This style of travel is growing more popular among the 50-plus set, and it can offer a richer, more relaxing experience

 

This style of travel is growing more popular among the 50-plus set, and it can offer a richer, more relaxing experience

Travel for most of us falls into two categories: vacations and trips.

Vacations are when daily life has you stressed to the max, so you arrive at your destination to relax and do as little as possible the entire time you’re there. 

Trips are when you think you may be at a special place only once in your life, so you rush around trying to cram in as many activities, excursions and photo ops as possible.

Each approach comes with its own problems. Vacationers often spend the first few days of their time off unwinding and the last few days thinking about the problems waiting for their return. People on comprehensive, don’t-miss-anything trips can be so exhausted by the last day that they feel they need a vacation.

What is slow travel?

The good news is there’s a new form of travel popular among the 50-plus set that hits a happy medium between these two extremes. It’s called slow travel.

Inspired by the slow-food movement that began in Italy in the 1980s as a reaction to the proliferation of fast-food restaurants, slow travel started, well, slowly. It has accelerated significantly since the COVID pandemic turned travel upside down, and the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the world’s first hotel school, expects it to grow 10% a year.

Slow travel emphasizes staying in one place long enough to personally connect with the local people, culture, food and even music. While purists advocate avoiding touristy spots in favor of locations off the beaten path, there are no hard and fast rules. You decide where, how and for what period of time to apply these basic principles:

Travel independently. With large, organized tours, participants travel together, lodge together and eat together. Historical context and architectural highlights are selected by one person, the tour guide. While slow travel can involve small-group tours within specific geographic areas, the goal is to enable travelers to independently participate in a rich and meaningful experience.