Putting the world into context: The beauty of slow travel
In today’s increasingly impatient world, it’s often necessary to take the fastest route from A to B. Whether we whizz along the motorway or hop on board a plane, we so often just want to arrive and the journey itself becomes merely functional. Yet by doing this we risk missing out on so much and the world becomes a series of disconnected places, instead of the sprawling, shifting, living entity that it actually is. Furthermore, it’s been repeatedly demonstrated that being around nature helps our health and well-being. If we can slow down, stop rushing headlong on to our next destination and enjoy the journey itself, we can also soak up all that’s brilliant about the natural world.
A friend of ours recently travelled overland through Patagonia; opting to take lengthy bus rides instead of flights. Sure, catching a plane would have meant arriving at each destination much faster. It may have been more convenient and it wouldn’t have resulted in whole days given over to travelling. But in fact, those days weren’t time wasted. Instead of experiencing Patagonia only as succession of towns and airports, strung together like a charm bracelet, she gained a deeper insight into this vast terrain - one that could never have been known by taking a quick flight. She not only got to fully appreciate the sheer scale of the landscape; she also got to see it. From the evolution of endless plains - that turned from brown to rose to lilac as the sun went down - into the snow-capped mountains of Tierra del Fuego; the curious llamas who would stare indignantly as the bus rolled past them, the flocks of rheas shaking their tail feathers as they charged through the dust, and the myriad other birds of all sizes and colours; the dolphins that danced alongside the ferry as it crossed the Magellan Strait. Nature was out there and getting to see it turned something that should have been purely functional into an unforgettable experience.
Of course, you don’t need to take an epic bus journey through an exotic land to reap the rewards of slow travel. Slow travel in this context can mean something as simple as walking to work or to the shops. Take your time, look around, breathe. And you don’t even need to live in the countryside. The natural world makes itself felt even in big cities. Why not take a detour through your local park one day or get off the bus a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the route? You will feel a much stronger connection to the world around you and, what’s more, you won’t be the only one who benefits from this. Slow travel is generally thought to be better for the environment all round - it reduces our carbon footprint and fills us with a greater appreciation of the world in which we live. So, take it easy. Your wellbeing and the planet will thank you for it.
By, Lucy P 2018