If you haven’t heard the term ‘slow travel’ before then now is the time to find out what it is all about. It is a trend that is growing very popular across the world right now and it involves holidays and traveling plans that have a slower pace.

What are the benefits of slow travel?

Rather than cramming as much as you can into your two week vacation, the onus is around taking time to really enjoy your surroundings. This means doing a lot more walking, cycling or going on a boat so that you can feel more immersed in the experience. It is also the more eco-friendly approach to travelling, with people opting to take more environmentally friendly methods of transport, switching planes for trains, walking instead of going by car.

This is one of the key reasons that many millennials are now choosing slow travel for their holidays or gap year travel. It also fits into the mindfulness approach that is also growing in popularity. It centres around living in the moment and letting your mind fully attend to the space you are travelling through.

Good for the body and mind

Another great benefit of slow travel is that it allows you to really recharge your batteries. If you have a week’s holiday that is filled with rushing around, facing airport delays, visiting theme parks and other exhilarating attractions, you are probably having lots of fun but you are not relaxing your body and mind. Slowing the pace right down, going for walks in the countryside or along the beach is a much better way to rejuvenate, especially if you have a demanding job or lots of family responsibilities.

Slow travel is also about choosing travel destinations that have a slower pace. If you were visiting Ireland, for example, choosing to stay somewhere quiet and remote in the countryside or coastal areas enables slow travel. Going for a long weekend around Dublin’s nightlife and cramming in a bit of shopping is much less likely to have the same health benefits of a few days of walking or cycling.

Less technology, more nature

Many people love to visit bustling cities like New York as their dream trip but more people are seeing the benefit of slow travel. Instead of booking that busy US city break, a trip to stay in a national park, enjoying hiking, kayaking, horse riding and similar activities is now the first choice of people looking to ‘escape’ from their busy lifestyle. As technology and virtual living becomes more the norm, people are choosing holidays that allow them to get closer to nature, in a less technology focussed environment.

If you are thinking about taking a trip to the US, whether it is to see the sights, or to slow things down and experience the benefits of slow travel, then remember that you need to apply for an ESTA. The US ESTA application only takes around ten minutes to complete and gives you travel authority for a trip of up to 90 days in the US.