stevento

For the past 25 years, since our honeymoon, we always traveled the same way.

• 10-11 days trips,
• 2-3 days in each location,
• Th to the following Sunday to minimize time out of the office/utilize kids' school breaks
• Fly through the night, hit the ground running whether we flew for 3 hours or 30.

I was running a business, taking one more day off could mean losing more money than the cost of the whole trip, kids were in school and couldn't take off more time, so to be able to travel 3-4 times per year that worked for us.
We are in a different situation now. I sold my business, we are still young (50/53), have unlimited time, kids are grown and rarely travel with us, we don't have a lot of financial constraints, and our travel schedule is roughly 2 weeks every 2 months. But it still follows the same format because that's the only way I know how build itineraries - fast-paced, moving from one location to another, combining multiple countries on one ticket with creative routings, all to minimize wasted time. Which is not a valuable commodity any more

We have thought about slowing it down.. but can't seem to come up with the way to do it I like to finish breakfast quickly and get going, spend the day exploring, and relax in the evening. Leisurely breakfasts and lazy lunches aren't really our thing...

I ask my wife after every trip - would you have liked to stay longer in any one place? She says, not really.
Our last trip I tried to make as slow and chill as possible... JFK-SCL, 3 nights Santiago, drive to Mendoza for 3 nights, fly to EZE, 3 nights Buenos Aires, ferry to Colonia, drive to MVD for 2N.

We have a trip coming up next week:
JFK-AUH (intentional 23 hr layover to explore), AUH-COK, 3 nights in Kochi, 2 nights Munnar, 2 nights in Madurai, 2 nights in Delhi, DEL-EWR.

Another one in April - JFK-IST-KUL-PEN, 2 nights Penang, 1 night highlands, 2 nights KL, KUL-YIA, 2 nights Yogyakarta, YIA-DPS, 4 nights Bali, DPS-SIN-EWR.

For those who like a slower pace to their trips, how would you slow these trips down, and what would you do on these days?

travelmad478

We’re like you and honestly I would like to slow it down, but we seem incapable of doing so. Mr. travelmad478 is still working and doesn’t have infinite time, but that’s not really the issue—it’s us. Even though we generally take two-week vacations, for whatever reason, we feel perpetually obligated to pack as much in as possible. We just did five cities in Mexico (Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Queretaro, and CDMX) in two weeks. It was a lot.

LapLap

I generally follow my interests and I am blessed in being interested in a great many things. I find places get more interesting the longer I’m in them.
Thankfully, both my husband and daughter are the same and we can all be encouraged into appreciating and enjoying each others’ interests.

I’m still getting chided for my last whistle stop tour. We went to Tokyo for a month and the Japan Rail Pass was just about to become economically unattainable (it went up by over 70% in price last October). As we were already obliged to spend a large amount on a return rail fare to see family I decided to get the JR Pass instead (was very little more) and tack on a week’s worth of visits around the country, exactly the sort of travel that has been described. Sure, it was successful, extremely so in many ways, but it was shouldered in the way one endures an intense work project.

My point is that for people who “fast travel”, “slow travel” might be every bit the endurance test as “fast travel” is for the slow travellers.

Personally, I straddle both styles, or rather, I did. My family are winning me over onto the slow side more and more.

I believe following your interests really is key, initially it might seem that you could be doing the same thing everywhere you go, but interest keys are wonderful at unlocking doors to unique experiences. The example in my mind now is rock pools. With “fast travel” you go to the coast, walk along the beach, have a Margarita and perhaps lunch along a promenade. “Slow travel” might involve walking along the beach, continuing past the boulevards and onto the patchy sand dunes and then on towards the rocks where the occasional fisherman is positioned. Within these rocks are a network of puddles and pools. You crouch, you look at the different seaweeds strewn around, some dried, some still pliable, eventually you start to notice movement, at first glance there isn’t much going on in the rock pool, at least that’s what the inhabitants want you to think. As you look you start to see, and when you start to see you find there is more and more to look at, each pool has an incredibly rich ecosystem filled with surprising corpses and living beings living lives utterly different to your own. It’s far more boring to look at an individual rock pool for a minute than it is to study that same pool for half an hour (or longer). Then again, not everybody wants to see what’s really going on in a rock pool.

pinniped

I struggle with the idea of "slow" travel with one exception - I actually love having a hiking day (or more) in a trip, which is inherently going to be a pretty slow, meandering day.

I've never been a beach guy for more than, say, half a day. And I don't like being unnecessarily stuck on boats, trains, buses, etc. But if I'm walking, especially in a forest or some kind of scenic area, national park, etc., I'm totally chill. I could actually do that for multiple days...but with my family it's more likely that I'll get us to do it for one day....maybe two.

CDTraveler

1. Pick a place, city, national park, small town, whatever

2. Read everything you can find about the place. Learn everything you can about it - history, traditions, what are the commonly regarded E-ticket attractions, local foods, oddities, etc. Make notes, look at maps, look at websites of local attractions - ever thought about attending a concert of a local band/singer/orchestra? Attended a lecture or taken a class at a museum? Done a historical tour of the city/region? Look at the official tourism sites for special events. If you can't find at least 2 things to do per day for 7 days, and 7 local specialities/well-regarded restaurants to try, pick another place and try again.

3. Book a week's lodging in in that place. When you get there, go for depth not speed.

In 2 week's time I'm headed off to a city I've visited a couple times. But this time I'm going solo, and exploring it at a walking pace, taking time to look for the little details I've missed on previous trips.

smf_ltn

I would suggest that a pace is too fast if you spend an inordinate amount of time traveling to destinations, rather than partaking in them. The optimal approach would be to choose a fewer robust locations and enjoy the local attractions at a comfortable pace.

Unless you are on a mileage run, which seems to be a more popular topic here on FT.

nooh321

Consider adding an extra night in each location to slow down your trip and fully immerse yourself in the culture and experiences. You can use the extra time to explore nearby attractions, indulge in local cuisine, or simply relax and soak up the atmosphere.

PondHops

An excellent way to "slow" things down is to join an active tour (our favorites are cycling tours -- Backroads, Butterfield & Robinson -- while friends enjoy walking/hiking -- Country Walkers -- and my son and I loved sailing in the Hebrides -- Classic Sailing) with three days at the start and finish cities of each tour. In the open air, you get a chance to 'be' in a place more than just seeing it through a windshield.

A second great option is to attend a festival, while planning forays to surrounding sights and cities. Six days at the Montreux Jazz Festival were padded out with a scenic train trip trip up to Gstaad, an evening at the Wanda League track & field event in Lausanne, a visit to Geneva, and of course a lot of jazz and great vibes. Six nights at the Chalke Valley History Festival outside Salisbury barely allowed trips into the three nearby small cities, Stonehenge, three military history museums -- and an extraordinary array of big names talking about politics, history, economics and current affairs. The Henley Literary Festival offers a week on the Thames -- just an hour from London, so evenings at the theater. It takes some planning -- but think of the time you spend not having to pack and unpack. And don't forget the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, if you like crazy but not stupid. (AirBnB is fabulous for these events.)

Finally, education IS wasted on the young. Check out the Oxford Experience and other adult continuing education programs. Embedding in the city of Oxford is fabulous fun.

Enjoy!

7Continents

I do this but at the end of every long trip, I give myself a night or two at the most luxe place I can afford that's available, either in my final city or a place on the way home with no plans while there. I use this to decompress, file my memories and not worry about rushing home. I also try to schedule an extra day off from work on the way there and back so I'm not rushed in either direction. Having a day to do all my laundry is an unexpected pleasure (I live alone and tend not to use cleaning services and the like as I don't mind doing it myself).

MojaveFlyer

I am in the exact same situation, and I am loving the 2 1/2 - 3 week trips I can take now. I'm a hiker, and I pick places that have lots of hiking options, and could fill in as many days as I allocate. There is nothing wrong with being fast paced and getting out early or whatever your routine is, but I've learned that it's good to take a few "easy" days now and then, just hike some place a couple hours in and sit and take in the views over a long lunch. My wife doesn't like to go for quite so long, so some trips, if the airport it not too far away, she will fly a back a week before I do. I'm quite comfortable being solo, but not everyone is.

Of course there is no "one size fits all" solution. But if your activity is focused on hitting the main sites, of which you run out after a while, spend time just walking around neighborhoods. Easy for me to say because I'm a walker, and in fact I find the walking journey to the urban sites to be as stimulating as the destination. Try to get a bit more immersed in local culture. Enjoy a meal at a restaurant? Go back for another. Maybe on quiet days find a local park, urban trail, bike path, whatever, take a picnic lunch an just chill on some bench. Nice coffee shop with good people watching? Go back.

Having a shopping mission can be fun. I have great memories of searching Toulouse for a few good French kids' books when my daughter did a French immersion first grade. Some special sort of local fabric. Oh a great one was finding the "display food" in Tokyo, led me to a fascinating restaurant supply district and my friends loved the personalized gifts I brought home.

Sometimes, especially in Europe, there are other fun smaller towns a short bus or train ride away, which can make for a fun day trip.

There is always more to see, if you let yourself wander. In a FB group, people ask "Is one day enough time in Zion?" I respond that I've spent about two months of my life there, and would go back. You mention a week + trip in India; I spent a couple years there. And was sad to leave all the sights and sounds when I did.

As said up thread, you're spending a whole lot of time in never pleasant air travel and air ports to get some place. Amortize that time by spending more days. But it sounds like you already want to do that, you just can't slow down. OK, stay fast... but spend more days in a place doing it. And have fun! Who knows how many more years you have with ability to do such wonderful travel as you're coming up with.

dliesse

Another possibility would be to try a cruise on Queen Mary 2 across the Atlantic -- New York to Southampton or vice versa. With no port calls along the way, you're pretty much forced to slow down and take things easy, although there is still plenty to do on the ship so you won't get completely bored.

To ease into the experience, you could plan on 2-3 nights at your origin and/or destination (in fact, most seasoned cruisers will tell you to ALWAYS plan to arrive at least the day before embarkation -- and don't let the cruise line arrange your air transportation). The extra days before or after will make it sort of a hybrid trip, compared to what you're used to. You'll have your 3 days in New York, say, then 6 days of forced nothing.

Any other transoceanic sailing would serve the same purpose -- there are regular sailings between Vancouver and Honolulu, for example -- but Queen Mary 2 plies the route year-round with few exceptions.

behuman

A receipt to forcefully slow down: Fly to PMC, rent a SUV car for 3 or 4 weeks and drive south until the southern ice field stops you . You will experience severe delays with ferries, landslides and road closures due to construction works and quickly become very relaxed about time and will only be concerned about changing a tyre under the pouring rain. Doing this kind of itinerary I typically leave 2 buffer days per week for the unexpected. And do not forget to carry food and water should you be unable to reach that cosy lodge you reserved at for the night .

lhrsfo

If visiting countryside, you will slow down because it is inherently slow paced. By the time you have walked around the local town, and done at least one of the trails, that's a day gone which only leaves time for a little nap and a big dinner.

But if visiting cities, you face a choice and it really depends upon why you are visiting cities in the first place. If it's ticking cities, and their top 10 attractions off of a bucket list, then why slow down - each place only takes minutes. But if visiting places which interest you, then why speed up? If my thing is antiquities and I'm visiting the British Museum, for example, it would take the best part of a week. Of if it's art and I'm in Florence, the Uffizi will take at least a couple of days before going anywhere else. And if it's trying to enjoy another culture and learn a little of its people, that will take several weeks. Last year I spent six weeks in Montpellier and it was only towards the end that I started to have some understanding of what makes it, and its people, tick.

ElaineWChatman

A few ideas that may help - focus on hiking or leisurely activities for a full day rather than just parts of days. Rent an Airbnb for longer stays rather than moving hotels as often. Look up scenic local places off the main tourist track for day trips or consider cultural activities like cooking classes that add more depth.

No need to plan every minute - it's okay to wander neighborhoods or cafes without an agenda. Mostly just go with the flow and don't feel obligated to pack it all in!

Super Mario

I can't read this without the perception of you being bored in your travel and looking for more to keep you occupied.