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Slowing down along the way

Why doing less can make your travel experience richer

How do I actually want to travel?

The month of May has begun. Plans are made everywhere: flights are booked, lists are made, destinations are chosen.

But we rarely ask ourselves: How do I actually want to travel?

Not where to, but how.

How can you make the most of your journey without pushing yourself too far?

Collector or discoverer?

A lot of traveling today feels like collecting. We don’t want to miss out on anything. See it all. Capture everything. For our Instagram. Or Facebook.

Collectors tick off highlights. They follow routes that others have already mapped out for them and return with full memory cards.

But sometimes it can leave behind a quiet sense of emptiness.

Explorers choose a different pace. They slow down, watch, listen and leave room for the unexpected.

They linger in places where nothing seems sto happen at first glance:

• A park in the city.
• A conversation that takes longer than planned.
• A street that is not in the travel guide.

Attention over perfection

Travel doesn’t have to be perfect, or impressive, or even Instagram-worthy. Because that’s not what real life looks like.

Traveling is about attention.

To be present in what is, instead of constantly being on the way to what is yet to come.

Whether you’re walking through a small European town, driving along an endless American highway, or just exploring your own village… You can walk your own Camino everywhere.

Not collecting, but experiencing.

A little exercise in slowing down

Do you want to take this feeling with you on your travels? Then try this:

Take 20 minutes in a place that catches your attention.
No plan or goal, just looking.

• Write down 5 colors you see
• Observe 3 movements
• Discover 1 detail you would normally never notice

And if you want: draw or color a small fragment of that moment.
It doesn’t have to be perfect at all.

Inspiration for slow travel

Do you want to learn more about this way of traveling? These blogs offer great insights and practical tips:

Dutch blogs

Your Travel Guide: Slow travel inspiration and tips
Personal stories and concrete tips for those who want to travel differently: slower, more aware and with more attention.

Stay informed, clearly: Slow Travel: Deeper cultural immersion through less travel
An in-depth article about why slow travel is becoming more and more relevant, with a focus on conscious choices and cultural connection.

Very informative site by the way with many articles on general and current themes.

Blogs in English

Travlinmad
For those who love local experiences, small villages and longer stays, with a lot of attention to Europe.

Explore Slowly
An inspiring site that focuses on the mindset behind slow travel: peace, simplicity and being aware on the road.

Timeless Travel Steps
A strong all-round guide with attention to culture, history and meaningful travel experiences.

This site received a prize for the best slow travel site. It’s my second biggest favorite among these blogs.

Bea Adventurous
Highly recommended for solo traveling women, with many tips and personal insights.

My personal favorite.

Personal tip: find peace in the hustle and bustle

Sometimes it just gets too much for you when traveling.

Long queues at the airport.
Endless identity and security checks. People who shamelessly cut in line as if rules and basic courtesy don’t exist.

All of these moments when you can easily find yourself getting worked up.

My husband has developed a special skill through years of traveling: he puts his thoughts to zero, as it were.

I try to do the same thing. But honestly? It doesn’t always work.

So what does help?

1. Let go of the idea that you ‘have to be calm’.
Staying calm is often counterproductive. Just notice what you feel: that’s a start.

2. Use your breath as an anchor
Breathe in slowly (4 counts) and out longer (6 counts). A slow exhale signals to your body that it is safe.

3. Make waiting a moment of observation
Instead of focusing on the waiting time, look around you:
colors, sounds, movements. Turn frustration into attention.

4. Expect things to move slow
When you accept in advance that everything will take longer and that things might go wrong, nothing really feels like a setback.

5. Create a mini-ritual
A quiet playlist, a short note, a small sketch.
Something that helps you slow down again and again. Even in the crowds. (P.S.: always have your earbuds, a small sketchbook and a pencil close at hand.)

Facit

Perhaps the richness of travel lies not in how much you see, but in how deeply you look.

Not in the number of destinations,
but in the moments that linger.

Emma