An unusual type of travel is slow travel. Slow travel enriches experiences and relieves stress Slow tourism in Europe: in the footsteps of the Italian pilgrims

When I started to “explore the world” abroad, my first trip was an 8-day tour of Europe. We traveled by bus to 5 countries.

I could tell whether I liked this trip or not only a week later upon arrival home. When the "roof" fell into place from the sights seen and the kilometers traveled.

Principle: to have time to go around and see everything, or, more simply, a gallop across Europe worked 100%.

I don’t want to rest like that anymore. Not because everything is fast, fast and a lot, but because you don't really have time to comprehend and digest one information, as a new excursion begins.

We will introduce you to the site with a new direction in tourism and the type of travel - slow travel. This is a slow and unhurried acquaintance with the traditions, customs of other countries and maximum immersion in new culture.

Has it ever happened to you like this: come back from vacation more exhausted and tired than you were before leaving?

Resting is still stressful: one excursion is replaced by another, you have to have time to see all the palaces and ruins, sights and waterfalls, do not forget to buy souvenirs ...

The slow pace of life is gaining more and more popularity and even gaining momentum.

Let me tell you a secret: not all people live according to the principles "... faster, higher, stronger ...".

To work after work and on weekends, depend on a smartphone, social networks and the Internet ... to be in time for everything yesterday.

This is what the Slow movement proposes: to live today and now, to solve issues without the all-knowing Google, to make decisions as the heart and experience dictate.

The magic of the slow type of travel is when the emphasis is not on excursions, but on leisurely trips around the country.

Life (even for a week) will slow down in a small rural cottage, you will love going to the local farmers market for groceries, meet neighbors and allow yourself to travel to nearby cities (for one day). The stress will disappear and the budget will not suffer.

You can travel slowly: over several years or in two weekends

How did such a direction appear in tourism?

In Italy, in the 1980s, a protest began against the opening of a McDonald’s chain in Rome. Slow eating opposed fast food. Family unhurried meetings in cafes and pizzerias, the traditional lifestyle of Italians defended their right to exist.

Slow travel means renting a small cottage for a few days or a week and exploring the area by car or on foot. Cycling through nearby villages on unpaved country lanes, abandoning highways and highways.

Slow movement

Best Places for Slow Travel

Europe is the most popular place for such travel. Renting a car and housing is developed and accessible to everyone, public transport works smoothly, historical sights at every turn, English understand everywhere.

Slow travel is not for everyone

How to plan a slow travel

Renting an apartment is more economical than a hotel for longer stays. You must book your accommodation in advance.

This can be done on the following sites:

• Airbnb
• HomeAway
• TripAdvisor

There is a practice of exchanging houses. This is an alternative for long-term residence in another country. You can arrange to rent a car from your exchange partner. The most popular site for this is HomeExchange.com.

You can view profitable housing options right now.

Food is also "slow"

Find local markets and sample the cuisine of the town you are visiting.

A small bakery nearby will delight you with fresh catch and aromatic pastries for breakfast.

Slow travel is not for everyone

If you are used to living in a rhythm, in a hurry to go around all the countries of the world and are charged with tireless energy, then this type of tourism may seem boring.

If this is your only trip to Italy or, then it is worth thinking carefully about what is more important: to merge with the culture and local residents or see as many attractions as possible.

You can travel slowly over several years on a regular basis, or in two weekends. The main thing is to change the attitude towards rest.

Possibly doing less, not more, is the first step to Slow travel, especially if time is short.

This is also interesting:

How not to forget your belongings at home - to-do list What to take with you on vacation or pack the right suitcase 8 useful things to travel in comfort

This is when you arrive somewhere and live without thinking about time, instead of constantly moving from city to city, as in a round-the-world trip.

Adventurer and journalist Jonathan Angles, akin to Mad Max's Tom Hardy, recently published an article on slow travel. He claims that they are much cooler than any trip around the world.

You have to stretch the feeling of time while traveling, savoring tastes and smells, absorbing juicy colors with your eyes, without taking out your camera. Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and then listen to the songs of the crickets. Slow travel lets you get lost, dive into a tempting bar and watch locals flock to it.

Characters

Experts

About savings

Ivan Morgunov. It is obviously more economical to stay in one place. Unless, of course, this is London.

About whether to slow down

Mila Demenkova. All round the world and speed races are fun for boys, who will then measure themselves with tomatoes. If you want, you slow down, if you want, you jump from place to place.

About travel fatigue

Alexander York. The correct strategy is to use a specific location as a base to travel around the area.

A moment with transport

Anna Egorova. Kilometers of travel can be boring for hiking... If I had a car, then I would choose it.

About dating while traveling

Alexander York. In places where there are many interesting people, you want to meet and communicate constantly.

The main condition for slow tourism is to have a rest without haste: to move on foot, on a bicycle, horses or donkeys; live in a tent, a houseboat or on a farm; get acquainted with the local culture, customs, buy food and souvenirs “0 km” (grown and produced locally, not Crimean avocados with quinoa or Chinese magnets from around the world). A tourist is no longer a tourist, but a traveler.

Nothing, of course, is new under the moon of vacation: not that hiking, leisurely tourism with a backpack in the back was invented yesterday. But since travel around the world has become available not only to representatives of the very top of the social pyramid, the race “around the world in 80 days” has ceased to be interesting, and the traveler begins to choose not the most expensive, but what brings both pleasure and benefit.

The same happened with plastic bags: as a child, I had to go shopping with my grandmother's string bag, then plastic bags appeared in supermarkets, and my grandmother's handbags disappeared as unnecessary. But twenty years passed - and cellophane bags became an attribute of philistinism, and then irresponsibility, ecologists sounded the alarm. It turned out that the granny knew a lot about eco-shopping, and canvas bags can be quite a fashionable accessory.

Comparison of mass tourism with a threat to the Earth could be an exaggeration, but no: the world cultural heritage is really suffering from the uncontrolled flow of travelers, local residents, flora and fauna, ecosystems are destroyed, water bodies are polluted during the construction of another giant hotel or amusement park, etc. ...

One of the goals of slow travel is a non-traumatic vacation, but it should not be confused with ecotourism. The main goal of the slow trip is knowledge, calmness, rejection of the usual frantic rhythms.

From food to travel: how to procrastinate

The first slow movement originated in one of the most leisurely countries in Europe - the cradle of the "dolce vita" of Italy.

In 1986, Carlo Petrini founded in the small town of Bra the cultural association Arci Gola (Arci is an abbreviation of the cultural association, Gola - « throat "or" gluttony "), opposed to the fast food system. The aim of this movement was to preserve local food and wine traditions, to revive unique, endangered products, to stop the intense and monocultural Agriculture, preserve biodiversity and create caterers with a slow food philosophy. Instead of throwing a plastic cheeseburger into themselves on the run, visitors enjoy healthy food and dishes prepared according to local traditional recipes.

Together withslow food in Italy was born movimento slow, "Slow motion", urging not to rush, to live more calmly and consciously. Slowly, different directions of slow philosophy began to be born: in 1999, the "Slow City" was born in Italy, cittaslow ; wanted to become slow andthe science , andupbringing , and reading, and aging, and - last but not least - vacation.

So it is not surprising that the leisurely manner of travel received the most widespread resonance in the Apennine Peninsula. 2019 declared the year of slow tourism in Italy: Ministry cultural heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism of Italy has launched a portal with a map of the main routes of slow travelers.

The atlas contains only those paths that correspond to the wholeseries of criteria: for example, they should be safe, under the control of human rights bodies, be asphalted by a maximum of 40%, and places with food and lodging should be located no further than five kilometers from the road.

The map also shows cycle paths between cities, the most interesting towns, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, historic cemeteries and many other interesting sights.

Another Italian site - genteinviaggio.it - ​​published 10 Commandments of the Slow Tourist, which quickly became immutable rules on all portals on the topic:

1. Choose from rural tourism, eco-hotels or scattered hotels.
2. Avoid or too popular places.
3. Move by bike, eco-car, horse.
4. Wherever you are, clean up and properly recycle your waste.
5. Do not use plastic utensils.
6. Study the local culture. Learn a few words of the local language and tradition.
7. Adapt to any situation.
8. Buy only local products to boost the economy of your host region, organic products or clothing made from natural materials.
9. Do no harm to local animals and do not purchase endangered animals.

And finally, the good old:

1. Smile!

Is there a slow tourism in Russia

In Russia, slow tourism is gradually developing into last years, but rather weak and uneven: there is no centralized route security system, a tracking system for travelers and weather conditions, warning systems or sports camps.

The number of people choosing this type of recreation can be judged only by the statistics of placements in collective sports facilities (for example, those remaining after the Olympic Games): according to Rosstat, in the first nine months of 2017, 36.8 million Russian citizens were accommodated, over the same period in 2018 year - 41.6 million. There is no rating among the regions of the Russian Federation.

Slow tourism in Europe: in the footsteps of the Italian pilgrims

In Europe, slow tourism is developing much more actively, but also not everywhere. The most developed are those directions that have long been trodden by pilgrims. Spiritual tourism and religious sites began to attract not only adherents of religion, but also lovers of trekking, cultural heritage and historical monuments.

Many routes have associations that include security control, cleaning, first aid and transportation of travelers' luggage from yesterday's overnight stay to today.

One of the most famous religious routes in Europe is the Route of the Franks from Canterbury to Rome.

According to the latest study by Touring Club Italia, already in 2015, only 10% of pilgrims traveling in the footsteps were driven by religious reasons, the remaining 90% followed this path for completely different purposes. For example, 25% walked for cultural property, 17% just wanted to try a different vacation format. Three quarters of the holidaymakers went on foot, the rest rode a bicycle.

The average duration of the whole journey is 80 days. However, a rare tourist goes through it entirely: many limit themselves to small sections of the path (the average length of the journey is 10 days), remembering that the main purpose of their journey is rest, and not overcoming any obstacles at any cost.

Whether you have arrived for religious purposes or not, do not forget to first obtain (issue via the Internet or ask at the tourism office) your pilgrim's passport ( la credenziale in Italian, aka la credencial, or lacréanciale) and receive significant discounts with it at accommodations, catering and transport companies when you are going to return home.

The Way of Saint James: Through France, Spain and Portugal

Italy, of course, is not limited to the slow travel atlas. Religious sites in France attract about 51 million visitors every year. In 2018, about 327 thousand travelers passed the Way of St. James, which begins in the south of France or Portugal (there are several routes), and most of it passes through Spain.

Apparently, pilgrims prefer this route to the Way of the Franks: only 10% of visitors overcame the Way of St. James for purely cultural and in no way religious purposes.

Offers of slow and contemplative tourism and various eco-destinations can be found in any country, one has only to make a request in a search engine, but most of the information will be on Italy, Spain and France, which is not surprising: this trinity is firmly entrenched in leading positions in the lists of the most popular countries in the world.

Slow vehicles: legs and bicycles

The usual means of transportation for slow travelers is on foot. Based on the statistics of different routes, approximately 89% of tourists in 2018 traveled on foot. Many people make their own routes, pack their backpacks and download applications to a smartphone with GPS sensors, but if you are not a very experienced slow traveler, you may not take into account various important nuances, and it would be easier and safer to join an organized group.

The number of tourists choosing a bicycle is an order of magnitude less: a two-wheeled friend is still not only a means of transportation, but also a luxury. Equipment and cycling accessories cost money, and not everyone can cope with vehicle breakdowns in field conditions. At the same time, a bicycle is more traumatic than legs, and more cumbersome - if a tourist decides to change the route and travel part of the way, say, by hitchhiking, this can be an obstacle.

While gender parity prevails among pedestrians, cyclists are dominated bymen , women often refuse such a means of transportation, considering it

As paradoxical as it may sound, most people, after returning from a trip, need rest. It's ironic, isn't it? It is supposed that the trip should renew us, recuperate after hard months of work, energize us, but everything happens exactly the opposite. The intense pace that we set ourselves in the hope of seeing everything is very tiring. Moreover, it leaves us depressed, sometimes even disappointed.

Imagine that instead of a group tour of tourist spots and accommodation in chain hotels, you are relaxing in the wilderness of Provence or Tuscany. In the morning you get enough sleep and then walk to the nearest market to buy local products and have a cup of aromatic coffee in a colorful establishment. Every day you visit the surrounding area, walk not along the roads, but along the paths, communicate not with tourists, but with local residents. You don't want to visit all the attractions in the area - you slowly explore them at your own pace, for your pleasure. This is the magic of slow travel.

You will not believe how many interesting things you can learn without much fuss. Plus, it's an incredibly powerful way to truly experience the local culture and leave vivid memories in your memory. This is essentially the point of slow travel. This is not just a style of travel, it is a whole philosophy based on full immersion in the culture of an unfamiliar country. And just being relaxed isn't enough. Slow travel has its own principles.

Quality over quantity

This is one of the most important principles of slow travel. In pursuit of visiting as many countries as possible, in fact we only get stamps in the passport, missing all the most interesting. By focusing on one country, you can get a feel for the local atmosphere, get to know the locals and understand how different we are.

Minimum planning

Try to outline only contours and directions for your next trip. Find out prices and terms of use by public transport as well as the location of the center. Do the rest as you go. Like an artist, apply basic strokes on a blank canvas, and paint the "picture" itself during the journey.

Local apartments instead of hotels

With development AirBnb service staying in an apartment of local residents is now as easy as shelling pears. And instead of standard room in the hotel we get a colorful dwelling, saturated with the atmosphere and culture of the city of interest to us. Long-term stays can often get a discount, and from an environmental point of view, this option is better! Moreover, it is not necessary to rent an entire apartment, you can limit yourself to a room in the house. If you find a good option, then there will be an opportunity to communicate with the owners, try everyday familiar dishes and learn about what life is like from their point of view.

Time to do nothing

For some, doing nothing is manna from heaven, for others it is a real torture! If you are in the second category, we advise you to deliberately record the time for "nothing" in your travel calendar. Don't worry about getting bored. Doing nothing in a new place is the fastest road to adventure you'll ever find.

Learn new things

Slow travel provides an opportunity to enjoy the spiritual riches of the country, so don't be afraid to say yes to new experiences. Cooking classes local cuisine, traditional crafts, opera, festivals - all these are opportunities to learn something new. By immersing yourself in the local flavor, you will make your trip truly unique and personal.

Chat with the locals

Contemplating the amazing architecture and surrounding beauty is an indispensable attribute of any trip. However, to get to know the true soul of the country, you should get to know the locals better. Ask for their recommendations. What will they do on the weekend? Where do they usually go for dinner? The advice of bloggers who have been in the city for several days will never compare to the experience of the people who have lived there.

Use "slow" transport

Arriving at tourist place, try to use buses or trams. This way you will learn a lot more and will not be distracted by the road. The ideal solution would be to rent a bike. Two-wheeled transport will allow you to perfectly explore both a small European city and a small island somewhere in Asia. If you need to often go out of town, you can rent a car, but let these trips be unhurried and with obligatory stops.

Travel in the off season

In the off-season tourist cities feel completely different. Wandering around Piazza San Marco on a hot summer afternoon will make it difficult to push your way through the crowd. It takes a lot of effort to dodge selfie sticks and intrusive salespeople. But on a rainy November morning, the square will seem completely different, and you can enjoy the charm of the great city without unnecessary fuss. Doves flying overhead, spiers of buildings visible in the morning fog, a unique, slightly damp smell. They will leave indelible impressions and will forever be engraved in your memory as one of the most amazing moments.

Save

Usually slow travel means a longer vacation. This means that we subconsciously prepare to spend less. In comparison, a month of "slow" travel is about the same as a week-long tour of several cities in Europe. In a relaxed state, we are less prone to impulse buying and unnecessary spending. And expensive excursions and taxis are being replaced by luxurious walks and communication with people.

Do not hurry

It is impossible to see everything in one trip, even not all locals can boast of this. So relax and enjoy the moment. Enjoy the thought that you don't have to run anywhere, that you are in the right place at the right time. After all, this is your holiday. Your escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and the opportunity to experience something new.

Photo: @amberlyvalentine, audreyrivet.squarespace.com