• HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Bucketlist Bri

Bucketlist Bri

Adventurous Slomad Travel

  • Start Here
  • Destinations
  • Digital Nomad
  • Responsible Travel
  • Slow Travel
  • Van Life

What Is Slow Travel & 7 Reasons Why You Should Do It

Last Updated: December 9, 2022 · Slow Travel

Slow travel is becoming a popular buzzword. But what does it really mean? For years, I have slowly traveled around the world and never labeled it as such, until I realized the importance of it.

By talking about slow travel and what that implies, hopefully, more people can become aware of its significance and how it can impact you as a traveler and responsible tourist, impact the diverse cultures you explore and also impact the environment around you.

Discover what it means to slow travel below!

Also Read — How We Became Full-Time Slowmads (& How You Can Too)

Table of Contents show
What Is Slow Travel?
7 Reasons Why You Should Become A Slow Traveler (& Why You’ll Love It)
1. Slow Travel Opens You Up…
2. It Brings More Meaning to Your Travels
3. Slow Travel Rejuvenates, Not Exhausts You
4. Your Sense of Awareness Spikes
5. Slow Travel Has a Lower Environmental Impact
6. You Get to Experience Raw Travel Moments
7. You’ll Leave a Traveler, Not a Tourist
The Importance of Slow Traveling

What Is Slow Travel?

digital nomad overlooking the city of Guanajuato in Mexico

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a small commission should you decide to click through and make a valid purchase (at no extra cost to you). Thanks so much for your support!

Slow travel, for me, combines aspects of sustainability, mindfulness, awareness, and responsible travel to foster deeper connections with a place and its people.

On the one hand, slow travel means connecting with a place on a deeper level.

By slow traveling, you can soak up rich and exciting cultures and take away a more comprehensive understanding of the people, places, and particulars of a way of life different than your own.

On the other hand, slow travel implies physically-slow travel.

Slowing down your pace to be present with where you are, instead of rushing around to see the top-recommended attractions and calling it a day. Slow travel in this regard can also imply slow traveling through a country for more periods of time than a 2-week vacation.

Not everyone has the opportunity to slow travel for a couple of months in one place, but that’s why slow travel doesn’t have a time limit, necessarily, either. You can slow travel even if your vacay is limited to a few days or one week.

Finally, slow travel usually implies a sense of responsible tourism coupled with sustainability.

Sometimes I call this slow travel, mindful travel, responsible travel, or sustainable travel. Not everyone will mush together these terms like this, but for me, they all touch upon similar aspects.

It means being more aware of your impact while you travel.

And I don’t just mean the carbon output difference of whether you hire a personal taxi or whether you take the bus or carpool.

I also mean how you interact with others, how you consume, and how ethical you choose to be along your travels (i.e. not paying to see captive wildlife, buying fairtrade and supporting local, etc.,).

7 Reasons Why You Should Become A Slow Traveler (& Why You’ll Love It)

So to break this down further, here are 7 reasons why you should slow travel!

Slow Travel Mexico Temazcal | Bucketlist Bri
Living in Mexico for a year opened us up to experience a Mexican Temazcal (steam bath) Ceremony.

1. Slow Travel Opens You Up…

…to new cultural experiences, to a deeper understanding of those experiences, and to learn more about yourself and others. Simply, you “broaden your horizons” — a term commonly used to say you’ve learned more about the world and your place in it!

Stretching your mind can be beneficial by adopting a more open mind. Even if that simply opens your heart to different ways of living, or opens your mind to worlds that are totally opposite to your own.

Slow travel is the best way to chip away at preconceived biases and judgments.

2. It Brings More Meaning to Your Travels

It’s those nitty-gritty moments during travel, the ones where you’re lost, pushed outside your comfort zone, or in a deep conversation with a stranger, that bring more sustenance and life-long lessons to your travels.

Connecting with a place and its people will ultimately be more rewarding than if you were to spend your travel days just chilling out poolside at your all-inclusive resort.

girl on gigantic troll hand at Hobbitenango eco-park near Antigua Guatemala
Slow traveling and living in Guatemala

3. Slow Travel Rejuvenates, Not Exhausts You

Feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation? Yeah, I’ve said that before too! Sometimes traveling can be exhausting. And I often notice that I’m more exhausted when I’m traveling in a hurry.

Slow travel can take that away by forcing you to slow down and travel in the present moment.

Often, when we’re practicing mindfulness — being present — we can notice more things around us, observe at a deeper level, and therefore not be pushed around by the constant rat race that seems to consume our society.

4. Your Sense of Awareness Spikes

With that said, slow travel increases your awareness.

Whether it’s awareness about yourself, your failures or successes, awareness about the state of the world, its interlinked processes in politics or environment, or awareness about a social issue or belief system that’s unfamiliar to you.

Slowing down and traveling with a purpose increases awareness. And awareness of something is hardly ever a bad thing.

Slow Travel Nepal | Bucketlist Bri
Slow traveling in Nepal for a year raised our awareness about many social issues while exposing us to diverse cultures and belief systems. Here’s Paul receiving festive Holi powder from a small child.

5. Slow Travel Has a Lower Environmental Impact

People who practice slow travel (responsible travel, mindful travel, etc.,) tend to be passionate about the environment and its well-being. It’s hard not to be!

Once you slow travel and open your eyes to the state of the world, it’s hard to deny that tourism can have negative impacts on people, wildlife, and the natural world.

For example, heavily-visited parks result in trampled soil and trails which results in a loss of biodiversity and local fauna and flora. By slow traveling, you can mitigate, where possible, your impact.

Being a more mindful traveler might mean you don’t buy single-use plastic when traveling if you can avoid it, you carry your own bags when you go shopping, you purchase from ethical suppliers, you book eco-friendly tours, and avoid seeing performances of wildlife in captivity, or perhaps you take the bus instead of hiring a private taxi.

Your action can be big or small, it just matters that you give it your best effort.

Also Read: 25 Eco-Friendly Travel Tips for The Sustainable Traveler

6. You Get to Experience Raw Travel Moments

Slow travel truly opens up new doors to those funny, memorable, crazy moments that happen during travel.

Not to say you can’t have these moments at any given time during any type of travel.

But typically, slow travel does increase your chances of meeting someone inspiring, listening to insane adventure stories, or embarking on that spontaneous mini-trip with a new group of friends just because you can and you feel open to that.

Slow travel invites opportunity.

Those moments are the travel moments to seek. Otherwise, the travel quote “It’s about the journey, not the destination” wouldn’t be such a hit!

7. You’ll Leave a Traveler, Not a Tourist

Tourists often get a bad rap.

Sadly, tourists are often negatively perceived because they come in hoards with a “me mentality” often leaving a place worse than when they found it.

Most tourists rarely attempt to connect to the locals, they might promote—not diminish—stereotypes, and they just might not truly grasp the place they’re in.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to do tourist things like check off that bucket list you made.

Remember though that slow travel exists beyond just seeing the top attractions; it exists in those travel moments in between that can make the difference.

Also, if you’re at a top attraction, you can be a responsible tourist and lead by example by following the local rules and laws.

This might include not trespassing behind a rope when a trail section is closed off, and not stepping off-trail to get the Instagram shot in the delicate flower field… You get my drift!

Slow Travel Netherlands | Bucketlist Bri
Living for 6 months in The Netherlands connected us to local farmers and also enabled us to ride our bikes everywhere – both eco-friendly lifestyle choices.

The Importance of Slow Traveling

Traveling slowly combines aspects of sustainability, mindfulness, awareness, and responsible travel to foster deeper connections with a place and its people.

And in an ever-changing world, it’s important to be open and adopt more ethical and sustainable practices in every aspect of our lives. Especially when it comes to traveling!

That’s why adopting slow travel, responsible travel, mindful travel — whatever you want to call it — is so important.

It bridges connections between people and destinations while educating and raising awareness about ethical tourism in order to protect and preserve cultures, languages, wildlife, and the natural environment that we all share.

So, will you incorporate these aspects of slow travel on your next trip? What about this way of travel do you find appealing?

Drop your thoughts and comments with me below or reach out by email if you want to chat more. Thanks for reading!

xx Bri

Share this article with a friend!

Slow Travel: What Is It and 7 Reasons Why You Should Practice It | Bucketlist Bri www.bucketlistbri.com #slowtravel #responsibletravel #travel #sustainabletravel
Slow Travel: What Is It and 7 Reasons Why You Should Practice It | Bucketlist Bri www.bucketlistbri.com #slowtravel #responsibletravel #travel #sustainabletravel
Slow Travel: What Is It and 7 Reasons Why You Should Practice It | Bucketlist Bri www.bucketlistbri.com #slowtravel #responsibletravel #travel #sustainabletravel
  • Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
  • Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
  • Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
  • Share via EmailShare via Email

By: Bri · In: Slow Travel

you’ll also love

Reading in my ecological treehouse @ Aldea Bamboo in San Pancho Mexico | Bucketlist Bri25 Eco-Friendly Travel Tips for the Eco-Conscious Traveler
female hiker and blogger standing on bridge in the Guadeloupe rainforestEthical Tourism: What Does It Mean? Plus, 23 Tips to Travel More Ethically
hidden beach riviera nayarit9 Ways to Be a Sustainable Traveler for a Greener Future

Join the List

Stay up to date with the latest adventures and travel guides.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise says

    March 27, 2022 at 11:02 am

    I’ve been naturally changing my travel style to slow travel and I can relate to what you describe here. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  2. World of Lina says

    December 1, 2019 at 11:47 pm

    This is super interesting! I’m usually a person who wants to see everything possible in a short time. I should definitely start to travel slower ☺️

    Reply
    • Bri says

      February 5, 2020 at 8:12 am

      I can be the same ya know! But even on a shorter trip, adopting the ‘slow travel’ mindset can really change the way you experience a vacation.

      Reply
  3. Taylor Deer says

    November 28, 2019 at 7:03 am

    This is definitely a goal of mine this upcoming year! Great article Bri!

    Reply
    • Bri says

      November 28, 2019 at 2:50 pm

      Glad to hear it! Thanks, Taylor!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Visiting Calakmul Mayan Ruins: A Journey Into the Jungle

Primary Sidebar

hello!

I’m Bri, an adventurous digital nomad living abroad full-time since 2015. It is my hope to inspire you to live a life of adventure, seek out meaningful experiences, and travel slowly and mindfully!

About Me

Connect

join the list

Featured Posts

3 Days in Cartagena, Colombia | Bits of Bri

3 Days in Cartagena, Colombia: Discovering The Colorful & Colonial

Reading in my ecological treehouse @ Aldea Bamboo in San Pancho Mexico | Bucketlist Bri

25 Eco-Friendly Travel Tips for the Eco-Conscious Traveler

ven a la luz statue and raw love cafe entrance

10 Essential Tulum Tips: What to Know Before Visiting Tulum

QUICK LINKS

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS

Search

Let’s Connect!

@bucketlistbri

Eating as a solo female traveler in Japan 🇯🇵 Eating as a solo female traveler in Japan 🇯🇵 >>

I used to loathe eating alone in public but Japan literally is where you go to do just that! 🍜🍡🍣

My confidence level after walking into this bar and taking up space with no fear 🥲❤️‍🔥

Have you ever felt intimidated to eat alone in public or alone as a woman? 🙈 

S/o to all the courteous men and women who made me feel so welcome as a solo female traveler in Japan. No matter whether I was eating at 9pm in some random place on a rainy night or midday in a stand-up bar drinking beer, I was never judged nor “talked up” once. And it was amazing and freeing and sooo appreciated 🤍⚡️

#japantravel #solofemaletraveler #japanfood #solotravelstories #localtravel
Dear me, thank you 🥰 This is your sign to tak Dear me, thank you 🥰 

This is your sign to take yourself to your dream destination (even—or especially—if you have to go solo!) ✨✨✨

Follow along to see my adventures in Japan! 🇯🇵 

#japantrip #solotraveling #japanawaits #travelingsolo #mindfultravel
Memories from Morjim, Anjuna, & Panjim (Goa, India Memories from Morjim, Anjuna, & Panjim (Goa, India) 🇮🇳 

1. Waiting on India's first digital nomad conference to start! (CYF CON) 

2a. The funkiest hippie/night market in Anjuna

2b. Overlooking the beautiful and historic Panjim (the capital of Goa) 🌴

2c. One of the oldest + most popular Portuguese Baroque-style chapels in Goa (Lady of Immaculate Conception, Panjim)

3. I specifically requested a yellow scooter just so I could take a picture like this lol 🛵

4a. Kitty portrait inside a really cool speakeasy

4b. Feeling cute at the cutest little outdoor gin cocktail bar 

4c. Sunset over Chapora Bay + Arabian Sea

4d. Nightlife / beach shacks on Arpora 

5. Looking out at the sea from atop the ruined Chapora Fort

6. Bollywood dancing with the gals 💃🏼

7. Street shot in Panjim 📸

8. Wandering around the Fontainhas Latin Quarter (Panjim)

9a. Morjim Beach (shot from atop Chapora Fort)

9b. Local Goans + holy cow walking on Mandrem beach at sunset 🌅 

10. Enjoying our stay at the lovely  @anamivagoa 

PS. All of these memories and experiences wouldn’t have been possible without @nurall_co 💛 Nurall's next remote work retreat is in KHAO LAK, THAILAND 🇹🇭this July 2023 (cost: $900 USD only). Comment or DM me for an extra 5% off if you’re interested in signing up!

#goa #indiatraveldiaries #morjim #anjuna #panjim #slowtravel #remoteworklife #nomadiccreators #digitalnomadgirls
Whether its for adventure, community, or leveling Whether its for adventure, community, or leveling up your business, a digital nomad / remote work retreat is one of the best ways to work remotely and travel! 💻✈️

I’ve rounded up some of the best curated trips and retreats out there in my latest blog post (🔗 in bio to check it out!) 

Featured in my guide are:

@nurall_co 
@beunsettled 
@minoma.co 
@workwanderers
@the_nomad_escape
@remoteyear

Types of experiences you could discover with these guys range from training for 🥊 Muay Thai in Khao Lak, Thailand (@nurall_co co) to 🥾 hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain (@beunsettled) to ⛺️ camping out in the desert of Morocco (@minoma.co), and more!

WHY JOIN A NOMAD / REMOTE WORK RETREAT? 👇

Retreats offer curated itineraries/experiences designed to bring you epic adventures in bucket list destinations, plug you into the local scene, and collab with like-minded souls — all while leveling up your business/entrepreneurial skills and remote lifestyle and giving you creative space to cowork in beautiful places. 🤗

On a digital nomad retreat, you might...

💡Strike a new business idea
⚡️Spark a sweet romance with a stranger
👀 Get your project noticed by an investor
🥰 Form a life-long friendship (or a few!)
🌿 Build a new brand from scratch
💃 Change directions completely in your personal life
🧘‍♀️ Strengthen your sense of self, confidence, and spirituality

These are just examples of the very many outcomes you could gain from attending a digital nomad retreat.

In short, these programs have the power to evoke positive change in your life and, more often than not, your investment is rewarded handsomely (in more ways than one). ✌️

I’m long-time digital slomad, but after discovering Goa, India with @nurall_co I’m most definitely going to attend more retreats like this in the future! ✨✨

*Not spons, btw! Just sharing ways you can find a community of digital nomads, whether you want to be one or already are one! 👩🏼‍💻💛

My blog guide shares the deets about price, location, etc — go check it out and save this reel! ✨

#digitalnomads #remoteworkandtravel #grouptravel #grouptrip #remoteworklife #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomadgirls
< 1 week until we get to do this again! Adventur < 1 week until we get to do this again! 

Adventures await us in our beasty 1990 Roadtrek 🚐🌲🥾 — she’s been sitting out winter in Washington while we tanned our toes in Mexico 🇲🇽 

I’ve never been able to choose between the mountains ⛰️ and the sea 🌊 … you? 

Tell me what kind of summer you’re manifesting in the comments! 🧡

#vanlife #summeriscoming #granolagirl #roadtrek #pnwadventures #outdoorsy #homeiswhereyouparkit
And... WE’RE LIVE!! 🚀 I’m stoked (read 90 And... WE’RE LIVE!! 🚀 

I’m stoked (read 90% nervous, 10% excited), to share that @slomadstories is officially OUT THERE! 

I actually had the first episode published on April 4th, but was too shy to share about it until now. 

But, as you’ll hear when you tune in... (🥳) this podcast isn’t just about highlighting raw, meaningful stories of adventure by ordinary people who seek an extraordinary life — YES, it’s mostly about that — but the very heart of this podcast is about DOING things despite how much they SCARE you or thrust you into the UNKNOWN.

I’ve always *tried* to live my one very short life by seeking to know, chasing curiosity, and jumping headfirst into the journey. 

— This podcast is simply a new endeavor, a new project that WILL NOT stop whispering at my heart. I’ve been trying to deny this urge, this tug, for so long! The whispers started in 2020 when a person who I thought would become a close friend bailed on the idea to start one together. So I let the idea go, for a while. But then it came back twice as strong in 2022, when I was living as a temporary nomad in Portugal for two months. It was there that I had my podcast cover art designed. That was already 1.5 years ago! 

Life passes us by...

We hear the whispers, we see the project coming to life in our heads, we feel the pull...

But we say no over and over again, and we make very legitimate excuses, until ultimately, the idea, the spark, the magic, fades; it chooses someone else to birth the idea and manifest itself into creation (something I learned reading “Big Magic” by Liz Gilbert, it’s amazing, go read it!). 

I have no idea why I felt the need to start a podcast, it’s not like I am already juggling enough.

But I wanted to, for me.

For you ✨ 

For everyone who ever chased that feeling, that tug. 

Because that?? 

That’s been my life for the last decade. I moved abroad countless times — and stayed — from Nepal to Mexico and beyond, and I would’ve never done ANY of it if I had not listened to the whispers.

This podcast is about continuing in the pursuit of the unknown, seeking more, and taking decisive action.

Welcome to Slomad Stories, & thank you for being here. 🧡

Xx,
Bri
Follow My Adventures

Footer

On the Blog

  • Start Here
  • Destinations
  • Digital Nomad
  • Responsible Travel
  • Slow Travel
  • Van Life

Info

  • Work With Me
  • My Blog Course
  • Slomad Stories Podcast
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

adventures await x

Copyright © 2023 · Bucketlist Bri | All Rights Reserved

336 shares