"Slow down." This is the simple message of the Slow Movement. In today's high-speed world of fast food, jet planes andinstantcommunication, we are losing touch with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth, says the Slow Movement.
Like ‘slow food' and ‘slow media,' ‘slow travel' is a part of the movement. It's a reclaiming of what has been lost in today's hyper pace of life and travel. It's a state of mind while travelling. It's a personal approach.
Today, to launch a couple of weeks of focus on Slow Travel we've asked the WHL Group staff what their thoughts and experiences with slow travel have been. Their answers were varied yet unified. The common message is simple – when travelling, slow down.
The bamboo railway in Battambang, Cambodia, is a good lesson in slow travel. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner
"To me, slow travel is less about the number of dots on your travel itinerary and more about the quality/size of those dots. I have been travelling the world for around 40 years now, and have lived for periods of between one and five years in places as diverse as Japan, the USA, Vietnam, Austria, Nigeria, Switzerland and the UK.
Living in all these countries taught me a few things. First was that in all cases my first impressions shifted quite significantly as I got to know the people and the country better. This is not so surprising, but what was a little surprising to me was that it usually took a full year (or more) to really start to get under the skin of a place and feel comfortable, getting to a point where I could call a place ‘home.'
Being a better slow traveller required experience in my case. It is a learned skill; it is a life skill, really. I've found that people who are best at slow travel have a lot of empathy, and are decent people (fair, honest generous and considerate). They relate well to others."
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