Slow travel esl video&text

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I love to travel. It’s a big part of why I wanted to buy less stuff and simplify my life. I’d rather invest in experiences like traveling than more things.
Slow travel has been something I’ve really embraced and I honestly believe. It leads to more enriching experiences.

So what is slow travel? It’s the opposite of hectic stressful traveling. Going from place to place, site to site, taking some photos and moving down your checklist. This kind of traveling is not only exhausting but it also only gives you a glimpse of the local culture. And you spend all or the majority of your time in tourist focused areas.

Slow travel is a bit of a different mindset. While it’s nice to see some famous sights, it’s also not necessary to squeeze in as many things as possible into your trip. Slow travel focuses on more fully exploring and experiencing the places you visit. It also is generally cheaper and better for the environment, which is an added bonus.

My first experience traveling slower was three years ago. My husband and I decided to do a big trip for a honeymoon. We rented a car in Ireland driving through the countryside and staying in little village guest houses. We then traveled by bike over 700 kilometres through Germany Austria and the Czech Republic staying in small towns along the way. These were places that we would never have gone if we weren’t traveling by bike.

It was amazing to see how similar yet different they all were. Even though we traveled to many different places, I felt like we got a completely different perspective on the countries. I realized that I always want to travel more like this.

Some other ways I’ve travelled slower is by renting houses, cottages or apartments instead of staying in hotels. We will occasionally stay in hostels but only for a night or two. It’s really nice to rent a place and stay for longer.

If you can you start to learn things about the neighborhood, find local grocery stores and cafes, maybe meet your neighbors, it’s a much different experience than staying in a hotel. But don’t get me wrong hotels can be really nice if you just want to relax.

One of my favorite things about slow travel is just being able to wander and explore with no pressure. I think it’s about just enjoying where you are without worrying about what’s next. It also allows you to really soak in and digest the new experiences. And it can be hard to do.

I am definitely a big planner when it comes to trips. But I’m starting to find a balance that works better and most importantly makes the trip more enjoyable. This is a little piece from a slow travel article that I really liked. The journey becomes a moment to relax rather than a stressful interlude between home and destination.

Slow travel re-engineers time transforming it into a commodity of abundance rather than scarcity. And that really stood out to me because that’s what I definitely want to feel when on vacation. I want to wake up and feel like there’s so much time in the day to do what we want instead of that there’s not enough. And I have to say that I’ve never regretted taking the scenic route.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. There are so many different ways to travel slower and it’d be great to hear the things you do to slow down simplify or be more present when traveling. I hope you enjoyed this video and that you have a lovely slow day.