A rookie's guide to slow travel

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.

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.

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.