An article from the Independent Traveller

Have you ever come home from a vacation feeling more exhausted than you were before you left? Many of us live hectic, stressful lives, and the frantic pace only continues while we're on a trip as we rush from one tourist attraction to another. But there's a grassroots movement that has quietly emerged as a solution to tourist burnout: slow travel.

Imagine living for a week in a little French cottage, buying fresh vegetables from the farmer's market every morning, sipping cafe au lait on your favorite sidewalk terrace, and taking leisurely day trips to neighboring villages and chateaus. Sound appealing? That's the magic of slow travel, where the emphasis is less on manic sightseeing and more on taking in your surroundings at a relaxed pace. This is no "four cities in seven days" tour of Europe -- instead, you'll see new places and explore new cultures in a way that's less stressful for you, more respectful of the locals and easier on the environment (and maybe on your budget as well).

What Is Slow Travel?

Slow travel is an offshoot of the slow food movement, which began in Italy in the 1980s as a protest against the opening of a McDonald's in Rome. The slow food movement aims to preserve regional cuisine, local farming, communal meals and traditional food preparation methods. This cultural initiative has since burgeoned into a whole way of life known as the Slow Movement, which emphasizes connection -- connection to food, connection to families and, in the case of travel, connection to local peoples and cultures.

Slow travel is not so much a particular mode of transportation as it is a mindset. Rather than attempting to squeeze as many sights or cities as possible into each trip, the slow traveler takes the time to explore each destination thoroughly and to experience the local culture. Per the slow travel philosophy, it's more important to get to know one small area well than it is to see only a little bit of many different areas -- that way you'll have something left to see on the 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. It can mean taking a bike tour from one village to the next, or driving along back roads instead of taking the highway. It can mean crossing long distances by train instead of air, so that you can see the scenery along the way. But no matter how you do it, the key is slowing down -- and making the most of each moment of your vacation.

Slow Tours Pty Ltd was created in 2007 with the purpose of creating tours which fit the Slow Travel philosophy which is that every day during your holiday has to be a good day! In fact, that's a good life philosophy. We are passionate about making sure our guests have a great relaxing Slow Tour holiday and want to come back again and again. We endorse our partners who provide tours that match these criteria.

 

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