Embracing the art of slow travel is something that is fairly new to me, and honestly, I really had to keep an open mind to even give it a try. I had always been that paced traveller trying to make the best out of my travel journeys , mainly, because of limited holidays and I wanted to see it all! My itineraries used to be jam packed leaving me more exhausted after the vacation but, I actually never had any problem with that style too. In fact, I love it.

My first slow travel was a solo trip to Shangarh in Himachal Pradesh. I remember jostling with so many things in my mind that I just wanted to go to the mountains and give myself a break for couple of days. The feeling of emancipation as I lie on those vast meadows in still fresh in my mind. I spent the majority of my time sitting on the elevated level of the meadows, staring at the mountains in the distance as clouds unfolded into various shapes and I returned home fairly sorted in my head 🙂

Another vivid slow travel of mine, is my visit to Gudalur in 2023. Gudalur, a small mountain town in Tamil Nadu, was nothing like what I expected it to be. I wouldn’t have believed that such a beautiful hidden hill station gems exist in the southern part of India if I hadn’t visited Gudalur. At first, the idea of not doing anything felt really boring but as time passed in Gudalur, I embraced the idea of simply being one with nature. With no pressure of a packed itinerary, the days became magical. I would lie whole day on the green grass, listening to the chirping of the birds, bamboo trees as they sway with the wind and my slow and steady heartbeat. To this day, the Gudalur trip remains the most relaxing one for me, and I long to return someday when I need to clear space in my mind, away from the constant juggling and bobbing of daily life.

Recently, me and my partner made a last minute plan to visit California from Seattle. He loves that place for its golden sunshine and pleasant weather year round. Seattle rains were getting a bit too much for us so we packed our bags for a weekend trip to the golden city. It was my first time to this place and a part of me wanted to explore it to the best. I did made a comprehensive itinerary for our 3 day trip trying to keep it as relaxing as possible for us, but well, yea it still included ‘things to do’ section but, the idea was to soak in the sunshine as much as possible. For the first two days, we did nothing from what was planned. We went with the flow of having relaxed brunches, lying on the beaches the whole day doing mindful breathing and watching the waves crashing on the shores. We took long strolls along the coastal line and through the very well manicured California’s residential neighborhood. We kept last day to visit the places that I really wanted to and it turned out to be the perfect way of spending our 3 days. It was a nice, short break for daily routine and a nice short chance to embrace the idea of slow travel. We managed to strike a perfect balance between slow travel and exploration within the limit of our timeframe.

The core idea of my travel is still the jam packed itinerary but I understand we can always balance the both, exploring and travelling slow. As I am progressing in my journey of accepting the idea of slow travel, I am realizing slow travel is mostly about winding down, creating that space in your mind. It is the idea of letting go of all the hustle and vibing in with the place in its true essence. Slow travel is an art of soaking it in, one moment at a time so that you come back home, rejuvenated.

To many more slow travels to come, and to the all the slow travel lovers out there <3.

Embracing, one moment at a time!