Have you ever arrived home from a holiday and feel like you need another holiday to recover? Well, a new travel trend is encouraging travellers to slow down and travel to less locations but spend more time learning about the area and allowing yourself to truly soak up the culture and the surrounding area. Slow travel brings us back to the roots of why we travel, to take a break, relax, rejuvenate and connect, to people cultures fod and music. With help from the experts in youth travel and working holidays, The Global Work & Travel Co., we have put together five slow travel tips for your next holiday.
Strike up a chat with the locals
Connecting with locals is the easiest thing you can do and will add the most value to your experience and understanding of a place. Working holidaymaker, Tyla Mansergh says meeting new people on her trip to Canada was the best part of slow travel.
“People really do make or break your whole experience and I’m very lucky to have met only amazing people on my trips,” Tyla said.
Having conversations with locals on their favourite things to do and see will add the most value to your experience and understanding of a place.
“Staying in a place long enough to live like a local is the best way to travel.”
Eat like a local, not like a tourist
One of the fastest ways to connect with a culture and its people is through food. We all need to eat and who doesn’t love to share their favourite dish? Understanding the local cuisine is the first big step in understanding a new culture. Besides, who wants to travel halfway around the world and eat a cheeseburger meal from McDonalds?
Stay in a BnB/House Swap/Guest House
If you really want to slow travel, there are so many options to choose from other than big name hotels: smaller, family-run hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, and farm-stays. You can get even more local by using services like Couchsurfing and AirBnB, house-sitting, or choosing to rent an apartment in a non-touristy part of town. By choosing to forgo the usual hotel chains, you will come in contact with the local neighbourhood, in a way you wouldn’t otherwise.
Take alternative forms of transportation
Whilst you may have to take a plane to get to your destination, that doesn’t mean while you’re there that you need to be taking the fastest routes around town. The train can be a great way to sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey, even before you get to your destination. Driving trips are also a great way to slowly navigate destinations and see the road less explored.
Stay in one place
It’s only natural we want to make the most of our time off, but the truth is you will never see everything a place has to offer. Taking a 2-week 11 destination holiday will have you running around and run down.
Currently teaching in Thailand, Lauren Hartree says if you’ve really wat to connect with a destination, then spending extended time in your country of choice is the option for you.
“I’ve had the chance to explore all over Thailand from top to bottom and enjoy one of the best working abroad experiences available,” Lauren said.
Take time to have authentic, local experiences and really understand the city or town that you are visiting.
“I would recommend getting to know as many people as you can, be friendly to everyone and you will gain something from that.”
Do you want to fully immerse yourself into another country’s culture? The Global Work & Travel Co. has a range of working holidays and volunteering trips all around the world.
For more information: www.globalworkandtravel.com
