10 Benefits of Slow Travel
Slow travel is a leisurely alternative to modern transportation. Instead of sticking to strict timelines for arrival and departure, traveling at a slower pace allows you to wander and explore your surroundings. Whether that means an off-road hike or a detour to a neighborhood restaurant, slow travel is a great way to connect with new places.
This laid-back form of transportation allows you to travel at a more relaxed pace, without the traditional stress of a full travel day. You can connect with nature, discover hidden gems, and build relationships with local vendors.
1. Cultural Immersion
Slow travel is a great way to immerse yourself in new cultures. You can engage with people who might have different customs and traditions than your own. This provides a fresh perspective and encourages empathy for others.
Cultural immersion might look like staying at a boutique bed and breakfast instead of a chain hotel. This allows you to interact with other travelers and learn more about their experiences. It could also mean participating in local cultural festivals to experience native foods, traditions, and customs.
Cultural immersion helps break preconceived notions about the people you meet. Instead, you’ll develop a deeper appreciation for global diversity and different ways of life.
2. Development of Self-Sufficiency
Slow travel can also make you more self-sufficient. As you come across obstacles and challenges, you’ll learn to rely on your own instincts. For example, you might meet people from other countries, who speak different languages, while traveling. Despite the language barrier, you can use technology and sign language to communicate with them.
Over time, overcoming travel-related challenges helps you become more resourceful and independent. It also helps you adapt when plans change unexpectedly. Whether you come across a closed road or harsh weather, slow travel allows you the time to work through the problems you face.
3. Sustainability
Unlike fast forms of travel, where people hop in a car or airplane, slow travel allows you to take more sustainable forms of transportation. You can opt to travel by bike or foot instead of by car. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by using public transportation.
With more time to plan your trip, you can sometimes eliminate carbon emissions altogether. With more time to prepare meals, for example, you can save on the environmental cost of eating out. You won’t need to travel to a restaurant or create waste associated with takeout items.
In the short term, prioritizing sustainability means you might spend more time on a bike than you will on a plane, to reduce carbon emissions. In the long-term, your commitment to sustainability helps reduce your carbon footprint and improves your health.
4. Stress Relief
Stress is a common byproduct of travel. Between trip preparation, airport security, and itinerary changes, travel sometimes feels like more of a hassle than it’s worth. Traditional travel can also make people feel rushed, particularly when you feel like you don’t have enough time for an experience.
By contrast, slow travel creates stress relief at every turn. You’ll have more time to make decisions, explore new places, and meet new people — without worrying about the next item on your agenda. This preserves travel as a fun activity.
Saving yourself from stress can have serious benefits for your long-term well-being. Chronic stress can seriously impact your health, raising your blood pressure and heart rate above normal levels. It can also lead to depression and changes in mood. Slow travel helps you avoid these long-term effects.
5. Community Connection
Creating meaningful connections with people is one of the best aspects of slow travel. You’ll have time to speak with locals, learn about their customs, and develop respect for their way of life. You can even participate in local activities that teach you more about the community and its values.
When visiting a new place, show genuine interest in their culture — even if it’s different from your own. Visit community events and allow local residents to teach you new activities. It’s also important to practice cultural sensitivity, by respecting local traditions and staying mindful of how your actions might affect the rest of the community.
Connecting with your community allows you to experience the best that an area offers. For example, you can help prevent certain destinations from over-tourism, by investing in destinations that most people never see. When you spend enough time exploring a community, you also get the chance to meet new people and form long-lasting friendships.
6. Time To Explore and Enjoy
Slow travel gives you more time to enjoy your surroundings. You can immerse yourself in your surroundings without feeling rushed. You’ll have more than enough time to explore, whether you’re in the middle of a tranquil forest or a bustling city.
Without strict travel deadlines, there’s no pressure to be in a certain place at a certain time. Instead, you can take your time discovering new attractions in an area. If you come across a place you want to explore, you can change your travel plans and stay as long as you like.
7. Reduction of Travel Fatigue
Travel fatigue is a condition caused by the stress of your travel plans. You might experience travel fatigue after a rough plane ride, a long day in the car, or a lack of sleep. There are many ways to cause travel fatigue, but the symptoms are the same: headaches, exhaustion, sleep problems, and irritability that compromise your mood.
More than 25% of people experience some form of travel fatigue. Slow travel can help relieve travel fatigue by aligning your sleep habits with the local community. Your leisurely pace also won’t cause the same level of physical exhaustion or general tiredness.
8. Cost Reduction
When you have more time on your hands, you won’t need to travel strictly by airplane. This allows you to use more leisurely forms of transportation like an RV, which helps relieve stress and promote cost savings.
For example, one study found that a family of four can save up to 60% of their travel costs by using an RV, compared to a family paying for air travel and hotel accommodations. The same study found that a two-person party can save up to 47% on the same costs.
In the short term, reducing travel costs preserves more money for local experiences like restaurants. Over time, saving money with RV travel helps preserve your bank account and your long-term financial future.
9. Flexibility
One major concern people have while traveling is storage space. Even with a checked bag on an airplane, it can be difficult to pack everything you might need for a trip.
Slow travel, particularly by RV, helps alleviate that concern. RV storage and boat storage options help keep your vehicles and travel equipment safe when you’re not using them. More secure than a home storage option, these facilities provide peace of mind, onsite amenities, and assistance for any maintenance concerns.
10. Safety
Time is often in short supply when flying by airplane. You need to make quick decisions, sometimes with little time for planning. On the other hand, slow travel affords you the opportunity to plan out each new stage of your journey. For example, you can map out new RV destinations and book campsites well in advance. You’ll also be able to take your time while driving, one of the best ways to ensure a safe trip.
Slow travel provides the chance to unwind and immerse yourself in a new community. If you’re looking for a way to reduce travel fatigue and your carbon footprint, give leisurely slow travel a try.