The slowest journey. The magic of slow travel: how it can affect the quality of your holiday. Best Slow Travel Destinations

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, most people, returning from a trip, need rest. Ironic, isn't it? It is supposed that the trip should renew us, restore strength after hard months of work, and recharge us with energy, but everything happens exactly the opposite. The intense pace that we set for ourselves in the hope of seeing everything is very tiring. Moreover, it leaves us depressed, sometimes even disappointed.

Imagine that instead group tour by tourist places and accommodation in chain hotels you are relaxing in the wilderness of Provence or Tuscany. In the morning, you get enough sleep and then walk to the nearest market to buy local products and drink a cup of aromatic coffee in a colorful establishment. Every day you visit nearby surroundings, walk not along roads, but along paths, communicate not with tourists, but with local residents. You do not try to visit all the attractions in the area - you slowly explore them at your own pace, for your own pleasure. This is the magic of slow travel.

You won't believe how many interesting things you can learn without too much fuss. It's also an incredibly powerful way to truly experience the local culture and create lasting memories. This is essentially the meaning of slow travel. This is not just a style of travel, it is an entire philosophy based on complete immersion in the culture of an unfamiliar country. Moreover, simply being relaxed is not enough. Slow travel has its own principles.

Quality, not quantity

This is one of the most important principles of slow travel. In pursuit of visiting as many as possible more countries in fact, we only get stamps in our passports, missing out on all the interesting things. By focusing on one country, you can get a feel for the local atmosphere, get to know the local people, and realize how different we are from each other.

Minimum planning

Try to outline only contours and directions for your next trip. Find out prices and rules for using public transport, as well as the location of the center. Do everything else as you go. Like an artist, apply the main strokes to a blank canvas, and paint the “picture” itself while traveling.

Local apartments instead of hotels

With development AirBnb service Staying in a local apartment is now easier than ever. And instead of a standard hotel room, we get a colorful home, imbued with the atmosphere and culture of the city we are interested in. For longer stays you can often get a discount, and from an environmental point of view this option is better! Moreover, it is not necessary to rent an entire apartment; you can limit yourself to a room in the house. If found a good option, then there will be an opportunity to chat with the owners, try everyday familiar dishes and learn about what life is like from their point of view.

Time for "doing nothing"

For some, doing nothing is manna from heaven, for others it is real torture! If you fall into the latter category, we encourage you to consciously schedule “nothing” time into your travel calendar. Don't worry about being bored. Doing nothing in a new place is the fastest route to adventure you'll ever find.

Learn new things

Slow travel gives you the opportunity to enjoy the spiritual riches of the country, so don’t be afraid to say “yes” to new experiences. Culinary master classes local cuisine, traditional crafts, opera, festivals - all these are opportunities to learn something new. Immersing yourself in local flavor will make your trip truly unique and personal.

Chat with locals

Contemplating the amazing architecture and surrounding beauty is an indispensable attribute of any trip. However, to get to know the true soul of the country, you should get to know the locals better. Ask for their recommendations. What will they do on weekends? Where do you usually go for dinner? Advice from bloggers who have spent several days in the city will never compare with the experience of people who have lived there.

Use “slow” transport

Arriving at tourist place, try to use buses or trams. This way you will learn a lot more and won’t be distracted by the road. The ideal solution would be to rent a bicycle. Two-wheeled transport will allow you to perfectly explore both small European city, and a small island somewhere in Asia. If you need to often travel outside the city, you can rent a car, but let these trips be leisurely and with mandatory stops.

Travel in the off-season

In the off-season tourist cities feel completely different. If you wander through St. Mark's Square on a hot summer afternoon, you will find it difficult to push through the crowd. You'll have to put in a lot of effort dodging selfie sticks and intrusive salespeople. But on a rainy November morning, the square will seem completely different, and you can enjoy the charm of the great city without any fuss. Pigeons flying overhead, building spiers visible in the morning fog, a unique, slightly damp smell. They will leave indelible impressions and will forever be etched in your memory as some of the most amazing moments.

Save

Usually slow travel means a longer vacation. This means that we are subconsciously preparing to spend less. When compared, a month of “slow” travel costs about the same as a week-long tour of several European cities. In a relaxed state, we are not so susceptible to impulsive purchases and unnecessary spending. And expensive excursions and taxis are replaced by luxurious walks and communication with people.

Take your time

It is impossible to see everything in one trip; not even all locals can boast of this. So relax and enjoy the moment. Enjoy the thought that you don't have to run anywhere, that you are in the right place at the right time. After all, this is your holiday. Your break from the hustle and bustle Everyday life and the opportunity to experience something new.

Photo: @amberlyvalentine, audreyrivet.squarespace.com

The main condition for slow tourism is to relax without haste: travel on your own two feet, on a bicycle, on horses or donkeys; live in a tent, houseboat or on farms; get acquainted with local culture, customs, buy products and souvenirs “0 km” (grown and produced locally, not Crimean avocados with quinoa or Chinese magnets from all over the world). A tourist is no longer a tourist, but a traveler.

Nothing, of course, is new under the moon of vacation: it’s not like walking, leisurely tourism with a backpack on your back was invented yesterday. But since travel around the world became available not only to representatives of the very top of the social pyramid, the race “around the world in 80 days” has ceased to be interesting, and the traveler begins to choose not the most expensive, but something that brings both pleasure and benefit.

The same thing happened with plastic bags: as a child, I had to go shopping with my grandmother’s string bag, then plastic bags appeared in supermarkets, and grandmother’s handbags disappeared as unnecessary. But twenty years passed - and cellophane bags became an attribute of philistinism, and then of irresponsibility, environmentalists sounded the alarm. It turned out that grandma knew a lot about eco-shopping, and canvas bags can be quite a fashionable accessory.

Comparing mass tourism with a threat to the Earth might be an exaggeration, but no: the uncontrolled flow of travelers really affects the world’s cultural heritage, local residents, flora and fauna; in the process of building the next giant hotel or amusement park, ecosystems are destroyed, water bodies are polluted, etc. .

One of the goals of slow travel is an environmentally friendly vacation, but it still should not be confused with ecotourism. The main goal of a slow trip is knowledge, calm, abandonment of the usual frantic rhythms.

From food to travel: how to slow down properly

The first slow movement originated in one of the most leisurely countries in Europe - the cradle of the Dolce Vita, Italy.

In 1986, Carlo Petrini founded the cultural association Arci Gola (Arci is the abbreviation of the cultural association, Gola) in the small town of Bra - « throat" or "gluttony"), opposed to the fast food system. The goal of this movement was to preserve local enogastronomic traditions, revive unique, endangered products, stop intensive and monocultural agriculture, preserve biodiversity and create catering establishments with a slow food philosophy. In them, visitors do not throw a plastic cheeseburger into themselves while running, but enjoy healthy food and dishes prepared according to local traditional recipes.

Together withslow food In Italy, movimento slow was born, “Slow Movement”, calling for taking your time, living calmer and more consciously. Slowly they began to be born different directions slow philosophy: in 1999, the “Slow City” was born in Italy, cittaslow ; wanted to become slow andthe science , Andupbringing , and reading, and aging, and - not least - vacation.

So it is not surprising that the leisurely style of travel received the widest response precisely on the Apennine Peninsula. 2019 declared the year of slow tourism in Italy: Ministry cultural heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism Italy has launched a portal with a map of the main routes of slow travelers.

The atlas contained only those trails that correspond to the wholeseries of criteria: for example, they must be safe, under the control of human rights authorities, be paved with a maximum of 40%, and places with food and overnight accommodation must be located no further than five kilometers from the road.

The map also shows bicycle paths between cities, the most interesting towns, sites included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list, historical cemeteries and many other interesting sights.

Another Italian site - genteinviaggio.it - published 10 commandments of a slow tourist, which quickly became immutable rules on all portals on the topic:

Choose rural tourism, eco-hotels or scattered hotels.

Avoid or overly popular places.

Travel by bicycle, eco-mobile, or horse.

Wherever you are, clean up after yourself and recycle your trash properly.

Don't use plastic utensils.

Learn the local culture. Learn a few words of the local language and tradition.

Adapt to any situation.

Buy only local products to boost the economy of your host region, organic products or clothes made from natural materials.

Don't harm native animals or purchase endangered animals.

And finally, the good old one:

Smile!

Is there slow tourism in Russia?

In Russia, slow tourism is gradually developing in last years, but rather weakly and unevenly: there is no centralized route security system, no tracking system for travelers and weather conditions, public address systems or sports camps.

The number of people choosing this type of recreation can only be judged by the statistics of accommodation in collective sports facilities (for example, those left after the Olympic Games): according to Rosstat, in the first nine months of 2017, 36.8 million Russian citizens were accommodated, for the same period in 2018 year - 41.6 million. There is no rating among the regions of the Russian Federation.

Slow tourism in Europe: in the footsteps of Italian pilgrims

In Europe, slow tourism is developing much more actively, but also not everywhere. The most developed areas are those that have long been trodden by pilgrims. Spiritual tourism and religious sites have begun to attract not only religious adherents, but also connoisseurs of trekking, cultural heritage and historical monuments.

On many routes there are associations whose tasks include monitoring security, cleaning, providing first aid and transporting travelers' luggage from yesterday's overnight stop to today.

One of the most famous religious routes in Europe is the Frankish Road from Canterbury to Rome.

According to the latest study by Touring Club Italia, already in 2015, only 10% of pilgrims traveling on the trail were motivated by religious reasons, the remaining 90% made this journey for completely different purposes. For example, 25% walked for the sake of cultural values, 17% just wanted to try a different vacation format. Three quarters of the vacationers walked, the rest rode bicycles.

The average duration of the entire journey is 80 days. However, it is rare that a tourist completes it entirely: many limit themselves to short sections of the journey (the average duration of the journey is 10 days), bearing in mind that the main goal of their trip is relaxation, and not overcoming any obstacles at any cost.

Whether you came for religious purposes or not, do not forget to first obtain (apply via the Internet or ask at the tourism office) your pilgrim’s passport ( la credenziale in Italian, also known as la credencial, or lacreanciale) and receive significant discounts with it at places of accommodation, catering and transport companies when you get ready to return home.

The Way of Saint James: through France, Spain and Portugal

The slow travel atlas is not limited to Italy, of course. Religious sites in France attract about 51 million visitors every year. About 327 thousand travelers walked the Way of St. James in 2018, which begins in the south of France or Portugal (there are several routes), and the main part of it passes through Spain.

Apparently, pilgrims prefer this route to the Way of the Franks: only 10% of visitors traveled the Way of St. James for exclusively cultural and not religious purposes.

Offers of slow and contemplative tourism and various eco-destinations can be found in any country, you just need to make a request in a search engine, but the most information will be on Italy, Spain and France, which is not surprising: these three are firmly entrenched in leading positions in the lists of the most popular countries in the world.

Slow means of transportation: legs and bicycles

The usual means of transportation for slow travelers is on foot. Judging by the statistics of different routes, approximately 89% of tourists in 2018 traveled on foot. Many people make their own routes, pack their backpacks and download apps to their smartphones with GPS sensors, but if you are not a very experienced slow traveler, you may not take into account the different important nuances, and it would be easier and safer to join an organized group.

The number of tourists choosing a bicycle is an order of magnitude smaller: a two-wheeled friend is still not only a means of transportation, but also a luxury. Equipment and bicycle accessories cost money, and not everyone can cope with a vehicle breakdown in hiking conditions. At the same time, a bicycle is more dangerous than legs, and more cumbersome - if a tourist decides to change the route and travel part of the way, say, by hitchhiking, this can be an obstacle.

While there is approximately gender equality among pedestrians, the majority among cyclists ismen , women often refuse such a means of transportation, considering it

When I started “exploring the world” through abroad, my first trip was an 8-day tour of Europe. We traveled around 5 countries by bus.

I was able to say whether I liked this trip or not only a week after arriving home. When the “roof” fell into place from the sights seen and kilometers traveled.

The principle: have time to get around and see everything, or, more simply put, galloping across Europe worked 100%.

I don't want to rest like this anymore. Not because everything is fast, fast and a lot, but because you don’t really have time to comprehend and digest one piece of information before a new excursion begins.

Our website will introduce you to a new direction in tourism and type of travel - slow travel. This is a slow and leisurely acquaintance with the traditions and customs of other countries and maximum immersion in a new culture.

And instructions on how to get the most out of your trip and minimize the pace of life.

Has this ever happened to you: you come back from vacation more exhausted and tired than you were before leaving?

Vacationing is stressful: one excursion follows another, you have to have time to see all the palaces and ruins, attractions and waterfalls, and don’t forget to buy souvenirs...

The slow pace of life is becoming increasingly popular and even gaining momentum.

I’ll tell you a secret: not all people live by the principles “...faster, higher, stronger...”.

Work after work and on weekends, depend on your smartphone, social networks and the Internet...get everything done yesterday.

I don’t want to stop, look at the beautiful cumulus clouds and figure out, like in childhood, who they look like...? Spend a day or a week with your family in nature, in the forest or by the sea?

This is what the slow movement offers: to live today and now, to solve issues without the all-knowing Google, to make decisions as your heart and experience tell you.

The magic of slow travel is when the emphasis is not on excursions, but on leisurely trips around the country.

Life will slow down (at least for a week) in a small rural cottage, you will love going to the local farmers market for groceries, getting to know your neighbors and allowing yourself trips to nearby cities (for a day). Stress will disappear and your budget will not suffer.

You can travel slowly: over several years or over two weekends

How did this direction in tourism appear?

In Italy, in the 1980s, a protest began against the opening of the McDonald's chain in Rome. Slow food was opposed to fast food. Family leisurely meetings in cafes and pizzerias, the traditional way of life of Italians defended their right to exist.

Slow travel means renting a small cabin for a few days or a week and exploring the area by car or on foot. Cycling through nearby villages on dirt country roads, avoiding highways and highways.

Slow movement

The S low movement has spread to all areas of life, not just leisurely eating. S low art - means meditative immersion in art. Contemplating works slowly, as an alternative to running around exhibitions. S low media is the opposite of the social networks Facebook and Instagram, where information is absorbed and released at a rapid pace, real and every second updated.

Best places for slow travel

Europe is the most popular place for such trips. Renting a car and housing is developed and available to everyone, public transport works without failures, historical sights at every step, English language understood everywhere.

Slow travel is not for everyone

How to plan a slow travel

Renting an apartment is more economical than a hotel for more long stay. You must reserve accommodation in advance.

This can be done on the following sites:

Airbnb
HomeAway
TripAdvisor

There is a practice of exchanging houses. This is an alternative for long-term living in another country. You can agree to rent a car from your exchange partner. The most popular site for this is HomeExchange.com.

You can view profitable housing options right now.

Food is also “slow”

Find local markets and try the cuisine of the town where you went.

A small bakery nearby will delight you with fresh catch and aromatic pastries for breakfast...

Slow travel is not for everyone

If you are used to living in a rhythm, in a hurry to travel around all the countries of the world and are charged with tireless energy, then this type of tourism may seem boring.

If this is your only trip to Italy or, then you should think carefully about what is more important: to merge with the culture and local people or to see as many sights as possible.

You can travel slowly over several years systematically, or over two weekends. The main thing is to change your attitude towards rest.

Doing less rather than more is the first step to Slow travel, especially if time is short.

This is also interesting:

How not to forget things at home - a list of urgent things to do What to take with you on vacation or pack the right suitcase 8 useful things for traveling comfortably

Tired and sleep-deprived, but checked in everywhere. Like!
Scrolling through my friend’s feed, I notice that most friends travel more often, but shorter and more intense. The pace of life is accelerating, and the list of desires is increasingly at odds with possibilities... Arriving in Paris, the average traveler tries to see all the museums, stand in line for the Eiffel Tower, and in the evening with difficulty crawl to Montmartre... And all this is because we have forgotten how to travel slowly, the list of points to visit is too long in relation to a unit of time.

I realized a long time ago that there is no point in trying to embrace the immensity if there is little time (and there is never too much of it!). You need to learn to capture moments, remember them, feel them. You shouldn’t chase a huge list of places, you should just visit a few points and return to this place again. For example, in the same Paris, I will remember for the rest of my life a bottle of brut for two with a friend at the Eiffel Tower and spending the night without a roof over my head due to the fact that I did not have time to go to the storage room to get my things (because of this very bottle of brut) . And on Eiffel Tower I’ve been twice or thrice already, and I’ve been to Paris many times since then.

Capture the moments.
Do this without haste, without being distracted by the logistics and nuances of travel.
TRAVEL SLOWLY.

Well, you know how much I love Bavaria, I return there again and again for many years in a row. Today I want to tell you how I went before Christmas and plunged into a real fairy tale...

At Munich airport I rented a wonderful BMW X1 from Sixt. After all, only a car gives freedom and saves time, how many times have I said this over and over again... Even in such an ideal country from the point of view of transport infrastructure as Germany, you can not be distracted by transport if you take a car. And if you are with your family, then any doubts will disappear by themselves.

If you analyze, more than half of my car rental episodes over the past 6-7 years are Sixt. In Europe, Israel, USA. Many rightly note that Sixt- it is expensive. More often Sixt really not the best cheap option, but this is a guarantee of no headaches at all stages from booking to delivery of the car. And even in case of technical problems, everything will go almost unnoticed by the client. I checked it for myself - Sixt in Bavaria I replaced a car within a few hours while traveling, by the way, also in Bavaria. Read it if you missed it.

But I digress, this year I made friends with Sixt and now I will talk more often about how to rent a car, especially if this is your first experience. It would seem that in the era of the Internet, what could be easier than booking something online, but in practice it turns out that many find it difficult to perform even a simple action related to finances and credit card online.

If you are new...

Make a call to the company's call center. Chat in Russian with the operator, ask about the nuances, book a car by phone.
- Is something unclear on the site? Call the call center, the operator will help you make a reservation on the website, answer questions, and suggest something useful.

If you are a pro...

Call the operator, comparing the price in different places, it is quite possible that this booking channel, which is unusual for you, will ultimately turn out to be the most profitable. Without prices, dates and specifics, the cost of car rental is one of the most variable values depending on the booking channel, time of year and specific dates.

All my reports about Car Rental are collected by tag.

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