Some RTW travelers may be the checklist type, packing as many destinations/sights/experiences into their RTW trips as they possibly can before they return to “real life,” but most of the people we know who are drawn to long-term travel are far more interested in moving through the world at a slower pace. The point of a RTW trip, for them, is to get away from the hectic pace of life and the feeling that we’re obligated to cram all our travel into bite-sized pieces. There’s no need to sell these folks on the benefits of slow travel.
The truth is, however, that not everyone is interested in taking a RTW trip. The costs of long term travel – both financial and otherwise – may put some people off, even though long term travel in some parts of the world often costs less than living at home, and other people may just not want to put their lives on hold in order to travel for long periods. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that – anyone who travels is welcome to do it however they like – and there are still some things that people who don’t go on RTW trips can learn from people who travel slowly.
Even during a one-week break from work or school, it’s possible to embrace some of the elements of slow travel. Instead of booking a whirlwind trip through Italy’s highlights for that week, why not rent an apartment in one city and see what life is like there in the space of seven days? Instead of following the well-worn tourist path of pub crawls and hostel toga parties, why not explore some of the alternative backpacking experiences that lead to connections with real people when you travel? Instead of arriving at your vacation destination with a checklist of “must-see” or “must-do” items to accomplish (like you’ve made your vacation your job), why not arrive with an idea of some of the options available and just wait to see what happens?
Of course the longer you can stay, the better your relaxing experience will be – but slow travel is by no means exclusive to long-term travel.