approach. A recent report showed that 85% of travelers want to visit a place to truly experience the local culture, and 74% are interested in trips that support the local community.

Slow travel is all about savoring the journey, not just racing to the destination. It’s about immersing yourself fully in one place and connecting with the people, culture, and rhythm of life there. It’s about swapping packed itineraries and tourist traps for unscripted moments and hidden gems. It’s about traveling in a way that’s more mindful, more meaningful, and, ultimately, more fulfilling.

But slow travel isn’t just a feel-good trend—it offers real benefits for both travelers and the places they visit. By stepping off the beaten path and engaging authentically with their destination, they open themselves up to personal growth, unforgettable experiences, and a deeper understanding of the world.

What is Slow Travel?

At its core, slow travel is a mindset that rejects the idea of racing from one tourist hotspot to the next, instead emphasizing deeper, more authentic engagement with the local culture and community.

The term “slow travel” has its roots in the slow food movement that began in Italy in the 1980s as a protest against the rise of fast food chains and the industrialization of agriculture. Like slow food, slow travel is about savoring the journey, focusing on quality over quantity, and connecting more meaningfully with the people and places you visit.

So, what does slow travel actually look like in practice? While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula, most slow travel experiences share a few key principles:

• Staying in one destination for an extended period, usually a week or longer, to fully immerse in the local way of life
• Choosing accommodations, restaurants, and activities that are locally owned and operated to support the community economy
• International tourism accounts for 8 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide. Opting for slower, more sustainable modes of transportation, like trains, bikes, or walking, minimizes the environmental impact and maximizes opportunities for serendipitous detours.
• Leaving ample free time in the itinerary for spontaneous exploration, conversation with local people, and soaking up the unique rhythms and routines of the destination
• Approaching the experience with curiosity, openness, and respect for the local culture, environment, and traditions

Slow travel offers a refreshingly intentional alternative to the whirlwind pace and superficial encounters of most packaged tours or cruises. By taking the time to truly get to know one place and its people, slow travelers often find that they gain a richer understanding of the world and themselves in the process. Instead of returning home exhausted and overstimulated, they come back renewed, inspired, and more deeply connected to the global community.

Benefits of Slow Travel

Slow travel offers a wealth of benefits for both travelers and the communities they visit. By taking a more leisurely, immersive approach, slow travelers often find that they:

• Avoid burnout and truly relax: Rather than needing a vacation to recover from your vacation, slow travel allows you to unwind, recharge, and return home feeling fully refreshed.
• Make meaningful connections and memories: When you take the time to engage with locals, participate in cultural traditions, and explore off-the-beaten-path, you create travel experiences and relationships that stay with you long after the trip ends. 
• Save money: While slow travel might sound like a luxury, it can be quite budget-friendly. Staying in one place longer often means lower transportation costs and discounted accommodation rates. Cooking meals in a rental apartment or shopping at local markets also helps decrease expenses.
• Expand their comfort zone and grow as people: Navigating a new place at a slower pace inevitably leads to moments of discomfort, confusion, and vulnerability. Embracing these challenges can boost confidence, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding.

Popular tourist destinations often struggle to manage high visitor numbers, resulting in overcrowded streets, overwhelmed public transportation systems, and added strain on basic amenities such as water and sanitation. Slow travel tends to have a positive impact on the destinations themselves. These trips’ slower pace and smaller scale minimize the risk of overtourism that can strain local infrastructure and environments. 

Tips & Resources for Planning a Slow Travel Trip

Ready to embark on your own adventure? Here are some tips and resources to help you get started:

• Choosing a destination: Pick a place that aligns with your interests and travel style. Rural regions known for their food, scenery, and traditional ways of life, like Tuscany, Provence, or Bali, are popular slow-travel spots. To avoid crowds and tourist traps, consider exploring lesser-known towns or villages. Traveling during the shoulder season can offer lower prices and a more authentic local experience.
• Getting around: Opt for overland transportation like trains, buses, bikes, or ferries to fully appreciate the scenery and engage with locals along the way. Renting an apartment or home is another excellent way to immerse yourself in the community. If flying is necessary, choose a direct route and pack light to help minimize your carbon footprint.
• Slow travel activities: Slow travel offers the chance to engage deeply with the local culture. Take a cooking class or an art workshop to learn hands-on about the region. Volunteering with local organizations is another way to give back to the community and make meaningful connections. You can also visit local markets, strike up conversations with vendors, and plan a picnic with fresh, local produce. To further immerse yourself, seek local festivals, performances, or events for an authentic cultural experience.

3 Helpful Blogs and Resources

1. Slow Travel Blog: The Slow Travel Blog is a comprehensive resource offering slow travel destination guides, planning tips, and personal essays. It’s an excellent starting point for anyone looking to dive into the slow travel movement and learn how to plan their trips with mindfulness and intention.
2. Uncornered Market: Uncornered Market is an award-winning blog featuring thoughtful stories and stunning photography from a couple’s slow travels around the globe. Their content is both engaging and informative, offering a glimpse into the beauty and rewards of slow, mindful travel.
3. Slow Travel Tours: Slow Travel Tours curates a collection of small group trips focused on cultural immersion and sustainability. This resource is perfect for travelers interested in guided experiences that emphasize local culture, environmental awareness, and deep connections with the places they visit.

With a spirit of curiosity and an openness to the unexpected, your slow travel journey can be a transformative experience at any age or budget.  

Savor the Journey

Slow travel invites us to step off the treadmill and reconnect with what matters most in a world that often feels like it’s moving at warp speed. It’s been found that 76% of respondents hope to embrace sustainable travel plans over the next year. By being sustainable and trading quantity for quality, slow travelers find that less truly is more—more depth, meaning, and joy.

But the benefits of a “slow” mindset don’t have to end when your trip does. By incorporating the principles of slow travel—presence, curiosity, connection, intentionality—into your daily life, you can infuse even the most mundane moments with a sense of adventure and appreciation. 

So whether you’re sipping coffee on a sunny Roman piazza or walking the dog on your own neighborhood street, remember that the beauty is in the details.

The journey to a more purposeful, connected, and joyful way of being starts with a single step—or, in this case, a delightfully, defiantly leisurely stroll.