Why choosing slow travel is the most fulfilling way to discover a place

Loosely characterised as an attempt to embark upon an adventure mindfully and with intention, here’s how you can give slow travel a shot

Several years ago, a friend and I decided we would make a road trip from Goa to Mumbai and stop at beaches along the way. Where we halted would depend on recommendations made by the locals we met. The intention was to discover the Konkan coast in an unhurried manner. At Tarkarli, we spotted dolphins. In Devgad, famous for its mangoes, we walked through a grandmother’s orchard and bought the pickles and papad she had made. In Vijaydurg, we roamed around a 12th-century fort. It was a journey fuelled by the intent of discovery, versus the usual high-speed daze of getting back to Mumbai. It was one of my earliest trysts with slow travel.

“Travellers are increasingly seeing the value of slow travel—of meeting and staying with locals, of going beyond cookie-cutter itineraries, of giving up certain conveniences in favour of more eco- and community-conscious experiences,” says Salil Deshpande, head of editorial content at Condé Nast Traveller India. “The average urban Indian is also far more well-travelled than they were a decade ago, and is more comfortable travelling more mindfully. This last bit is important—while we had a phase, I don’t think we are travelling just for [sharing on] Instagram any longer.”

What is slow travel?

Slow travel can be loosely characterised as an attempt to embark upon an adventure mindfully and with intention. It means to get to know a place—including its people, their history, culture, creative pursuits, culinary habits—beyond just ticking off check-lists. It isn’t bound by budgets or mode of travel—you could plant yourself in one place, backpack across a continent, or take a long train journey. Remember the days when travel planning required time and patience, involved printed guide books, relying on friends for research, and just figuring things out on the go? When the Internet, much less social media, was yet to become a thing? It’s that kind of travel—unhurried and fuelled by curiosity.

“It’s for the type of traveller who wants the lived experience and not that of a tourist,” says Sharon Pinto, a Mumbai-based video content producer who prefers travelling solo and works remotely. It’s quality over quantity, matter over form. “I've lived in Delhi for eight years but I haven't seen the Qutub Minar or the Red Fort. I know a lot of people who haven't,” explains Noida-based Megha Moorthy, editor of digital content platform Roundglass Sustain. “But we know the city in and out: the best places to go for a drink, the greatest places to watch the sunset, all the secret kebab places. That’s how I would like to know any other city—to understand how the people think and  live, what they like to eat, and how they like to go about their daily life.” Mumbai-based Vivek Mathur, an avid slow traveller and creator and director of shows such as MTV Roadies, shares: “I prefer walking around and imbibing a neighbourhood rather than ‘discovering’ ten things in the city I  receive from social media. Some of the best people I’ve met, places I’ve been to, the interactions I've had, have all happened because there was no agenda. I just literally stumbled upon them.”

Slow travel for beginners 

“Start off by doing so in a place where you already have a friend as it will give you a point of reference and someone to fall back on, if need be,” says Pinto “For instance, I started in Sri Lanka where a friend drew up an itinerary of sorts for me—places that locals visit, experiences they prize, the places they prefer eating and drinking at. I used it to plan my first few days and then figured it out as I went along.” If she found a particular neighbourhood in Colombo interesting, Pinto spent more time walking around there. If she liked the food in a particular place, she stayed on to sample more of it. “I decided to live in the moment, and if I then had to drop something else, then so be it. If you are local to a place, you wouldn't be sightseeing or socialising all day—you would have a home to manage, cooking and cleaning to do and, of course, work. Then if you had the time, you would go out and socialise. Slow travel is a bit like that,” adds Pinto. She also  recommends using public transport. “You get to meet interesting people. I remember a conversation I had with a man I sat next to on a bus. He was a small-business owner who told me how pomegranates aren’t grown in Sri Lanka and how he was attempting to do so. It was fascinating,” she says. 

Travel with an open mind

For Mathur, it is important to plan a little and then leave room for discovery. “If you rely solely on technology, you will get the same kind of recommendations everywhere you go. But if you really want to have new experiences, you should just talk to people; the more you ask, the more varied the suggestions will be.” He also thinks if you find a new skill you intend on learning, it might lend a sense of purpose to your travels, thus helping you meet new people and be exposed to new ideas and experiences. “If possible, create a routine. Keep returning to the same café, bar, or store. You will begin to see familiar faces and they will begin to know you—they will share their suggestions of places to go to or things to do, or might invite you to events you otherwise may not hear of,” says Mathur, who sees great value in repeat travel. “If you like a city, keep going back and exploring new neighbourhoods. It then gives me a greater understanding and appreciation of the local culture.”  

Allow room for new interactions 

Another way to facilitate slow travel and organic interactions with people is to choose to stay at homestays over popular hotels. “I choose boutique hotels that are lovingly restored by their owners or homestays that have the owners living in them, fuelling the kind of interaction I want with people,” says Moorthy. “Another thing I cannot recommend enough is to allow yourself some extra time for chance discoveries. For instance, when my partner and I were on a heritage walk while in Prague, we really hit it off with our very sweet Australian guide. After the walk, we continued to hang out with him and his friends, went to a restaurant opening with them, and then to a gig by a band we hadn’t even heard of. It was most memorable,” she adds. Travelling during off or shoulder season is wise as destinations are less crowded. “Tickets to the places you want to visit are discounted and accommodation is cheaper too. The weather may not always be the best, but if you plan intelligently, you could deal with it,” suggests Moorthy.

How can you gain from slow travel?

Challenging yourself

“I had never travelled alone before, so it was unknown territory for me,” says Apoorva Mishra, a Delhi-based pharma consultant whose first solo journey was also her first slow travel experience. It was a six-month-long backpacking trip that took her to Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia. “I had to constantly challenge myself—from holding interactions with other backpackers at hostels to pushing myself into doing things I wouldn’t otherwise try. In Indonesia, I spent ten days in the company of scuba divers, pushing me to try scuba diving. I had to overcome my fears, especially being a non-swimmer, to do it. Another time, I met a group of Europeans attempting to challenge their limits by hiking to Mount Rinjani, an active volcanic site. To challenge myself, I decided to hike with them,” she shares.

Learning more about yourself

“When you’re travelling, most of your learning comes from within,” says Deepak Sachdeva, an NCR-based IT professional and a solo backpacker. His debut slow travel journey was a seven-month backpacking trip across Southeast Asia. “You spend time thinking of what you want to do, realise what gives you pleasure and why. When you’re back home, you reflect on your travels and realise how the people you’ve met and the experiences you’ve had have changed you,” he says.

For Mathur, slow travel has enabled him to decide the kind of trips he wants to take. “If I'm going with my family or friends, I now know if I want to join them for a certain kind of activity or not. It has also helped me segregate and value the time I spend by myself.” 

Changing your world view

Given how slow travel compels you to find delight in the details, Mishra thinks it is a humbling experience. “It makes you appreciate and feel grateful for the smallest aspects of your daily life. As we are conditioned to look forward to just major life events, we tend to lose sight and purpose of the moments that are more meaningful and value-creating than that one big episode,” she shares. . 

Pinto offers a similar perspective, stating, “Whatever notion you may have of how a person from a certain country is, or how they look a certain way, or how they carry themselves a certain way—at the end of the day, they're just human. They have the same hopes, aspirations, and emotions [as you do]. While culturally how it plays out might be different, we all want similar things from life.” 

The bottom line 

Going with the flow might be an important aspect of slow travel but consciously seeking things out or making an effort is equally eye-opening.

“Initially, you might feel a little lonely. The idea of having dinner or lunch by yourself in a restaurant might seem weird, but you will eventually get over it,” says Sachdeva. As we are conditioned to “be productive” even on vacation, “sitting in a café or people-watching in a park may feel like you’ve wasted that day. Remember it is also important to do nothing. The Italians call it 'dolce far niente' or ‘the pleasure of doing nothing’. Learn to enjoy it,” he adds. Most importantly, when you go somewhere, consider that you're not doing them a favour. “Yes, tourism is economics, but you are also influencing and impacting the local culture, so follow and respect their rules. Lastly, remember you are a guest there and behave like one, too,” concludes Sachdeva.

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