Slow Travel

It's Nice to SHARE !

Updated:

December 8, 2018

Pierre Bourbonnais

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Have you ever returned from a vacation abroad, feeling that you needed a vacation when you returned home? Rings a bell…? If yes, Slow Travel and this article are for you.

Well, we know the feeling. We have been travelling a lot. From a short week down south to 3 weeks exploring around, to 7 months grand tour. Believe me when we say that travelling, apart from being wonderful and fulfilling, can also be stressful, tiring and sometimes frustrating. For most, normal life is working too much, leaving a few weeks per year for vacations. Normally, the intent of this vacation is to rest, relieve stress and have fun, right? Stress is a part of what we can call “modern life,” especially for westerners. The pressure of work, family and friends balance, combined with trying to save money for later and for the everyday demands, has an impact on everyone. Some more than others. So why would you even consider adding more stress to your lives while you are on vacation?

“It's in our DNA to want to see it all, but…”

Travelling is something awesome. There is no doubt that it leaves a mark on everyone. The deeper you experience the way of life of other cultures from all types of origins, the deeper the souvenirs will be. That, in essence, changes you. It broadens your horizons. And since most people only have a few weeks each year to enjoy a trip abroad, we tend to make sure we don’t miss anything. I believe it is in our DNA, at first. We want to see it all, experience it all. But once you start being more comfortable at travelling and being out of your natural elements, you start realizing that there is so much more to it than just the bucket list, been there, check !

Slow Travel is, by definition, taking the time to slow down, to enjoy every minute, slowly.

Rather than attempting to see every city, beaches, mountains or monuments contained in a country or even a big city, why would you not instead focus on just a few and ensure you see them properly. And while doing so, learn how the local population lives and interact.

“ This, to us, is where the real discovery begins “

Have you ever felt like when you leave from any given destination, you have the impression that you were just starting to enjoy its inner beauties? When you stay more than a few days at any destination, people start noticing you and making contact, as best as they can, given the language challenges that may occur. The small corner market owner recognizes you and smiles, the coffee shop barista knows that you come every morning to get your “americano” and engages in a conversation, or just a few words. Taking a stroll in the alley that you’ve noticed every time you passed by but never took time to explore. This, to us, is where the real discovery begins. Making friends with the local population is not only an excellent way to understand the culture and way of living but, it may open the door to discovering that “secret waterfall” or “hidden beach”, if your new friend is open to showing-it to you. The point of travelling is not to see as many destinations as possible, unless you are attempting to beat a Guinness World Record. (By the way, at time of writing this article, the record to visit all 195 sovereign countries was 1 year and 193 days !) That is roughly 2.8 days per country… This is far from Slow Travel !

“ For a fraction of the cost…”

What if you were to rent a small apartment, a homestay, a guesthouse or a farmhouse, rather than the expensive room at the resort, and stay there for at least a week or more. Go shopping at the local market for fruits and vegetables, have breakfast at home before heading out for your daily explorations, on foot. Believe me when I tell you that in our experience, we met so much more interesting people in these types of lodging than in mid to high-level hotels. And for a fraction of the cost too! We made friends with travellers who share their passions, give you tips on where they went, tricks on how to save money here and there, and so much more. There is so much to see of the daily lives, you’ll be surprised how different it may be from what you are accustomed to.

So, consider staying at that beach, or city, for an extended period of time. You won’t see everything else? Who cares. Come back the following year or better yet, extend your stay. This way, you will save a lot of money on plane ticket or ground transportation costs and, will minimize your carbon footprint on the environment.

“ Why would one consider leaving paradise? “

Slow Travel is a mindset, a way of life. Having just spent 7 months in Asia, we can assure you that at times, we were really tired of constantly moving. Packing-up, looking for hotels, transports, etc. can become a real pain. When we realized that we could slow down our pace and enjoy what was around us, we became hooked on that way of travelling.

As we prepare for our next adventure, we decided to draw up a list of destinations that we would like to see. We booked our first hotel at the arrival destination to acclimatize to the new time zone, and we will take-it from there. Once we feel that we have taken in as much as we could from that area, only then will we move on. And if we encounter Paradise on Earth, we will stay as long as possible. Why would one consider leaving paradise?

“This is not for me, I’m too old for this...”

And just in case you are thinking… this is not for me, I’m too old for this kind of thing, know that I am in my late 50’ and there is no way on earth that you’ll see me in an all-inclusive resort, not that there’s anything wrong with that! Don’t get me wrong though. If you can only afford one-week vacation and that you need a total rest, to pull the plug, sort of speech, a resort on the beach might be exactly what the doctor’s ordered. But do consider the above. And if you need ANY information on this or anything else about our travels, please feel free to contact us at info@flyingsardines.com. It will be our pleasure to give you further advice.

Take the time to make the time. I am convinced you’ll enjoy every bit of it.

We use different websites and phone apps for our hotel, hostels, homestay, apartment or house reservations. Very convenient and often cheaper than in person at the location. By clicking on the icons below, you’ll get a discount on your next booking and at the same time, we will also receive a discount of our own.

WHAT A DEAL, NO?