5 Ways to Experience the World More Slowly

There are two types of travelers. The first type is see-all-the-sites and check-all-the-boxes traveler. The second type are those who like to experience the world more slowly. I am definitely type 1! My itineraries include all the top sites and all the weird and wonderful off-the-beaten path locations. I also am the queen of adding just one more site/city/country to my itinerary!

But recently I am inspired by a friend who often takes a slow approach to travel. He and his family will spend several weeks in a single location in Spain. They stay in an apartment and make friends with their neighbors. They adapt to the local schedule, taking siestas and having late dinners despite the fact they have young children. Their vacation is relaxing and focused on spending time together and having fun experiencing the local culture.

By listening to my friend’s experiences, I have 5 recommended ways that all of us can experience the world more slowly!

Stay Put

The first way we can all experience the world more slowly is to stay in one location for an extended amount of time. Instead of cramming two Hawaiian islands into your week-long vacation like I did, spend your entire week-long vacation one island. Rather than changing hotels almost every night like I did in Scotland, stay in a single location for multiple nights of your trip. I have so many examples of how I have tried to jam too many different locations into a trip only to feel exhausted and slightly let down with the experience!

Instead, book an extended stay in one location. This is often more cost-effective, too. Renting a house or apartment or condo via a home rental service like Airbnb or VRBO is often cheaper by the week than by the day. Opting for a place with a kitchen will also save you money on food as you can prepare some meals there. And you get the bonus experience of going to the local grocery store and trying more exotic foods! The other place you will save money is on car rentals. Weekly rates are far cheaper than daily rates!

Limit Excursions

When I’ve visiting a new place, I like to see all the top tourist attractions. I’m constantly Googling “top sites to see” in X country. Then I carefully craft an itinerary packing in all of those sites into whatever time I have to spend there. And remember, I’m switching cities and even countries every few days, so that’s not much time! Then I find myself running from place to place, checking off all the boxes, and barely remembering what I saw.

To experience the world more slowly, limit the amount of sites you see and excursions you do. Choose 1-2 things to do each day, not 3-4. Study the lists of top sites to see, but choose only those that truly inspire you. Remember that one castle or palace or museum or scenic view looks very much like the next one! So choose just one and linger a bit longer at the site.

Schedule Free Time

In our quest to experience the world more slowly, we are headed in the right direction! We are staying put in one location for an extended period of time. We have also limited excursions. Now we need to avoid the temptation to overschedule our time. Instead of having every moment of every day planned, we need to leave time open in our itinerary for whatever we feel like doing at the time.

This is probably the hardest thing for me. I don’t like to go on vacation just to lay around since can do that at home for free! But sometimes our travel companions need down time. And sometimes you will discover something you want to do that you had no idea existed when you planned your trip. If you have a free afternoon or an entire day free, you have time to do it!

Linger Over Meals

Even if you can’t bear to stay put, limit excursions or schedule free time on your trips, you can still experience the world more slowly by lingering over meals. Some of my favorite parts of my trip to Madrid and to Copenhagen were long lunches or dinners in sidewalk cafés. I enjoyed talking with my travel companions, people watching, and seeing the world go by. On a girlfriend’s trip to Disneyland, we spent much of our final day hopping from one wonderfully themed lounge to another. It was a far more relaxing experience than going from ride to ride and standing in long lines! Plus this gave us plenty of time to catch up – and that’s what a girlfriend’s trip is for!

This is probably the simplest way to experience the world more slowly. All you have to do is schedule meal breaks if you don’t already do so – no fast food in the car on the way from point A to point B! And if you do already schedule meals, give yourself an extra hour to enjoy those meals. If you just can’t stand the thought of wasting time eating, try to find fun themed cafés or dining that offers experiential activities (see our post 5 Terrific Reasons to Vacation in Tokyo for inspiration).

Live Like a Local

If you have the luxury of speaking the language in your destination, use it to your advantage. And even if you don’t, try to learn a few words and phrases to use. Locals love it when foreigners attempt to speak their language, even when they speak fluent English. Being able to communicate with the locals is your first step in starting to live like one, at least for a few days. You can ask locals where they like to eat and what they like to do. You might even be able to score an invitation to do something fun with them!

If you have young kids, meeting locals is pretty easy. Take your kids to a local park and let them play. They will inevitably meet other kids on the playground and make friends, even if there is a language barrier. This will allow you to spark a conversation with your child’s new friends’ parents and opportunity to ask them questions or spend time with them throughout your trip.

But even if you only have adult travelers, it’s easy to meet locals. Chat it up with waitstaff or bartenders over lingering meals. Tip well and then return to the restaurant the next day to resume the conversation! Talk to people on public transportation if it’s culturally acceptable. Every cultural site has docents scattered throughout. Many are bored stiff because no one ever talks to them! Seek them out and ask questions about the site and whatever else you want to know.

Once you have those local recommendations, don’t hesitate to check them out. Eat at that seemingly weird restaurant. Attend that Thursday evening art exhibition. Go to that local festival. If you manage to score an invitation to go somewhere or have a meal in someone’s home, go for it as long as you feel it’s safe to do. Trust your gut in that regard, but also remind yourself that most people in the world have good intentions and they are just as curious about you as you are about them!

Are you a check-the-box traveler, or do you experience the world more slowly?

Tell us in the comments below. And remember to follow us on Facebook and visit our website often!