Sustainable travel: The art of slowing down

Of course, slow travel is nothing new, and several specialist tour operators have already embraced the concept. Inn Travel specialises in rail and walking holidays throughout Europe, often hand-picking less-visited routes like the local train lines that trundle at a snail’s pace between northern Spain’s villages and the coast. New this year is a four-night walk along Fife’s Coastal Path with stops at distilleries, a chocolate shop and smokehouses. Yet this is just one example among many.

Saddle Skedaddle offer supported cycling adventures for all levels of experience in the UK. Likewise, small-group trips with Rabbie’s in Scotland are flexible, so local guides can make detours and slow down at the group’s request. Village Ways, meanwhile, leads hikes between self-contained communities and homestays high in the Nepalese and Indian Himalaya. And lastly, Much Better Adventures are pros at curating self-powered expeditions, including a coast-to-coast adventure on foot and by kayak across Costa Rica’s jungle-laden interior.

New slow-travel itineraries are popping up all the time. Responsible Travel offers a Morocco ‘High Atlas Homestay’ tour for 2022, taking guests to a Berber homestay in the Atlas Mountains, visiting women’s cooperatives and offering the chance to try traditional crafting. Operating in lesser-explored parts of Scotland, Italy and Sweden, Slow Adventure launched in 2021 and is working with local micro-businesses to help travellers access smaller-scale experiences. Its ‘The Art of Climbing and Yoga’ trip offers an intimate escape in Lombardy’s Valtellina valley – known as Italy’s Yosemite.

Destinations are also responding to the demand for slower experiences. The Trans Bhutan Trail has reopened for the first time in 60 years after a massive restoration effort. Community tourism pioneer G Adventures is already offering an 11-day camping and homestay trip specially designed to provide income opportunities for young people in remote villages along the way. Closer to home, Visit Wales is helping visitors slow down on its northern coast, providing car-free travel itineraries for exploring The North Wales Way, from cruising canals to biking the Brailsford Way in Snowdonia.

And last but certainly not least, the ultimate slow-travel experiences involve ditching curated itineraries and embracing spontaneity. It’s often when we throw ourselves into the unknown that the real magic truly reveals itself.