You probably have heard about the concept of slow travel. If so, you will have a broad understanding of its principles.
After all, up to a point, the movement’s name is self-explanatory: if you intend to “travel slowly”, don’t rush. Take your time and take it easy.
So far for general principles. It is a little less straightforward, however, to say what Slow Travel means on the practical level of a specific holiday.
You and I may find the concept attractive and be ready to concentrate on the depth of our travel experience rather than on the surface area that we can cover within a given time, but what are we actually going to explore in such depth?
This is the question that the annual Slow Travel Fest has been addressing for the past four years by offering a wide range of suggestions. Why not combine your trip with lessons in a foreign language? Why not learn how to paint? Why not familiarize yourself with the culinary customs and traditions of a foreign country…
… or with its culture, in one or several different guises and manifestations such as music, dance, the theatre?
There is more to travel than roasting in the sun for a fortnight – or, for that matter, to visiting museums and old churches.
Join the Slow Travel Fest on the Via Francigena
The Festival itself adheres to the Slow Travel principles – and takes its time to unfold. The 2018 edition has started in mid June (from 15 to 17 June in the village of Filetto where multiple events were staged for families with small children) and will reach its climax next weekend in Monteriggioni where the festival was first staged in 2015 as a smaller, single-location event.
For three days, the Festival hosts will offer their guests long and short walks along the near-by Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrimage road from Northern Europe across the Alps to Rome, …
… musical and culinary events, wild-water rafting and mountain biking tours, courses in bushcrafting and yoga, travel writing workshops and round-table discussions on travel-related topics.
You can even acquaint yourself with the basics of forest bathing and herbal medicine, and there will be performances, workshops and hiking trips, all set in the ravishingly beautiful landscape of Tuscany.
Clearly, not everything on this list will appeal to everybody, but on the other hand, you have to be of a pretty grumpy disposition not to find at least a couple of items on the menu of more than 20 events that you might fancy.
Because, of course, the question of how to design a satisfying Slow Travel experience does not have a single, one-size-fits-all answer. You must find what you are interested in, what you want to explore in some greater depth – and then do it, no matter how long it takes.
If something is worthwhile doing, it is surely worthwhile doing it well and thoroughly. That, however, more often than not, takes time.
Now, the best way of experiencing the Slow Travel Fest is to come in person: the Monteriggioni leg of the Festival starts on Friday, 21 September and continues until the following Sunday afternoon. If you want to find out more, you can read all about the programme here.
The second best way is to follow the Slow Travel Fest on Easy Hiker. We will tell you over our next couple of posts what we have found in Monteriggioni – and what we will take home from our experiences.
Is there perhaps a new way: a better way of doing easy hiking trips? Are there still new tricks for us old dogs to learn? We shall soon find out!
