Learn to Love Slow Travel: Tips from a Recovering Tourist

How many countries have you visited?

I’ve logged 33 to date, a discovery I made after mapping them with Pin Traveler. The app makes it super simple to track the wonderful places I’ve explored. Pinning destinations was a trip down memory lane. A blurry one, at times.

It’s not that I don’t remember my travels. It’s just that I habitually arrive in a new destination and assault it with a checklist of must-sees, must-dos and must-eats. My vacations are exhausting. But there are so many places to see and I’m running out of time.

Fast Travel or Bust

I return home with a million photos and snatched recollections of the people I’ve met and places I’ve seen. This style is described as “fast” or “rushed” travel. Devotees praise it for several reasons, including:

• Efficiency: You see more in a limited amount of time, great for people with limited vacation days.
• Variety: Visiting many different places and attractions on a single trip is exciting.
• Budget-friendly: Finding affordable tours and cruises with many destinations is easy.

I’ve adopted fast travel as my preferred mode because I want to see as many places as possible before my clock ticks away.

Acknowledge the Problem

My friends and family have intervened, encouraging me to slow down and take time to smell the roses.

Time?

My days continue to march on. Although I’ve ticked some major bucket list trips, including an African safari, I still haven’t…

• Photographed cherry blossoms in Japan.
• Watched a sunset in Maui.
• Road-tripped through New Zealand.

And that’s my shortlist.

Choosing a slow travel holiday never crossed my mind.

The Case for Slow Travel

There’s an argument to be made for slow travel. By spending more time in a place and focusing on the path less traveled, it’s possible to have a richer experience. Other benefits include:

• Increased sustainability from traveling fewer miles and not straining overly touristed destinations.
• Reduced stress and anxiety when you’re not rushing from place to place.
• Personal growth from reflection on a place, its people and culture.

Could I do it? Trade quality for quantity?

There was only one way to find out.

A Slow Boat

Canal barges offer travelers a leisurely way to explore a region. I’ve been to France several times, but never to Burgundy and certainly never on a 12-passenger vessel that cruised at an escargot’s pace, covering about 50 miles over six days.

I boarded La Belle Epoque, one of European Waterways’ 18 vessels, unsure about going cold turkey. I expected to get antsy about two hours into the cruise, itching for sights, sounds and souvenirs.

But the gentle ride, pastoral landscapes and pleasant conversations made for relaxing days.

Liberal pours of Champagne and Chablis helped.

A Different Kind of Sightseeing

The week included five ½-day outings that were very different than the port experiences I normally seek out. For example, if I docked in Stockholm, I’d jump on a tour bus and hop on and off for hours, ticking off as many sights as I could before reboarding the ship.

By contrast, one Burgundy morning was devoted to touring a 12th-century abbey, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had the buildings and grounds practically to ourselves, so we could intently listen to our captain’s commentary about the history of the order and the incredible architecture. No crowds. No cell phone conversations. Just birdsong and beauty. It was delightful.

A Changed Woman?

My Burgundy barge cruise was the right trip at the right time for me. I’ve had a stressful year with many life changes, including the death of my mom. The chance to spend a few days in a scenic destination with a friendly crew that plied me with French food and wine while slipping through scenic countryside was the kind of therapy I needed.

I can’t say I won’t go back to my old travel habits. As I write this, I have an upcoming 10-day, 9-countries cruise on my calendar. I’m tired and smiling thinking about it. That’s a lot of place pins!

What I will do is seek out more opportunities to sink into a place now that I’ve experienced the benefits of slow travel.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you prefer fast or slow travel? Would you consider a canal barge cruise? If so, where would you want to go: France, Italy, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, England, Belgium, Holland?