- Slow travel is gaining popularity as more Americans seek to destress on vacations.
- Travelers are booking longer trips and spending more time in each destination.
My trip to Europe in October 2022 was doomed from the start.
My itinerary? Travel by train to six cities in four countries in just two weeks.
Don't get me wrong — I had a good time on the whirlwind trip. It was fascinating to explore new cities and countries so different from mine. But ultimately, the trip wasn't fulfilling.
Two weeks just isn't enough time to see more than a small fraction of what Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Venice, Milan, and Zurich offer, as I spent one to three nights in each city.
Looking back on it, I feel like I viewed them more through my camera than my own eyes. From the Colosseum in Rome to the canals in Venice, I only hit the tourist hot spots without truly discovering what life was really like in each place.
I should have been more like Claire Sturzaker.
When the full-time solo traveler books a trip, she said it's usually at least a month long. She schedules time to rest and explore lesser-known destinations that are just a day trip away.
"It helps me really get to know the place without rushing around," she told Business Insider. "I'd rather spend a month getting to know a place than say, 'All right, I've been here for a day. Let's go."
And she's not the only one.
According to the Summer 2024 Travel Trends Report: The Rise of the 'Slowcation' by Scott Dunn, founder of the luxury travel provider Scott Dunn, 60% of 2,000 US participants are planning vacations to have slow travel. The report described it as a "mindset" that emphasizes "exploring somewhere on a deeper level" and "making space mentally and physically for things to happen spontaneously."
A representative of the luxury travel agency Goway told BI that their clients have been booking an average of three additional days for trips than they did before the pandemic, and more travelers now book 11-day vacations compared to any other length of time.
While the "slowcation" trend is on the rise, the idea of slow travel — spending more time truly getting to know a destination rather than rushing to hit the tourist hot spots — is nothing new.
Slow travel is about "exploring all of what one country has to offer, whether…going from different major cities to different landscapes, checking out coastal areas, or going into the mountains and hiking depending on your traveler preference," Goway destination specialist Melissa Moses told BI. "It's seeing the difference between each city and one country and the landscapes of one country to get a better idea of that culture as a whole."
It doesn't just benefit the vacationer — sustainability experts have been promoting the slow approach to travel for years.
"Fewer but longer trips mean fewer air miles, more money in local hands, and you'll have a more relaxing trip, too," Justin Francis, cofounder and CEO of Responsible Travel, previously told BI.
Slow travel is a way to destress
Slowcations are on the rise due to more Americans prioritizing destressing on vacation, according to Dunn's report, which says that the ideal trip length is eight days, and among the travelers they surveyed, it took an average worker three days to switch out of work mode once on vacation.
Career coach Alice Stapleton agrees.
"With smartphones, social media, and easy access to WiFi, it's become harder and harder to switch off completely," she told BI in an email. "Work (and life) is incredibly consuming these days, and it can take a while for the nervous system to adjust to a slower pace."
Still, not every traveler can take a monthlong trip like Sturzaker. That's OK since Stapleton recommends taking 7-10 days to recharge for someone with a typical 40-hour week.
Slow travel isn't just about trip length
Therapist Mark Loewen also agrees with Dunn's report, adding that restoring yourself on vacation isn't just about trip length.
"What makes a bigger difference than the time is how you spend that time," Loewen told BI. "One of the big reasons…vacations are good for us is because it engages another part of our brain by paying attention to something different. And just like on a computer, it helps that area that is constantly working to cool down."
He said the second big reason is that learning and discovering new things excites our brains, creating dopamine that helps us recover from stress.
"But if we are still connected to other stressors like news, we can't fully step into whatever we're doing," he added. "So the faster we can disconnect, the faster we can get that recovery."
Aside from completely disconnecting from work, Loewen suggests spending less time on your phone while slow traveling.
"I know it can be hard. I went standup paddling the other day, and I didn't have my waterproof case for my phone. I went for an hour and didn't even take any pictures, and I was like, 'Oh, man, yeah, I can do that.'"
Loewen doesn't recommend seeing a new city every day while traveling — as I did in Europe — because the trip may feel more like checking off items on a to-do list than enjoying the moment.
"Slow down and take the time, because otherwise, you're trying to achieve again — thinking, 'now we have to get all this done,'" Loewen said. "But it's OK if we don't get it all done. If you're exploring, find days where you can just rest and relax as well. "
When planning slowcation itineraries, Moses recommends scheduling in rest days.
"I personally always suggest at least three nights in each city where one of those days is packed with activities, and then the next day is a rest day," she said.
Biking and trains are great for slow travel
Prioritizing how you travel while on vacation can give you peak slow travel benefits, such as biking or train travel.
For example, in Central Vietnam, the tour company Slow Travel Hue provides bike excursions that are a half-day long rather than just an hour or two.
"It's really about the mindset that you really take time to savor the experience," Do Phuong, tour company founder, told BI. "Search for authentic experiences. Schedule your itinerary in a very loose way. Be really immersed into the experience and try to connect with local culture, local people, and the surrounding nature," he advises.
According to Phuong, the tour company has been around since 2014, but it wasn't until 2020 that they rebranded to serve slow travelers as the trend began to build.
Loewen said train trips are also a great way to travel slowly because they make the journey feel like a destination. Scott Dunn's global product director, Simon Lynch, agrees.
"Leisurely train travel is one of the best ways to experience slow travel, allowing you to sit back and savor every moment," he told BI in an email. "A new wave of luxury rail itineraries has driven a thirst for cultural immersion, exploring the less-visited backroads of popular destinations."
Lynch added that Scott Dunn has had three times as many train trip bookings between January and April 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023. One of their most popular train bookings for slow travelers is the Eastern & Oriental Express sleeper that runs between Singapore and Malaysia.
Moses told BI that she recommends traveling by train to roughly 90% of destinations around Europe because it is more seamless than flying.
"The train stations are located in the city centers. It's oftentimes within a five-minute walk from your hotel. So depending on your luggage, you can always just walk to the train station. You only need to be there 20-30 minutes before your train departs and just hop on," she said. "Whereas when taking a flight, what could be a two-hour destination trip turns into a four or five-hour one."
Moses recommends slow travel by train in Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, citing the Glacier Express. It's "a stunning experience through the Alps," Moses added. "It has a clear rooftop, and you can have a prearranged three-course lunch or dinner on the train."
Despite the obvious benefits of lower stress, deeper immersion in the cities you visit, and sustainability rewards, Lynch says slow trips may also be more memorable.
"Taking a slower and gentler approach to the way that you travel — and making the journey part of your trip — will not only encourage you to relax and unwind quicker but inevitably lead to discovery along the way," Lynch said. "This, in turn, can help you to make meaningful memories, too."