Comments on: Why I struggle with slow travel

By: mike

mike — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:41:18 +0000

travel is travel at the end of the day. i think its very 21st century to make these kinds of distinctions.

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:36:55 +0000

Thank you for the kind words Genie You put it very well- we have to find a balance between having all the time in the world to sit forever and chat to anyone and everyone, and the reality of the time we have to travel before we need to return home and earn money, and set our travel speed accordingly. Cuppa and croissant is always a good way to spend time!

By: Genie

Genie — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:50:32 +0000

By the way, thanks for the wonderful post — again! You make a place come alive, not by description but by thought and ponder.

By: Genie

Genie — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:48:48 +0000

I love the open, quiet places that restoreth my soul, but I also love to sit on the sidewalk and people-watch — the more people the better. I agree that ‘slow travel’ simply means taking the time to check out all — and I mean ALL — the nooks and crannies of a city. Towns have fewer crannies to nose out, but they also have people who are more open to ‘hi there! How’sit goin?’. If I had time (and money) I’d spend some in every town I could find on the map until I’d sucked up everything and felt I knew it . . . and then move on. Unfortunately, no one pays me to write about what I see, only what widgets I assemble. So sometimes I do visit shortcuts, i.e. museums, to get a feel for what the locals are proud of. Otherwise, it’s a cuppa and a croissant and watch the human parade.

By: Budget travel ramblings « Budget Travel Intentions

Budget travel ramblings « Budget Travel Intentions — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:35:26 +0000

[...] Why I struggle with slow travel – Andy Jarosz wrote a post this week about why he hates slow travel. His travel involves [...]

By: Cedric

Cedric — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:28:24 +0000

“I must admit to getting most excited about our visits to the least populated places.” I like this bit a lot. When I go to a place for the first time, I tend to be put off when I see a lot of people. It’s selfish I know, but it takes away the atmosphere for taking in and reflecting on the place.

By: Jools Stone

Jools Stone — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:22:41 +0000

Wooly definitions, ha! And what about all these broadsheet travel buzzwords while we’re at it – ‘Staycation’, alright, fair dinkum, but Traincation? Much as I love the concept naturally, that moniker just ain’t working.

On museums (speaking as someone who until recently used to work in cultural heritage) I agree with Mike and have to admit (slightly sheepishly) that aside from the odd quirky one as mentioned above, they’re often the last refuge on a wet afternoon after hotel check out. I generally prefer going to ones closer to home. I heartily recommend Kelvingrove in Glasgow for anyone wandering my way. Up there with the British Museum in my book. (Says he, hastily re-building those press trip bridges!)

By: Mikeachim

Mikeachim — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:01:01 +0000

Yup. As Pam says there, there’s no right way or wrong way. (Surely the only wrong way is not doing any of them).

The term “slow travel” seems to be one of those pieces of string nobody knows the length of. And that’s why it’s useful – because it’s so ill-defined that people disagree, and have to grapple with the subject matter to pitch or alter their own definition.

(Let’s hear it for woolly definitions. They get people riled).

Me? I’ll happily do any kind of travel once. But the thrill of a non-British culture is what calls me abroad, and the more time I spend somewhere abroad, the more non-British it feels – as the language unlocks itself, as my palate changes to fit the local cuisine, as I start to understand the history and politics. Challenging my ignorance, and getting a better grasp of everything I don’t yet know. And that means ideally living somewhere, not just travelling through it. That’s my “slow” / “deep” / “cultural” travel preference.

Oh, and most of the time, I can’t *stand* museums. Too often, it’s just Stuff Worship. I travel to get away from Stuff Worship. I want to meet people, not Things.

(*Mike listens to the sound of a thousand press-trip bridges being burnt before he’s crossed them*.)

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:55:06 +0000

Ah, now Zoë, you’ve given the perfect example of the problem of defining slow travel. If someone told me I was going to spend several weeks in the Lakes I would be delighted. I would not tire of exploring different lakes and fells, clambering up to tarns and along ridges and absorbing the stunning landscapes. I might not be slow (would work hard each day to earn that cream tea, pub meal and pint) but would relish the chance to see the Lake District in depth. But then as someone said more articulately than I managed, perhaps we’re talking about ‘deep travel’ rather than ‘slow travel’. Thanks again for the great discussion.

By: pam

pam — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:55:07 +0000

I’m a HUGE fan of slow travel, as it’s faddishly called these days, but also, I’m kind of lazy and I like to sit in cafes eating cookies and eavesdropping. That said, I just want to give a hallelujah to you for this because, hello, let me say what’s already been said: There is no right way to travel.

Buzzing all over the place in a really active state works for YOU. And you found someone to travel with who likes that too. And that is excellent.