The Art of Slow Travel
Slow travel isn’t about moving at a snail’s pace – it’s about traveling with intention. It’s not measured in miles or ticks checked off on a list of must-sees, but in meaningful moments and deeper connections. In a world obsessed with speed, instant gratification, and “seeing it all,” slow travel invites us to pause, breathe, and engage with the world differently. It’s the antidote to rushed itineraries, airport stress, and overpacked bucket lists.
Rather than racing through ten cities in two weeks, slow travellers choose to immerse themselves in a single destination—or just a few—taking the time to truly understand a place. That means staying in a local neighbourhood instead of a resort, shopping at farmers markets instead of souvenir stands, and sharing conversations with residents instead of just snapping photos of them.
Slow travel is about being somewhere, not just going there.
By staying longer and moving less, you naturally reduce your carbon footprint. Fewer flights, fewer intercity transports, and less reliance on fast travel options mean lower emissions and less environmental strain. Instead of contributing to the growing stress on over-touristed hotspots, slow travellers often explore less-visited areas, spreading the benefits of tourism more evenly and sustainably.
But the advantages of slow travel go far beyond the ecological. You also avoid the burnout that so often accompanies whirlwind trips. You give yourself space to rest, reflect, and absorb your surroundings—not just skim the surface. You might stumble upon a hidden café that becomes part of your morning ritual, get invited to a local festival, or forge genuine friendships. These aren’t things you find in a travel guide – they’re rewards for being present.
Economically, slow travel also has a positive impact. By staying longer, you contribute more steadily to the local economy. You’re more likely to dine at neighbourhood restaurants, support small businesses, and use locally owned accommodations. Your money stays in the community, rather than being funnelled into large multinational chains that dominate the high-speed tourism industry.
Slow travel also encourages a shift in mindset—from consuming a destination to connecting with it. It invites you to ask questions like: What’s life like here? What stories does this place hold? How can I engage respectfully with its people and traditions?
Instead of collecting places like trophies, you begin to develop relationships with them. You become more than a visitor—you become a temporary participant in the life of the place.
This approach also offers an opportunity to better understand yourself. With more time and fewer distractions, slow travel opens space for reflection. You may find that your favourite moments weren’t the ones on your itinerary, but the spontaneous ones: a quiet morning watching the sunrise, a heartfelt conversation in broken language, or a shared meal with new friends.
In a world where travel is often marketed as a race to see more, faster, bigger – slow travel asks us to redefine what makes a trip meaningful. It’s not how many places you’ve been that matters, but how deeply you’ve known them.
So the next time you’re planning a trip, consider this:
What if you visited fewer places, but experienced them more fully? What if your travel stories weren’t about how many landmarks you saw, but about the friendships you made? What if we stopped collecting destinations – and started connecting with them?
Slow travel isn’t just a trend. It requires a mindset shift, away from consumption, towards connection.
For five slow travel trips, read the rest of this article in The Green Travel Guide newsletter here.
Laura McVeigh is a Northern Irish novelist and travel writer. Her work is widely translated and her latest novel Lenny is set between the desert in Libya and the bayou in Louisiana. She has authored books for Lonely Planet, DK Travel, bylines in the Irish Times, Irish Independent, featured by the BBC, Newsweek, New Internationalist & many more. Former CEO for a global writers’ organisation, working with writers from 145 countries. She is founder of Travel-Writing.Com and Green Travel Guides. Laura writes on storytelling, travel writing and mindful travel on Substack.