When it comes to travel it can often feel like there’s so much to do in such little time – and the trend of “slow travel” in someway seems a little backward, as today, we are focused on experiencing more, more, more and packing as much into our time as possible – particularly our holidays.

See, we often treat travel like a Chinese takeaway rather than a slow and luxurious Sunday Brunch; meaning we are dashing about here there and everywhere in order to satiate our quest to explore as many parts of the world as possible – in fact, we can be running around so fast that we barely get chance to enjoy our travels and truly absorb the experiences we are having.  This is where “slow travel” comes in.

Slow travel, basically means one will spend a reasonably long period of time in one place; such as a month, often working and fully integrating with the culture of the destination.  Some could argue that slow travel allows for the the best holiday possible as you get to truly know your destination, whilst for others, they might argue it’s limiting and perhaps even lazy, or boring, on the basis you aren’t experiencing the whole world – just one little pocket of it.

The thought behind “slow travel” is that by spending more time in one location, be that a few weeks or a few months, you can experience the place in more depth and perhaps more authentically, than the veneered view of a tourist.

The term “like a local” is often used to describe the enhanced experience a traveller has when getting beneath the surface of a city, however it takes time to get to this level, and isn’t something a guidebook can point out.

Whereas, if you were to spend, let’s say a month, integrating with the local culture you will experience a whole new side of the city that is much richer than the limits of the typical tourist trail.

Slow travel may or may not be up your street, but if you’re curious as to where to head to in order to engage in slow travel and integrate with the local culture, here’s some destination inspiration:

1. THAILAND:  CHIANG MAI

Many people would describe Chiang Mai as a land of temples, rice paddies, monks and natural jungle.  This is true for the areas around Chiang Mai, but the city itself can be a pretty bustling place that is like a much more relaxed version of Bangkok.

Finding somewhere cheap to live in Chiang Mai is pretty simple.  There are several modern apartments available on www.airbnb.com at a cost of just $10 per night (presuming you are renting for over a month).

Chiang Mai is a great place to have as a base whilst exploring the rest of Thailand as there are direct flights to beautiful islands such as Krabi, Phuket and Koh Samui meaning you can go on mini breaks to more exotic locations, whilst benefiting from being in the cheaper and some could argue friendlier North of the country.

2. TURKEY: ISTANBUL

Whilst there are the occasional political demonstrations in Istanbul, on the whole Istanbul is a very safe, peaceful and calm city that is tourist friendly and extremely polite.

Istanbul is a lot like London, New York and Paris – but a lot warmer, both in terms of the weather and the people.  It’s also a lot cheaper. Istanbul is unlike any other city in the world due to the fact it is separated by the Bosphorus Strait meaning the city is split into two sides, each on a different continent (Europe and Asia).

The European side offers well known brands occupying prime real estate on busy high streets with independent hipster bars and coffee shops found closer to the river, akin to the vibe one might find in San Francisco, whilst the Asian side has a much more rustic and raw vibe, where in parts, you could feel like you were in modern day Morocco.

3. MOROCCO: MARRAKECH

Talking of Morocco, Marrakech is an incredibly colourful and vibrant city that has a lot to offer tourists – yet most will visit only for a few days.

Whilst you may not choose to live in Marrakech for a whole month, it can be a fantastic place to base yourself for a few weeks whilst exploring the hidden gems of Morocco such as the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains.  Indeed, a more relaxed and much nicer alternative to Marrakech is Essaouira which has a far more chilled out coastal vibe akin to Portugal.

4. INDONESIA: BALI

Made famous by the film Eat Pray Love, Bali is a spiritual hotbed of hippie travelers all trying to make ends meet on the beautiful island of Bali.  That said, it isn’t all hippie creativity, there’s also a lot of pollution, congestion and club life; as Bali serves the same purpose for the young Australian crowd that the likes of Ibiza does in Europe.

Admittedly, Bali isn’t the cheapest destination in SE Asia, though it is one of the nicest – particularly if you head toward the Northern part of the island, away from the trashiness of Kuta.  Moreover, Bali is a good starting point to explore other parts of Indonesia, and these parts can be incredibly cheap yet equally as beautiful as Bali.

In fact, the lesser known parts of this country made up of hundreds if not thousands of tiny islands are in some ways even more magical than Bali because they retain their true essence without being corrupted by tourism.

5. SINGAPORE

Singapore is a melting pot of cultures with an incredible foodie scene.  Whilst Singapore isn’t particularly cheap as a place to travel long-term, you can earn a decent wage here, meaning if you were travelling long term and looking for a way to top up your travel fund this could be a good option.

Hotels can be pricey, but there are some great deals to be had on long term apartments; particularly through AirBnB.  That said, due to how polite people are in this region, it would be just as easy to live with someone on a roommate basis rather than renting an entire apartment.

Singapore makes a great place to have as a base for exploring other parts of Southeast Asia as there are very cheap flights to the majority of popular tourist destinations with flights just a few hours long.

Though some people might worry that slow travel could be boring, you can do a lot to ensure that you get the best out of your travel experience with a bit of simple planning. Where else would you consider as a great place for those looking to experience slow travel? Let us know in the comments below!

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