Communicated Content – Have you heard of slow travel? If you haven’t, you might assume that it means physically traveling as slowly as possible. Fortunately, slow travel doesn’t mean that you have to walk everywhere although if that’s your thing, you certainly can. Slow travel a mindset of going at your own pace and taking things in more like a local than a tourist. It’s about traveling mindfully rather than running through a checklist of must-sees and must-dos. The tips below can help you get started as a slow traveler.
Budgeting
The good news about slow travel is that it’s cheaper than running around trying to cram four countries into five days and squeeze in as many of the sights as possible, but you still need to have an idea of what you can spend before you set off. If you’re short of cash, look for ways to reduce your expenses. This can mean spending less on entertainment for a few months, but there may be other ways to save as well. If you have student loans, NaviRefi student loan refinancing might lower your existing monthly payments. You can put the difference away into your travel fund.
Prioritizing
Slow travel is all about doing one or two things well instead of everything in half measures. As you are planning your trip, choose where you want to spend most of your time. If you have a week, plan on spending most or all of the week in one location and taking day trips from there. At the same time, it’s important that you don’t over-plan. An important element of slow travel is removing the emphasis on sticking to a rigid schedule and to-do list. One thing you should absolutely do as part of your planning is learning some words in the local language if you are going to another country.
Accommodations
Instead of a hotel, try to rent an apartment or house. You could even register with a housesitting site. One advantage of having a place to yourself instead of a hotel room is that you get to live like a local, and this extends to being able to pick up food that the area is known for and enjoy preparing it back at your place. These types of accommodations are generally cheaper than a hotel as well.
Less is More
At the core of slow travel is the idea that less is more. You’ll get more out of your trip by truly connecting with your environment and the people around you than you would if you ran around to every famous sight in the vicinity. Of course, you can do sightseeing and even book a tour for a day if that’s what interests you, but you should also take your time with unstructured activities. Sitting in a park or a cafe people watching can be a great way to get to know an area better. In addition, try to resist the urge to look up or record everything on your phone. Think in terms of digital minimalism, using your phone and other devices as tools but not allowing them to usurp your experience.
