By now, you are probably aware of slow living. It’s the art of doing everything slowly and with intention. Enjoy every moment, lowering the need to consume, and earning to reuse and recycle.
Slow living is a measured approach to life, learning to appreciate everything and living at a slower pace.
It is clear this aspect is at the lowest levels than ever in history. Just think about how fast our lives have become in the last couple of decades. Not to mention that digitalization has made all of our activities much faster. You can find all the information you want in a couple of minutes, without investing any real effort into it.
Since you can come across everything whenever you want, the time you have gets faster. You have certainly heard people saying that they do not have enough free time to commit to their relatives. Digitalization is a significant aspect of this trend.
In recent years that has become part of the travel industry too. Slow tourism isn’t new, but it has been branded in the last couple of years. Slow or calm tourism focuses on the sustainability of the trips they take, avoiding the heavy tourist-packed areas and looking for peace elsewhere.
After all, it’s a big world, and yet we all seem to visit the same places – en masse.
Slow tourism is likely to be seen with backpackers through Australia, Central America, or Southeast Asia. Keep in mind that slow tourism isn’t about speed – contrary to how it sounds, it is more about experiencing cultures, supporting the local economy, and trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Authentic travel and experiencing the location as the natives do involves less sightseeing and more eating local food, supporting local businesses, and learning more about culture.
Slow tourism and looking for peace doesn’t mean it’s crucial to throw out your technology or miss out on lounging everywhere on your BorrowABoat rental or that you can’t use a plane to reach a location. It just means that you’re completely present whenever you are.
With that, some locations lend themselves to the philosophy of taking it slow and experiencing the culture.
Palawan, Philippines
Many people will say that Palawan is a version of heaven. With beautiful mineral peaks escalating from jewel-like marine so clear, it is almost unbelievable. This island region reaches southwest Borneo. It is just one of the lovely places you can find in this region. The main difference is that it doesn’t have as many visitors per year.
Many isles offer slivers of stunning sand beaches surrounded by rustling palms, as well as coral reefs filled with an incredible variety of exotic fish, providing the finest diving you will ever experience.
Other charms include the Philippines’ one-of-a-kind environment, lovely lagoons, and charming fishing communities. El Nido, one of the chain’s most appealing isles, is the place where you can find many extravagant locations. From this point, you may explore the remarkable Bacuit.
The Cook Islands
If you want to be a survivor, you shouldn’t look further than the Cook Islands. Fifteen isles make up the peninsula. Which is definitely among the most thrilling locations, nestled in the middle of a couple of countries, but still with strong ties to New Zealand.
Enticing blue creeks and summits will definitely provide you with a great experience. The inhabitants are also among the kindliest locations. Not only that, they have an exciting culture. If you want to come prepared, you can always consult some literature that focuses on this topic.
Rarotonga is the leading location, because of the numerous mountains and limitless seashores. Aitutaki is another jaw-dropping place. Hibiscus-draped cities cling to the slopes, lagoon’s 21 motu, or little islets. You will be happy to overhear that you can visit these just by kayaking.
Embroil yourself in a cottage or hunker down in a wooden seashore house on a secluded offshore isle to discover the tranquility you seek. There are two options you can choose from. You can either go on your own, or you can come with your partner. So, this is a great chance for you to spend some quality time.
Nauru
If you’re looking for the most distant places to visit, then Nauru is a great option. It has only 12k inhabitants and around two hundred tourists annually. Since there is almost nothing relevant from the majority of people’s perspectives, it is the perfect place for you to practice slow tourism.
There are no boats, so you’ll have to fly. Taking the trip from Brisbane or Fiji is the most budget-friendly. So, you will not need to pay a high price for the ticket.
It is significant to remember you might need to have a visa before travel, and it can take a little while to get one. For that reason, it is important to point out that starting this process a couple of months before travel is an absolute must.
Another thing you can do on this place since it isn’t set up for tourism is walk or run some of the 19km roads that circle the entire country. As you can see, this is a great chance for people who love to walk.
Khushuut, Mongolia
Mongolia is one of the places with the lowest number of visitors. That doesn’t mean that nobody is interested in visiting Mongolia. In fact, there’s a significant number of tourists who are interested solely in coming to these places.
If you want to experience Mongolia from the best perspective, visit one of its least go-to-see locations, Khushuut. We are talking about a region, best-known for a coal mine. Despite the mine, we are talking about a place where the environment is still preserved completely.
For example, you can reside in a yurt, which is a traditional Mongolian tent. Even if you are a social person, this may not look like an ideal place to spend holidays. Still, we’re confident you will find enough activities you can enjoy. For example, you can visit Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
Khushuut is one of the smallest towns in Mongolia. With that in mind, you can spend some exceptional time in the Altai Mountains. If you require some company, you can always spend quality time with families who hunt eagles.
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands are another low tourist count set of islands, with under 5,000 people visiting per year. Compared with the Dominican Republic that sees more than 6 million, it’s a tiny amount. So, you can get well-rested, because you will not interact with too many people.
The Marshall Islands are formed of atolls and remote places and are known for their incredible scuba diving and marine life. The atolls are gemmed with hibiscus, Flame of the Forest, and a wide range of brightly colour flowers and plants. Against the sky-blue backdrop, they are incredible to look at.
You will also notice the lush coconut, papaya, and breadfruit plantations – which genuinely drive home the point – you are in paradise. When we say paradise, we mean it literally.
In Conclusion
If you choose to head here something you will be diving in amongst the wrecks from World War II or checking out Bikini Island. Bikini Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
When it comes to looking for a piece of paradise and remaining true to your goals to be low impact but as relaxed, the countries above offer the opportunity to really entertain yourself in the way you prefer.
While you will experience all the culture and cuisine it has to offer, there is almost nothing you can enroll in, when we’re talking about traditional tourism. But that doesn’t necessarily need to be a bad thing. It all depends on the perspective you have.
You will get the silence and introspection you are looking for when choosing any of these locations and always check the visa requirements. Once again, we would like to say that it is important to conduct this process a couple of months before you travel. Make sure you do that to prevent any discomfort.
Even though industrialization has reached even the most distant parts of the world, there are still some places where you can enjoy yourself on your own. In this article of ours, you can take a look at a couple of these. We assure you that each of these will provide you with exactly what you look for.