Have you ever felt more exhausted after a trip than before? It's time to stop this contradictory behavior and get back to the roots of traveling. Reject traditional ideas of tourism, "likes" generating Instagram hotspots and overwhelmingly long must see-lists. Slow travel is all about authentic experiences and being in the present. Join the movement of slow travel and take your travels to the next level.
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The art of having a slow travel mindset
What is slow travel?
Slow travel is about connecting to your surroundings without thinking about worldly things such as creating cool posts for social media. Don't think about what's to come, just focus on what's around you and immense in the emotional impact of traveling. Explore local communities, colorful cultures, regional cuisine, and most importantly be open to unfamiliar cultural experiences. All in a sustainable and responsible matter.
It might sound a bit hippieish, but you know what, we and tons of others have fallen in love with this mindset!
It's time to say goodbye to FOMO and travel fatigue
The desire to travel is everywhere among us. Online and offline, among adventurous backpackers and charter lovers, teens and seniors. Yeah you get it, traveling is everywhere and nonetheless, it's accessible. However, this comes with two much-dreaded downsides, travel fatigue and some serious FOMO. Long checklists of places to visit, changing locations every 2-3 days and panic when things don't go as scheduled. You know the drill.
If you've ever gotten back home with a tired body and tingly surreal feeling that the trip never happened it's time to take a step back. Ask yourself, do you travel to experience or do you do it for... the gram?
Why consider slow travel?
Slow travel lets you loose yourself to a new place without any pressure. This is one of the fundamentals of traveling and has been since we started to explore this amazing planet. However, somewhere on the road many of us lost this aspect of traveling. This development is what slow travel is trying to counteract. So, what are the benefits of slow travel?
It lets you recharge
Travel fatigue, tourist burnout, call it what you want. Most of us have been there and it’s not pretty. FOMO makes us pack a trip with too many activities and stops. The result, a feeling of needing a vacation after the vacation. With slow travel this won't happen.
Did you know that we have a new travel concept around slow travel? Our new group travel concept called KILROY re:discover have been developed to allow more time to slow down reflect, bond with new friends and learn new skills.
It connects you to the surroundings
Slow travel lets you connect more easily to nature, to yourself, and thereby to others. Take your eyes off the tourist guides and go where your curiosity takes you. The perfect way to boost the connection is to volunteer, either with animals and nature or with people in need. It's rewarding for all involved and for sure gives you a deeper connection to a place.
It empowers local communities
When going slow. You go local. Let yourself disconnect to global brands and connect to local ones. By doing so you'll not only empower the local economy but also get a greater understanding of the local culture. A win-win situation.
It boosts your travel budget
When going off the beaten track and explore the world with a slow travel mindset you can get around quite cheap. How you might ask? Simply put, you avoid tourist traps and live like a local. Spend a night at a homestay, rent an apartment in a less-visited city area, go to the grocery store and cook your own dinner with locally produced ingredients.
Cool destinations for slow travel
With a European mindset Asia, Africa, and South America might be regarded as slow. However, you can still travel fast here and tick off plenty of must-sees without immersing and absorbing. In sum, slow travel is a mindset that can be used wherever but the fast lane can still be compelling. The trick to avoiding the FOMO is to have a chill groove from start and sometimes spend a bit more time on the planning.
Go off the beaten track and it will partly do the trick for you. India, Indonesia, Laos, Brazil, Mexico. You name it. Europe has somewhat of a speedy atmosphere, but Balkan is still a good shot for slow travelers. Slow local transportation and an easy-going ambiance with an exotic edge. Heading there with an Interrail pass gives it that extra slow component.
Get inspired by the Balkans here!
How to do it - The recipe for slow traveling
There are a few key ingredients to use if you wish to become a slow traveler. The first step is to change perceptive on traveling and embrace the slow mindset. It can be a challenge but trust us, it's well worth it.
#1 Avoid long lists of must-sees
We've said it before, but we say it again. It's impossible to experience EVERYTHING during one trip. Travels should be all about quality, not quantity. Shorten your bucket list and leave room for surprises. Those are usually the most memorable.
#2 Live like a local
Travel with local transportation, go by train, rent a bike, get lost and leave the city centers. You could say, the slower you go, the shorter the distance becomes to the locals. The slow transportation is probably one of the most challenging aspects of slow travel, but practice makes perfect.
#3 Challenge your boundaries
Make yourself uncomfortable. We know it sounds odd but this is the only way of becoming a true slow traveler. Become a yes-sayer, embrace the discomfort and kick your comfort zone's a**.
#4 Make it a way of (everyday) life
Slow travel should be a mindset used whenever and wherever. In your hometown, on the way to school, when commuting to work. Some might say it sounds like mumbo jumbo but it all comes down to changing your perspective on traveling. It's not about how fast you can get to a place, it about experiences along the way.
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