”My way of understanding the world is to move around it, looking, listening, tasting, pondering, chatting. When you do it right, travel can also be a wonderful antidote to the virus of hurry. It offers a heaving smorgasbord of new experiences, lessons and sensations which can only be savoured properly if you slow down.” – Carl Honoré
Forest Bathing and hiking in the National Park of Stenshuvud
A Summer with Slow Travel in Skåne(South of Sweden, the region where I live).
Slow Travel is very much a mindset to me. A mindset that could be defined as: A slow traveller takes time to explore. A slow traveller seek to connect with and is there to experience the local scene and culture. The scene as in food, entertainment, events, nature. Everything local.
It is more important to get to know an area well, than to quickly just rush through many.
Where doesn't matter.
It could be your local area, it could be one of the biggest cities in the world. Either way - the mindset is similar. If in the local environment: challenge assumptions, look to discover new things, look for rediscovering, look for connection. For me this has lead to more gratitude and appreciation.
If abroad: Look for connecting with the locals. Local restaurants, local ingredients. Try to get a feel for what is like to live there. To spice things up - get lost at least by walking around without a map or GPS. Let the dice decide where to go, where to eat, etc.
Slow Travel could also mean how you travel. Slow biking, canoeing, hiking are all good examples if you want to connect deeper with place and nature. Some pictures:
Cruising outside Tomelilla
Hiking and mindfulness in Kullaberg
Old-school b&b in beautiful Österlen
Sandhammeren. The best beach in the area!
Have you heard about Slow Travel before? Tried it?