I’ll repeat that again: for the last 2 decades, I’ve been travelling wrong.

But wait – you’ll ask – is there actually a right way to travel? Honestly, the answer is no. Travel is one of those things arguably more personal than your preferred type of lingerie. It is intensely dependent on how quickly you want to move, who you want to move with, and how much you want to move out of your comfort zone. Everyone has a different threshold for these things, and the truth is there is nothing wrong with that. 

But I’m talking about myself here. For the longest time, I’ve been a very … efficient traveller. I methodically trawl Tripadvisor, Pinterest and other travel blogs for the Top 10 hotels/restaurants/attractions/things to do and plan my itinerary carefully such that it will be able to accommodate as many of these as possible. I wanted to be able to say I’ve been here and done that, and to a certain extent, writing a travel blog made things even worse because I felt compelled to see and do more so that I would be able to get as much material as possible to write about. But this way of travelling, albeit very accomplishing, was strangely unsatisfying at times. And, more often than not, I would return home feeling more exhausted than before the trip. 

But travel isn’t supposed to be like that, is it?

In fact, travel is supposed to have a bring about a ton of health benefits. But it was only on our trip to Barcelona last winter, over a 4 hour meal in a cozy apartment where we learnt how to prepare tapas and cook paella, that I was introduced to the concept of slow travel by my good hosts, Guillermo and Cristina (who incidentally, run their own travel company called Barcelona Slow Travel). Since then, I’ve been convinced that this is how I should be travelling henceforth, and lately I’ve been so happy to realise that it’s becoming a movement that’s gaining popularity all around the world as well!  In this post, I hope to share my understanding of what slow travel is, in hopes that it will lead some of you to fall in love with this manner of travelling as well.

So… what is Slow Travel?

Seeking breadth, not depth. 

To do this, you need to accept a simple fact:

You are never going to be able to see and do EVERYTHING.

I repeat: NEVER.

This is impossible even when you live in a city for a couple of years, much less when you visit for a week or so. It sounds obvious, but I suspect this is what most people set out to achieve whenever they go somewhere new. In Singapore, we have a term to describe this: kiasu, which literally translates to the fear of missing out on something. Yet kiasuism is what makes travel stressful, since rushing from one tourist attraction to another, and trying to stretch your stomach to accommodate more than 3 meals a day cannot possibly be a relaxing affair.

Which brings me to my next point.

Pick your pleasure. 

Since you know you can’t do everything, there are several important decisions to make. What motivates you to travel? What excites you about going somewhere new? We all have different muses and whimsies and it helps when you know what yours are. For us, it’s hunting down gastrorgasmic food, street art, making new friends and understanding local perspectives, and doing activities that we wouldn’t get the chance to do in Singapore. (Of course, this varies according to destination. For example, shopping becomes a priority in the US!) Since there are infinite possibilities of what you could possibly do, it helps if you are well-attuned to what you enjoy experiencing when you travel, so that you can focus on those activities and indulge fully in them.

Pick the right travel partners.

This might seem like a minor point, but if you really want to slow travel, this is crucial. Your travel partners determine the pace of your trip, then activities you do, and the things you see. I’ve gone on trips where I’m resigned to literally chilling out in the backseat and just zipping from one place to another because I know there is no hope of travelling slow when everyone else is more inclined to trawling the malls, taking selfies at tourist attraction #5948343, and ensuring that every waking second of the day is spent “doing something productive”. Because the truth is, not everyone’s idea of fun includes sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by, or spending 4 hours in an apartment learning to cook Spanish food! So if you’re not travelling alone, make sure to pick your partners wisely and communicate your expectations for the trip. I’m blessed that my husband has been the quintessential slow traveller, and I suspect he’s more than relieved now that I finally get why he’s constantly asking me to slow down.

Live like a local.

I believe that one of the most fascinating things about travelling is observing how people go about their daily lives. In Cambodia, the term for this is same same, but different. How fascinating is it that as humans, we go through the same processes every day, but in such varied ways? From navigating the local transport network (even if this means body surfing in Seoul), indulging in the strong brunch culture in Sydney or a siesta in Spain, travel is so much more fun when you imagine yourself as a temporary resident than as a casual tourist. Live in an AirBnb apartment, venture into the local markets, eat at local eateries even if you don’t know the language, talk to the locals as much as you can. There are few things more gratifying than to know that you’re leaving a country not just with new experiences and memories, but also new friends. (Read: Awesome apps to help you travel like a local)

Go SLOW.

Don’t get me wrong – slow travel is not about avoiding the main tourist attractions and going all hipster, indie and off the beaten path. Most tourist attractions weren’t “built” for the sake of attracting hordes of people, they just naturally became so because they are truly works of wonder and are well worth the visit. That’s why slow travel is about not rushing through them, but instead savouring and truly appreciating their beauty. Hike the Inca Trail instead of taking the tourist bus to Macchu Picchu. Enjoy a picnic at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Sit and enjoy the quirky genius of Gaudi in La Sagrada Famiglia.

Or, in other words, enjoy life.

I hope I’ve been able to convince you of how amazing (and surprisingly easy!) slow travel is. But if I haven’t, that’s fine! Because here’s another truth: slow travel is not for everyone, and not for every trip. Like I said, travel is intensely personal and should be enjoyed the way you like it, and some people do enjoy the adrenaline of rushing from one place to another and ticking many destinations and must-dos off their checklist. It’s also not instinctive, because till this day, there is still that kiasu beast in me that goes into overdrive sometimes and tries to cram too many things into the itinerary. But… I’d like to think of it as a learning process, and if like me, you’ve been wondering what has been missing from your travels and why it has left you more tired than you would ideally want, I hope slow travel is something you will come to enjoy as much as I do.

Do you have any tips for slow travel? Share them with us in the comments section! (: