krispy84

👍

And, as much as I like them, not something you’d really want to do in London and NYC. For very different reasons!!

LapLap

I don’t believe there is a finer or more impressive platform in all the world than the one for overground trains at London’s Blackfriars Station. I get a rush every time I stop there.

https://londonist.com/london/transpo...idge-best-bits

Heyden

When younger the goal was to see as much of a place in as short a period of time as possible. As I get older I'm interested in fewer but better experiences on leisure trips. Less is often more and I don't return home exhausted.

I also slow travel when travelling. Arrive early at the airport, no mad dash to get through security, no running to the gate, no rushing to customs upon arrival. It makes for a better travel experience overall.

stevento

As the OP, I totally understand what travelmad478 is talking about. We take a very similar approach, and seem to afflicted with the same problem

2 weeks ago,we returned from a trip.
JFK-Abu Dhabi, land in AUH, hire a guide for a brief tour through Abu Dhabi and Dubai (we were not particularly interested in either place but thought they might be worth checking out, since they are easy to return to if we like them. We did not). Spend the night in W by AUH.
AUH-COK, exploring Cochi, the backawaters, 3 nights.
Drive from Cochi to Munnar, hike in tea plantations, 2 nights.
Drive from Munnar to Madurai, explore the city and temples, 2 nights.
IXM-DEL, where we've been before, see things we haven't seen, 2 nights.
10 nights total.

after every trip, I ask my wife if there was any place she wanted to spend more time in. And invariable the answer is no, this was fine, we were ready to leave.
So it doesn't feel like we are shortchanging ourselves, which makes it difficult to change what would have slowed down the trip?
We did the backwaters day trip, no desire to stay the night.
We had an Ayurvedic massage, no desire to have more.
Another hike in Munnar would have been nice, I guess, but not critical.
We explored all of Madurai, some places twice.
Delhi has a lot more obviously, but we were ready to go home.
So, slow travelers who are familiar with these destinations, whatw would you have changed?

MrSpicoli

We do both types of trips - the 3 days per stop trips and the stay in only one or two places type of trip. We really enjoy renting a house in a city or countryside for a week and just do day trips each day. You get a real appreciation for the community or neighborhood you’re staying in. Some places just lend themselves to this style of travel. Ireland for example is perfect to do this. Last year, we stayed in Kinsale for a week (south of Cork) and did day trips to Cork, Cobh, castles, distilleries, and played golf (all within one hour drive), but we usually ended the night in the same pub where the staff got to know us. It was awesome! But we’ve also done the faster paced trips (in fact leaving on one tomorrow) - I guess it depends on the destination and what we want out of each trip.

gaobest

I’m the type who enjoys kicking back so for PEN I would spend 5-7 days there as opposed to 2. Likewise for that SCL / EZE trip I would want more days in each place including lounging time. There’s zero wrong answer. Your spouse seems happy with the schedule.

pbiflyer

Another suggestion, since you seem to like to do the faster travel. Add a day to a destination and do slow travel just for that day. We always say we are going to do cool stuff like a picnic in a park, but never do. Take a day, find a market, get good local food and drink, find a park, relax and enjoy. A stroll through a local neighborhood for drinks that night.
Baby steps.

anilop

Slow down trips by spending more time in each destination, focusing on fewer locations per trip. Embrace leisurely mornings, explore at a relaxed pace, savor local cuisine, and engage in cultural activities.

devdas

I would have added a few days for a trip to Periyar and/or Idukki, but I find staying quietly in the middle of a jungle actually relaxing. Cooking classes in both places might have been interesting (very different cuisines).

ElevatorEnthusiast

This thread is interesting - I would probably put myself in the fast travel camp as I typically only spend one night at every hotel (so I can try 5-7 hotels per city I visit). I love, love hotels, and I enjoy moving between hotels as a way to see different parts of the cities I'm traveling in. I have a few trips upcoming to repeat destinations, and I have a couple of 2-night reservations at hotels I previously enjoyed - that's my type of slow travel, but as I get closer to the trip, I keep breaking up the 2-night reservations into one-night stays at different hotels. Oh, well....I can't help myself.

LapLap

I might be wrong, but I get the impression that you genuinely are an elevator enthusiast and enjoy hotel infrastructure on a deeper level than others do.
If that’s the case, you’re spending a significant part of every day pursuing your interests and the distinction between fast and slow travel is not so obvious.

There’s an evolving understanding on how different people prioritise and focus that has been given the umbrella terms of Monotropism and Polytropism. I’d say this thread is a discussion on aspects of these different ways of perceiving and processing our surroundings.