When it comes to travelling, a new trend is emerging that’s all about slowing down, seeing more and making the most out of the journey. Slow down your Travel and discover the hidden secrets of our beautiful area.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” Ernest Hemingway once said. Hemingway was one of the twentieth century’s most renowned authors and travellers, and his sentiment about travelling is one that is sparking a new trend. Slow travel, a movement sweeping across the world, encouraging travellers to quite literally slow down and enjoy the journey, rather than simply rushing about from one place to the next, ticking off the typical tourist sights and “must-sees”.

Slow has emerged as an antidote to ‘fast’, just in the same way as the slow food movement set out to fight against fast, processed food in long supply chains. Fast travel such as on airplanes or high speed motorways destroys an important connection with places and especially landscapes which are the cornerstone of tourism. Slow travel is therefore a state of mind about how to get the best from a day out or holiday rather than squeezing every second out of the day. Travelling at a slower pace and engaging with places on the way is, in essence, what makes slow travel different.

By Julia Freeman-Woolpert freeimages.com

A slower lifestyle

The “slow” movement is one that has gathered pace in recent years, as an alternative to the fast, hectic and often frantic modern lifestyles that many of us lead. The idea was first voiced in the 1980s, after a protest about the opening of a McDonald’s fast food restaurant by the Spanish Steps in Rome city sparked a mini revolution. A small group of people began to question the “fast” culture of food, work, travel, art, goods, fashion and living that characterised modern life for many people. They decided that slowing down would lead to more enjoyment, more appreciation and a better understanding of the important things in life.

And the idea behind slow travel is exactly the same…. In a car, you are in a bubble away from the sounds, smells and sense of so many places passed through at speed. When you arrive on foot, by cycle, bus or train you get a much better feeling of the places in between.

And the art of slow travel doesn’t always have to mean travelling miles to exotic locations and far-flung destinations; there is so much to discover on the doorstep, and Snowdonia and North Waes has a lot to offer the slow traveller.

There are plenty of reasons to embrace slow travel in everyday life, not least because it’s a great way to really get to know an area, its culture and embrace some local knowledge and gossip. Slow travel allows, out of necessity, to have conversations with fellow travellers going about their daily business; and that’s where the rural bus is at its best. Not only are there good views, but also there’s a chance to learn from others.

If the idea of slow travel has struck a chord, then why not give it a go? There are many easy ways to get involved. Walking, cycling and running are all great ways to slow travel, but so are getting the bus or the train. You never know, you might just discover somewhere you’ve never noticed before!

Andrew Simpson on freeimages.com