I always laugh when I see trips advertising three days in Rome or two days in Paris. What could you possibly do in that short amount of time? A visit to the Louvre alone will kill the better part of a day! In my mind, it’s only worth travelling if you can slow down and enjoy the city you’re in. I don’t want to have to rush from venue to venue, trying to keep a strict schedule; I don’t like to feel that I’m a slave to my itinerary. Besides, two days in the City of Light would mean a huge amount of bus touring, or taxi rides, or some other mode of convenient transportation.
Instead, where possible, I like to do most of my travelling on foot. It’s good for my soul, my pocketbook, and my planet.
For instance, when I went to New York, I made sure to borrow books about self-directed walking tours. That way I could decide where and when to stay or go. I did the same thing in Florence and Rome.
If you’d like information about slow travel, visit your local library branch, or the experts on Central Library’s 4th floor. Slow Travel isn’t only about walking around in your chosen destination. It’s about finding all sorts of ways to enjoy travelling and the new experiences you’ll have, without leaving a trail of enormous carbon footprints behind you.
Slow Travel could be taking a boat or a train, riding horseback or hoofin’ it on your own. It could mean carpooling or cycling, or even kayaking. Check out some of these titles for ideas about Slow Travel from Alistair Sawday:
Go Slow France: Special Places to Stay, Slow Travel and Slow Food
Go Slow England and Wales: Special Places to Stay, Slow Travel and Slow Food
Go Slow Italy: Special Places to Eat, Stay and Savor by Alastair Sawday with Jackie King
Slow Travel and Tourism by Janet Dickinson and Les Lumsdon
This book is not so much a guidebook as an exploration of the concept of slow travel. It does include some case studies from around the world, promoting travel by train, bus, cycling and walking.
Katherine