There's a quiet revolution happening in how experienced travelers approach trips: they're slowing down. Instead of cramming every museum, monument, and Instagram spot into packed itineraries, seasoned travelers are leaving gaps, lingering in cafes, and wandering with no particular destination.
A Reddit thread asking travelers about habits they've developed over the years reveals a widespread shift from quantity to quality - and the reasons behind it offer insights for anyone planning their next trip.
From Checklist Tourism to Mindful Wandering
"I've stopped trying to 'maximise' every day when I'm away," one traveler wrote. "I used to cram everything in, hoping not to miss anything. Now I leave gaps, sit in parks or cafes longer than planned, and developed a love for wandering with no real aim."
The shift wasn't driven by laziness or lack of curiosity - quite the opposite. "Not sure if it's age, but I love the new relaxed approach, far less hectic and definitely more memorable," they added.
This sentiment echoed across dozens of responses. Experienced travelers consistently reported that their slowest trips - the ones with the most unscheduled time - became their most cherished memories.
One commenter described arriving in cities without hotel reservations, wandering until something felt right, then booking on the spot. "I love getting lost in a new place and discovering things off the beaten path," they explained. "Some of my best travel memories come from random conversations with locals or stumbling upon a hidden gem."
Why Slow Travel Works Better
The practical benefits of slowing down are significant, especially for budget travelers:
Lower costs: Staying longer in one place reduces transportation expenses and often unlocks monthly accommodation rates that dramatically undercut nightly prices. Moving every 2-3 days racks up constant transit costs.
Less exhaustion: Multiple travelers noted that rushed itineraries led to needing "vacations from vacations." Sitting in a park for two hours or taking an afternoon nap doesn't feel wasteful when you're not spending €30 on museum entry.
Deeper experiences: Returning to the same neighborhood cafe creates familiarity. Baristas remember you. You learn which streets are quietest in the mornings. You become temporarily local rather than perpetually tourist.
Spontaneous opportunities: When your schedule has breathing room, you can accept last-minute invitations - a local festival, a pickup soccer game, a stranger's recommendation for a hidden viewpoint. Packed itineraries eliminate serendipity.
The Post-Pandemic Shift
While some travelers developed slow travel habits over decades, others pointed to the pandemic as a turning point. Being forced to stay put for extended periods revealed the value of being somewhere rather than constantly going somewhere.
Digital nomads and remote workers particularly embraced this approach. With the flexibility to work from anywhere for extended periods, the "two weeks to see everything" mentality became obsolete. Why rush through Lisbon in five days when you could spend two months there?
This has implications for overtourism as well. If travelers spread out geographically and temporally - visiting shoulder seasons, staying longer in fewer places, exploring secondary cities - the pressure on Venice, Barcelona, and Dubrovnik in peak summer could ease.
Practical Tips for Slowing Down
For travelers accustomed to maximizing itineraries, the shift to slow travel requires intentional practice:
Build buffer days: For every three days of scheduled activities, add one completely unplanned day. Use it however the moment dictates.
Prioritize ruthlessly: Instead of seeing 10 museums at 50% attention, see three at 100% attention. Quality over quantity applies to sightseeing.
Choose one regular cafe: Go to the same coffee shop multiple times during your trip. Notice how it feels different at 7am versus 3pm versus sunset.
Walk instead of transit: When time allows, walk between destinations instead of taking the metro. You'll see far more of how locals actually live.
Say yes to randomness: If a local invites you somewhere or a fellow traveler suggests an unplanned detour, say yes more often than you say no.
Don't confuse slow travel with lazy travel: Slow doesn't mean passive. It means present, curious, and responsive to the moment rather than enslaved to a pre-determined schedule.
As one experienced traveler summed it up: "I realized I was spending more time planning and stressing about trips than actually enjoying them. Now I do less research, make fewer reservations, and trust that I'll figure it out. And somehow, the trips are better."
For an industry built on selling "unmissable experiences" and "once-in-a-lifetime opportunities," the slow travel movement is quietly subversive. It suggests that the best travel isn't about how much you see - it's about how deeply you pay attention.
