How To Travel Slowly and Savor Every Moment
The pressure to check every single thing off our bucket list can cause a bad side effect: not being present during those bucket list ticking off days! And flying through those moments trying to get as many “checked off” as possible isn’t allowing you to really soak in those incredible travel moments.
Which is why today we are going to take some time and have an important conversation about how to travel slowly and savor every moment!
My goal with this article is to help you find actionable steps that will work for you. Not every step below will work for every person but hopefully some will! I have tried these all and will give you my genuine thoughts so we can continue on this slow travel journey together. So let’s get into it!
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How To Travel Slowly and Savor Every Moment
Guide to slower travel:
Tip 1: Keep space for spontaneity in your itinerary
Okay let’s clear something up right now- I am the queen of travel itineraries. I love to have plans and ideas already organized to help relieve sone of the stresses and anxiety that comes with traveling. Especially on a larger and longer trip.
But there is a healthy middle ground between bering organized and being overly planned to the point there isn’t wiggle room!
And chances are if you are reading this you probably relate more to the latter.
So let’s chat about how to leave space for those experiences that you can’t plan for!
- Don’t pack your itinerary so full that there isn’t room for spontaneous things – like walking past a one of a kind store that you will fully regret stopping into.
- Figure out logistics in advance. If you aren’t struggling to figure out how to get a cab that will leave more time during your travels to be in the moment and embrace the experiences around you.
- Come up with some calming affirmations if you are a type A person like me to remind yourself to be in the moment even with things come up and things stray from your plans!
Tip 2: Immerse yourself in the culture
Traveling slowly goes hand in hand with embracing the local culture and experiencing everything that your destination has to offer.
Ideas for skipping the tourist traps and immersing yourself in the beautiful local culture around you:
- Go to a local grocery store or market! The locals fish market in Athens Greece is still one of my favorite memories from the city. So much vibrancy and genuine connections happening. And feeling that helped me take a breather and stop worrying about dinner reservations and instead embrace the sounds, smells, and chaos (and I love some chaos guys!).
- Take local public transit. For those of us that are accustomed to public transit this probably seems obvious but for the majority of Americans we don’t get to take public transit often but it is a huge part of a lot of countries that we Americans tend to love to visit. So embrace where you are and hop on the local train!
- Go to events for locals! A small version of this is once my husband and I went to a tiny local stand up comedy show in Boston and it was so much fun. No pressure to “impress” or “entertain” tourists so you get a more genuine experience. And it’s so much easier to meet locals and chat with people!
Want more tips on avoiding tourist traps? I have you covered here: Essential Tips For Avoiding Tourist Traps!
Tip 3: Focus on quality over quantity
We’re going to circle back here to what we talked about at the beginning- the pressure to check off as many cities/countries/destinations is strong.
It’s not just coming from social media though I do believe social media has made this pressure a lot worse (though it has made other elements of travel so much better!). But as a whole we feel pressure to GO GO GO and just check them off the list of must-sees.
But when we approach travel like that we don’t get to really spend quality time in the locations and getting to know them. So approach your next trip with a mindset focused on quality experiences rather than going to as many landmarks as possible.
Tip 4: Make the travel days slower + scenic
When I say travel days I mean the days where you are physically traveling between destinations. And while those are typically the worst days of travel with the most complications they can also be a hidden blessing. Especially when you are trying to slow down!
Opt to take a train instead of a plane. Or a local ferry instead of a high speed jet style one.
Slow down during the travel and take a look around. Some of the most incredible things you will ever see while traveling happen when you aren’t looking for them.
Tip 5: Opt for more walking
You see so many more details, you engage all of your senses, you allow yourself to peak in places and stop by anything interesting that catches your eye. It may not be the fastest or most efficient way to get around but walking can open your eyes to new experiences while traveling.
And if slowing down and being intentional is a goal for you when traveling then give it a shot. Just make sure to wear comfy shoes and socks! Seriously don’t bring thin socks to save space, get quality ones instead to save your feet. I swear by Feetures!
Tip 6: Be intentional about documenting your travels
Documenting your travels is an amazing way to remember and look back on fond memories.
But with the social media pressures in our society it can be easy to fall into a trap that you have to be recording and taking pictures constantly.
If that resonates with you I recommend trying to slow it down a bit and focus on documenting travels in ways that you want to look back at not just to put on the internet. Also- if you really want to help with this intentional travel journey try starting a nightly travel journal to document your days.
Tip 7: Pack light!!
Hauling around luggage, figuring out how to get between locations with it, etc can suck up so much time and more importantly energy while traveling.
Save yourself the work and help yourself travel slower moving forward by packing lighter. For some of us (myself included) that might sound like a nightmare but after the first long trip I got down to a carry on and a backpack well I have never gone back! It’s so freeing to not be literally weighed down with heavy bags while traveling.
Bonus of doing this is that your partner can haul both bags around easily so you can have two free hands for exploring and taking pictures of your sweet man!
Tip 8: Plan for more time per city/location
This is one that has taken me a long time to embrace but I have found travel even more fulfilling after changing our trip planning style to more time in a location.
It allows you to not just see the main tourist spots but to spend time exploring and seeing so much more. It also cuts down on time spent traveling between locations!
Korra the Explorer
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