016. Slow Travel: What is Slow Travel

Episode 016 - Slow Travel: What is Slow Travel?

Slow Travel is an approach to travel that prioritizes connection: to local people, cultures, food, music, languages, and vibe. Slow Travel relies on the belief that a trip is meant to educate and have a long-lasting emotional impact while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment. ‍

 Slow Travel ensures that you not only get the most benefit, but the local people and the world around you do too. Because you’ll have stories to share with your family, friends, and coworkers about the people you met in addition to the sights that you saw. And they might want to repeat what you did.

There are three types of slow travelers.

1. There are those who try to slow down as much as possible.  

2. There are those who focus more on the destination they’re visiting.  

3. There are those who choose to stay for a while.  

There are four good reasons why you should adopt slow travel now

 1. You get to relax and recharge

 2. You empower the local economy

3. You leave a positive footprint

4. You become part of the local life

 Why slow travel is the best?

You get to take your time, adopt a relaxed mindset, connect with the local people, try traditional foods, discover local traditions, go off-the-beaten-path, find unique memories, enjoy the unexpected, and transform a simple vacation into a life-changing experience.

The Slow Traveling Soul Sister podcast is sponsored and hosted by SelfishMe Travel. 

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Episode Transcript

Danielle (00:15):
Hey, this is Danny Lou coming at you with a slow
traveling soul sister podcast,travel, nourishes the soul and
broadens the mind.
But solo travel, freeze ourimagination and build our
confidence.
Hashtag go see do eight.
In this episode, I discuss themeaning of slow trout.

(01:26):
What is slow trout.
Slow travel is an approach totravel.
That prioritizes connectionconnection to the people,
cultures, food, music,languages, and vibe, slow travel
relies on the belief that a tripis meant to educate and have a
long lasting emotional impactwhile remaining sustainable for

(01:50):
local communities and theenvironment.
Slow travel ensures that you notonly get the most.
But the local people in theworld around you do too, because
you have stories to share withfamily, friends, and coworkers
about the people you met inaddition to the sites that you
saw, and they might want torepeat what you did.

(02:13):
There are three types of slowtravelers.
One, there are those who try toslow down as much as possible.
They choose slower means oftransportation.
Simple.
Preferring a train over a plane,a bike, or a scooter to a car or
bus by slowing down theirjourney.
They get in closer contact withthe locals and a deeper feeling

(02:36):
of the places that they'reactually traveling through.
Second type of slow traveler arethose who focus more on the
destination they're visiting.
They visit one place for anentire week or more.
They choose to stay in aboutique hotel that serves me to
order breakfast instead of achain hotel with a buffet.

(03:00):
And they try not to cram theirentire bucket list into one trip
by running to all the musclesand must do's of the area, but
just simply schedule a fewthings instead and leave some
room for downtime forthemselves, and to just wander
around where they are, the thirdtype of slow travel.

(03:22):
Are those who choose to stay fora while.
They settled down for severalweeks or months, rent an
apartment or house, go to thelocal grocers and markets, walk
around the neighborhood andspeak to the neighbors, immerse
themselves in the culture andthe language.
Learn about their surroundings,participate in local gatherings

(03:43):
and go about their daily lives,et cetera, as if they were back.
There are four good reasons whyyou should adopt slow travel.
Now you get to relax andrecharge.
Have you had enough of thosetrips that leave you more tired
than you were before takingthem?
When you need a vacation fromyour vacation?

(04:05):
It has now been proven byseveral studies that travel can
have long lasting effects on ourhealth by lowering our stress
levels by slowing down.
Slow travel allows you to relax.
We connect with yourself andfinally get some real time off
doing anything or nothing at allin a different place other than

(04:26):
your home.
And that is a crucial step toreenergize yourself, to be able
to get back to your dailyroutine on your return.
Number two, you empower thelocal economy.
When you go slow, you go.
Okay.
Free yourself from the bigmultinational hotel chains and

(04:46):
discover small local family runbusinesses by staying in just
one area.
It helps to reduce your travelcosts as well.
While at the same time,contributes to the community and
wandering around and chattingwith the locals.
You can easily find localbusinesses for your every need

(05:07):
or wish and even some hidden.
Number three, you leave apositive footprint.
The slower, the mode oftransportation, the greener it
is walking, cycling, riding atrain, a bus, a car taking the
plane speed seems to be directlylinked to pollution.

(05:31):
The faster, more powerfulmethods require the most fuel
and leave a disgustingexhausted.
Therefore the slower you travel,the less you pollute.
Number four, you become part ofthe local life.
Making a conscious decision toslow down.
The pace of your travel createsa bigger connection with the

(05:52):
local cultures of the place youtraveled to.
It could be for a well-deservedsabbatical or to take a long
break from the winter weather,or to take your job with you as
a digital note.
Why slow travel is the best youget to take your time.
Adopt a relaxed mindset connectwith the local people.

(06:16):
Try traditional foods, discoverlocal traditions.
Go off the beaten path.
Find unique memories.
Enjoy the unexpected andtransform a simple vacation into
a life-changing experience.
You can't be a queen if you'venever been.
And that means that you shouldknow and be curious about

(06:37):
different cultures andlifestyles.
It truly bothers me when peoplesay they've been to Mexico or
the Caribbean, but in truth,they've only been to the
all-inclusive resorts there andmaybe took a few tours.
I can't help myself when I tellthem that they haven't really
been to those countries areislands at all, just a

(06:58):
homogenized, Americanized,westernized version to make them
feel.
That lines, the pockets ofresorts management companies and
builders, but contributes verylittle to the local economy in
comparison, travel, nourishesthe soul and should increase
your empathy towards others.

(07:19):
But only if you go with an openmind and are willing to step out
of your comfort.
If you've only ever encounteredlocals employed by large
corporations to take care of aguest, every whim.
And if you barely know theirnames, other than the bartenders
cringed at their lack of Englishor haven't fumbled over their
language to better communicateand begrudgingly gave them a tip

(07:42):
or not at the end of your stay,then you haven't really traveled
anywhere.
Be the queen that embracesdifferences practices.
Wants to connect on a deeperlevel, tries new things, cares
for the environment and thirstfor any and all opportunities to
slow travel and whatever formelsewhere in the world.

(08:04):
I've had several friends thathave tried slow travel since I
began doing it and more whohoped to follow through in a few
years, be the queen who doesthings first, the leader, the
guide, the change maker.