Slow Travel: What does it mean?

For me, slow travel is largely about giving ourselves enough time to notice where we are. When we move quickly from one place to another, following a list of highlights we saw somewhere online, it is easy to experience a place without ever really getting to know it.

Staying a little longer changes that. You begin to recognise the essence of a place: when people go to work, where they meet, what the weather is doing, how the landscape changes through the day. You might have a conversation that wasn't planned, learn something you didn't expect to learn, or spend an afternoon walking without feeling that you should be "seeing" as much as you can before you leave.

For me, this is also where slow travel becomes connected to the way we move. Walking, cycling, kayaking, taking the bus, or staying in one place for a while can make us more aware of our surroundings. We become less separated from the places we are travelling through.

There is also something about the relationship between visitors and the people who live in a place. I don't think slow travel automatically makes that relationship a good one, but having more time can create opportunities for something more genuine and reciprocal. We can listen, ask questions, learn from people who know the place, and perhaps contribute something in return.

I think this is what I am drawn to in slow travel. It leaves room for curiosity. It leaves room for things to happen that weren't part of the original plan. And perhaps most importantly, it gives us the possibility of feeling a little more connected to a place rather than simply passing through it.

The Westfjords naturally lend themselves to this kind of travelling. Distances are long, the weather can change quickly, and many places are small enough that you soon start recognising familiar faces. The winters are long and quiet, while summer brings almost endless daylight and a different atmosphere. There is a lot here that asks you to slow down, whether you planned to or not.

This is something I try to keep in mind when I design journeys with Næra Westfjords. I want to leave enough time for people to settle into their surroundings and become curious about them. Sometimes that might mean staying somewhere for several nights instead of moving on. It might mean walking when we could have driven, spending time with someone from the local community, or practice something that creates a lasting memory of the place we experienced it.

I don't think there is one right way to travel slowly, but I do believe that when we allow ourselves to slow down, to be present, to notice more, we learn to enjoy that calmness of knowing we don't have to rush elsewhere. And perhaps, we leave with something deeper than a collection of pictures.