Travel By Any Other Name
Inspiration is a big part of the Art + Travel section on artist-at-large.com. Before the internet, I used to just tell my stories to whoever would listen and never wrote them down. People often said I inspired them to go to places and to do things they’ve never thought about before. So when I started the site, my hope was that it would do the same.
A big part of that inspiration is also the art of exploring one place. Go somewhere, sit in one place for awhile, get to know the community, the baker, the shopkeeper, the cafe owner, and read the local paper. The idea being that to experience the world through another set of eyes makes your world just a little bit bigger, a little broader.
As I was surfing around the web this morning I stumbled across a site called SlowMovement. The term Slow-Anything is relatively new, just a few years old – Slow Food, Slow Living, Slow Money, and yes, Slow Travel. Although the concept of Slow Travel is not new. I suppose the concept of Slow-Anything is not new, it’s just how things used to be, but even with the advent of the 11 cities in 11 days tours and cruises on self-contained ships the concept of Slow Travel has always had its adherents. Like me.
What is Slow Travel?
“One of the defining elements of slow travel is the opportunity to become part of local life and to connect to a place and its people. Slow travel is also about connection to culture.
Gone are the hectic holiday tours where you flit from one ‘must see’ to another, and arrive home feeling like you need a holiday. Slow travellers stay in one place for at least a week. … “
