What is slow travel?
Have you ever heard about slow travel?
An eco-friendly mindset and cultural shift that comes from staying longer in a destination.
It can be the best way to enrich your life as a remote worker!
Slow travel relates to the speed at which a trip is completed, such as when travelers choose to explore Europe countries by train rather than flying. In a broader sense, it refers to a way of traveling that emphasizes interaction with locals and their customs, cultures, cuisine, and music. It relies on the idea that a trip should be educational and has an emotional impact on the present and the future, while still being environmentally and locally sustainable.
Being a part of a place for a short time rather than just passing through it helps you learn, unwind, and regenerate. It leaves positive impacts that will benefit the local communities, economies, and wildlife. Therefore, according to some studies, slow travel will become a global trend in the next several years.
Are you in?
4 reasons why you should slow travel
Make meaningful connections
One benefit of slow travel is the ability to explore the local culture.
It is such an immersion process because as a remote worker you’ll definitely “live” rather than just “pass by” at your destination. You get the chance to have a more in-depth experience of the place and create meaningful connections with the local or like-minded people nearby. You can discover local people and other remote workers by stopping at the same café or coworking spaces, opening new exciting collaboration potentials! Moreover, you can participate in local activities like volunteering at a local NGO or enrolling in a language or cooking class.
Eco-friendly
The slow travel movement, which advocates living sustainably, is not just concerned with improving one’s quality of life. It involves protecting the earth’s resources and maintaining a healthy environment. Similar to a slow fashion trend that focuses not only on what clothes are made out of but also on what they are made for, and how durable they are. Choose durable items that consider the environment and humanity in their design and production processes.
Slow travel involves fewer miles traveled, it helps to lower global carbon emissions. You can explore destinations freely on foot or using local vehicles which are certainly more environmentally friendly, and at the same time, you’re giving back to the community for their service.
Save more money
Slow travel might be a more cost-effective alternative than a normal tourist excursion. Chain hotels and big-name restaurants are more expensive, and they lack the charm and experience that the locals would offer.
For your next work-from-abroad journey, check out Midstay to get more affordable local alternatives. Midstay’s homepooling feature allows you to meet many like-minded remote workers to share a home with. Enjoy staying at local cozy villas with less budget!
More flexibility and freedom
The biggest benefit of slow travel is the ability to better manage your time.
You have the freedom to customize your schedule to suit your needs. You can plan your week so that the first few days are entirely focused on working, followed by a weekend off to unwind and engage in other activities. Jumping from one location to another every two or three days, as tourists and backpackers used to do, is therefore pointless. When you adopt the slow travel movement, you’ll establish a setting that encourages productivity without compromising your ability to lead a balanced life.
How can you embrace it?
Be local
Keeping things local is a good start.
Decide to live like a local rather than a tourist. Stay in local accommodations, eat in local restaurants, and shop in local stores. You must also be willing to engage in conversations and learn new things about a place and the locals. Start with small changes and a bigger shift will follow.
Be flexible
You can have the best of both worlds by planning a balanced itinerary that gives you the flexibility to pace yourself and make quick decisions. Each choice is conscious and spontaneous.
Engage with the locals
Instead of just grabbing your phone to snap that Instagram picture, get involved to learn about local customs and appreciate cultural differences with the local community. This behavior will be well-appreciated by the locals. You’ll be a beloved and unique member of their community!
Stay longer
Stay in your destination a bit longer before moving on to a new area. This allows you to explore and get the best out of it. You may find hidden gem places, meet more people, and many more. This is the best way if you are a remote worker or digital nomad.
Slow travel isn’t just a way, it’s a mindset
The mindset of slow travel will eventually show you how to pick immersive experiences. By slowing down, you are allowing those experiences to educate, inspire, and transform you. In slow travel, the quality of your experience is more important than the number of fast experiences done during your trip.
As Justin Francis, CEO of Responsible Travel says, “Slow travel is more a mindset than velocity. Connecting to the soul of a place through its history, food, language, and people becomes more important than chasing bucket list ticks and Instagram photos”
Check out Midstay as you plan your next work-from-abroad trip to adopt the slow travel mindset easier. We provide an ecosystem for digital nomads and remote workers to relocate and settle faster in a new place. We are on a mission to empower individuals to embrace a slow travel movement that enriches their journey and empowers them to have the best work-life balance possible.
Remember,
“Life is a journey that’s not measured in miles, but in experiences”.
