Everything is so “eco” today that it gets hard to distinguish the real green travel experiences from the “bogus” ones. In theory, green travel means that it does minimal ecological damage and offers maximum cultural exchange. Green travel seeks to add to the knowledge of the traveler and improve the skills. You cannot plan a green travel experience on the run. That’s why slow travel and green travel are two concepts which go hand in hand, and why this week BootsnAll is partnering with Global Basecamps to bring you Green Week, a week of stories about promoting the idea of eco-friendly, sustainable travel.
Slow travel took the inspiration from 19th century European travel writers , who reacted against speed and simply asked : if we have slow food, why not slow travel? Just like green travel, slow food’s main characteristic is to make a connection with the community while you travel. Slow travel allows travelers to engage with the communities along their route, visiting spots favored by the locals and which are most often skipped by travel guides.
Green travel and slow travel doesn’t require you to give up flying, for example. It just means you have to bring your brain along when you travel and assess the impact of your trip. This kind of traveling can be done close to home or in the other parts of the world.
What was the last trip you took that you would describe as slow travel?
This year, I had the chance to visit Italy and Greece. From the moment we left home we decided to “take things slow”. In Italy, we didn’t stay at the hotel. Instead, for five days we stayed with a relative, allowing us to explore the small town of Vieste at a really slow pace. We discovered incredible pizzerias and even woke up at 4 a.m. to see the sun rise. Best of all, we shopped at the farmer’s market and had the best oranges of my life. In Athens, a good friend took us to a lesser-known part of the city and introduced us to the Greek menu in a lovely taverna. Not once during our two week stay did we make plans to visit a certain number of places. We just explored and soaked up the feeling and the smells of the places we visited.
» This week on BootsnAll: Articles you’ll read this week include: information about eco friendly travel and how to directly benefit your destination, a piece on eco friendly travel in Thailand, details about the best places to camp in the world, information on some of the craziest bike routes in the world and details about world’s best city walks.
Week 32 of the Indie Travel Challenge is all about green and slow travel.
What was the last trip you took that you would describe as slow travel?
Don’t forget to add your blog posts to the main Indie Travel Challenge page – and be sure to include a picture when you do (we love pictures!).
The Indie Travel Challenge is a year-long blogging project. Every Monday, we’ll post a new prompt, question, or challenge that bloggers can respond to via text, photos, or video. Respond on your own blog, and link back to BootsnAll so we can find and highlight the best submissions.
Check out the Indie Travel Challenge landing page for all information related to the event. You can see the week’s daily prompt, follow the hashtag on Twitter, share your posts, and check out submissions from around the world.
Read more about slow travel:
- Why and How to Embrace Long-Term Slow Travel
- Travel is not a Contest
- 7 Reasons Why the World is Best Explored on Foot
- How to Plan a Cycling Trip in Europe
Photo by jankie.