Go Eco With The Slow Travel Movement

Slow travel is spreading. Slowly. The slow movement is not only about food anymore: now there's slow parenting, slow media, slow art and slow politics (well, no politics yet, but it's on the way, slowly and surely). Slowness is a quiet, adverse reaction to the fast pace of the modern world, to the excessive unthinking consumption and to the widespread over-thinking about the future, past, and all the gadgets in between.

Like slow everything-else, slow travel is about being mindful. The slow travel movement is pretty small, at the moment, but it has some attractive key features. First of all, it's about responsible tourism: travel slowly and reduce your carbon footprint.  Slow travel and eco travel go hand in hand, since they both encourage (s)low-impact,  and (s)low-to-the ground experiences. Another tenant of the slow travel movement: visitors engage with the community on an intimate level, and really have a chance to understand the sites, the sounds, and the quiet. When you travel slow, you have a local experience, rather than a guidebook one. You move beyond tourism.

The slow travel movement has recently been embraced by Bradt Travel Guides, which was started by Hillary Bradt and her husband George in 1973.  Bradt Travel Guides has published over 130 books with an emphasis on sustainable travel (or "traveling positively"). The most recent books include: Slow North Yorkshire: Moors, Dales & Coast: Local, characterful guides to Britain's special places.

The site "Slow Travel" (tagline: Travel slowly, staying in vacation rentals) showcases slow travel opportunities around the world. The site was started by Pauline Kenny, from Colorado, but has been purchased by Internet brands. Slow travel suggests that travelers spend a minimum of a week at one destination and stay at a cottage or farm.  Live like a local, stay like a local, and travel in "cocentric circles." In other words: you don't take off to see the main guidebook attractions, rather you stay close to your home base and enjoy what's nearby. Also, as Slow Travel points out: it's better for the budget, since you save money on food and transportation. In 2002, the site had 400 members, and by last year it was up to 13,000.

The Wall Street Journal recently noticed the slow travel moment, too, and mentioned a number of "unhurried itineraries." Options include a narrow boat cruise through England and Scotland, as well as an ocean liner trip through the Mediterranean. Several trains are also featured, including the Blue Train in South Africa, the California Zephyr and Maharaja's Express in India. Of course, certain slow travel advocates wouldn't consider that slow travel at all (after all: trains and boats are still moving).  There are a few more eco-friendly options in the article including walking trips in Vermont, New Zealand Turkey. Apparently, slow travel doesn't really have a specific definition yet, and maybe it never will. But, it's been noticed. And it's good, green and slow.

Photo Credit: Flickr