12 Tips For Planning A Slow Travel Adventure

Slow travel is dreamy. It really is. But without thoughtful planning, it can be hard to stick to your guns and actually plan slower paced adventures. I really feel like living in our day and age, we’re bombarded with a “more-more-more” attitude that can leave us questioning if we’re missing out on adventures by planning less.

It can be hard to resist our ever-present FOMO feelings in our day and age, but for travelers seeking a “more with less” attitude… slow travel is sure to revitalize the soul and bring rich, fulfilling experiences we’d otherwise miss by rushing place to place and sight to sight.

Today, I’m excited to share the tried and true planning tips I use to plan meaningful, soul-enriching slow travel adventures we all dream of! Are you ready? Here we go…

Simplify & Minimize

Take your dream itinerary, write it down… and pare it down. I mean it! That may mean saying no to another major city or opting for one less “must do” experience on your schedule. Streamlining and simplifying will give you more time to intensely immerse yourself in the selected experiences that stay on your itinerary. You’ll be able to savor these moments fully. You’ll feel less rushed and more present, making you much more observant and grateful for your experiences.

Get Into The Right Mindset

Slow traveling requires a curiosity-explorer mindset and abandoning the idea of tourist-ing. Remember, you’re here for a longer spell… and with that comes a mindset of finding balance and contentment. Center yourself, check in with your feelings, your thoughts and your desires. Worry less about day to day tasks, and focus more on the overall joy you are seeking through your travel experiences.

Plan For Open Time

In your daily itineraries, be sure to schedule hours to be open. This can be hard for type-A planners! By scheduling time to be open-ended, we are able to fill those hours with enriching time to do what we long for… like taking a long walk with no plan around a neighborhood, or wandering down the road to that quirky bookshop, or taking the time to people watch at a local cafe. The best things happen during unplanned hours, I’m convinced of this!

Know & Invest In Your Own Interests

Not all pre-made “must-do” itineraries on the internet are made specifically for you! So, sure… check out those blog round ups that tout twenty or more things to see or do, but remember who you are! If you’re going to find more joy in exploring a museum for a few extra hours without feeling rushed, instead of rushing off to a historic sight… do that! It’s important for us to stay true to ourselves while traveling and not lose ourselves to the hustle of the “go-go-go” mindset.

Opt For A Walkable Homebase

Staying in a home base that feels like it’s in the center of the action will make you feel more compelled to get out there yourself. Being in the center of town makes us feel more connected to the heartbeat of our destination. We can see the routines of locals, we can observe the popular spots and we’ll feel more kinship towards the experience as a whole.

Do The Research Beforehand

Research is my favorite form of travel anticipation. It fuels me with excitement and joy. It’s literally why I’m cooking my way through Italy. Because the process of learning and researching, reading and watching, attempting to learn the language and hunting down recipes makes me feel excited to hop on that plane and makes me appreciate and seek out those authentic experiences. Time is one of the most important things we have when we travel. It flies by. Days feel like hours, hours feel like minutes… and the next thing you know, we’re homebound again. It’s always helpful to have an initial plan of action and a deep sense of appreciation before jetting off!

Eat Like A Local

Certainly foodie travelers know, but it’s incredibly fun and meaningful to seek out authentic meals. Avoid touristy restaurants at all costs! They’re overpriced and really don’t give you a sense of what local cooking is like. It can be tricky to know whether or not you’re walking into a bad restaurant without knowing some major red flags. (I’m making a blog post about how to find the most authentic restaurants, no matter we’re you’re heading off to… more to come!)

Choose Local Transportation

Local transportation gives travelers the chance to be with locals, to see the city like locals and, truthfully, avoid wasting energy. Be sure to check to see if there are trains, subway lines or busses that feature a short term length of time, or special offers for visitors. Although it may not seem “glamorous” to take the subway in a place like NYC, but it does serve as a rite of passage!

Try Some Time Without Screens

Slow travel certainly doesn’t require a disconnected attitude, but… it certainly doesn’t hurt! One of the small blisses I’ve found in my early international travel days were the long days out exploring without checking my phone (simply because ya girl didn’t buy an international service plan). Those afternoons and evenings spent a little disconnected from the world allowed me to connect more deeply with my inner and outer world. Even if you are someone who feels safer with wifi and a connected phone plan, try setting your device to airplane mode for a few hours or over meal times!

Seek & Savor Moments Of Loveliness

The way the light dances on the river, or the way the orange trees smell in the morning time, the feel of a warm mug of tea on a rainy afternoon. It’s these little moments of pure, unadulterated loveliness that allow us to check in, practice gratitude and find beauty. Keep a journal of these little things and jot them down at the end of the day.

Listen To Locals’ Recommendations

To avoid tourist traps and inauthentic experiences, always always always listen to locals’ recommendations! And don’t be afraid to ask. I always tend to ask specific questions geared towards the individuals’ taste. Something like “What is your favorite cafe in town?” “Where’s the best pizza you’ve ever had here"?” “What’s a place most tourists never get a chance to see while they’re visiting here?” … it always does the trick.

Linger Just A Little Bit Longer

In our modern world, we rush things. Add travel hustling into the mix and we’re naturally bound to feel like we should be “on to the next” thing when we’re adventuring. But slow travel requires us to linger just a little bit longer. Take a half hour to admire the view, or to journal your thoughts while at a cafe, take some time to breathe and just be.