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The Challenges and Joys of Slow Travel

Slow travel is one of my favorite ways to travel. Give me time to settle in, to get a feel for the place, and to meet some locals. I love the feeling of having a local coffee shop when we travel; a barista who knows my order makes me feel at home. I love not having to use a map to get home. Slow travel allows you to peel back the layers of a place, discovering quirks and details that would pass you right by during a quick vacation. 

But slow travel certainly comes with challenges. So let me share some of the challenges of slow travel… as well as the flip side, revealing the (sometimes unexpected) perks of each challenge.

Adapting to the local culture’s sense of time

Adapting to the local culture’s sense of time is crucial when staying somewhere for a week or more because it allows you to fully immerse yourself in the community and experience life as the locals do. Embracing the slower pace can lead to a more relaxed and enjoyable stay, reducing stress and helping you forge deeper connections with the people and environment around you. It also fosters patience and flexibility, traits that are invaluable when navigating unfamiliar situations and unexpected changes. By aligning your rhythm with that of the local culture, you not only enhance your travel experience but also show respect and appreciation for the way of life in your temporary home.

We learned this lesson mightily during both of our month-long workcations in Playa del Carmen. Life moves at a different pace in Mexico. Whether it was a three-hour rental car pickup ordeal, an unreasonably slow fast-food line, or 36-hours without power, we had to get used to things not working the way they work back home. Patience was tested, curse words were uttered, frustration ensued. It’s hard to shake the fast-paced American mode of ‘get shit done’, but let’s just say I had to practice a lot of yoga breathing. 

On the other hand, not feeling rushed to constantly see or do everything allowed us to truly relax and enjoy our time in Playa del Carmen. Many of our days were delightfully low-key; after work, we’d take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood or visit the grocery store, and then grab dinner. We may have visited the playground or hung out in our condo’s pool for a bit. These simple activities—getting our steps in, soaking up the warm winter weather, and finding a place to eat—became cherished routines. Both of our trips were incredibly chill, providing a perfect balance between work and relaxation, and allowed us to savor the essence of slow travel.

Going with the flow when plans change 

Going with the flow and being able to pivot when plans change can feel like a challenge regardless of the type of travel simply because it requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. You’re often dealing with unpredictable elements like different cultural norms, language barriers, and logistical issues that can disrupt your plans. But sometimes a change in plans can lead to unexpected joys. 

For example, my husband came down with food poisoning the night before we were to go to the Xcaret theme park, just outside of Playa del Carmen. We’d been looking forward to it since we arrived and we only had one more available weekend in our schedule to check it out, so it was a bummer (don’t worry, we did go the next weekend after all). But we pivoted: the husband stayed home to rest that Saturday while I took the kiddo out on our own little local adventure. We drove to the lovely and magical Parque la Ceiba, got stuck in a McDonald’s drive-thru for half-an-hour, and spent part of the afternoon at a new beach. I got some highly valuable 1:1 time with my kid and overcame a panic attack in the drive-thru, my husband recouped, and in the end it was a good day.

Another example from that same trip: when we first conceived this trip, we had planned to go see Chichen Itza, but once we actually arrived in Mexico, the idea was stressing us both out. Neither of us are fans of long tours or all-day excursions; all of the reviews we read suggested it was not great for a pre-schooler; our kid is a great traveler but definitely does not care about old ruins. Additionally: my anxiety spikes when I have strict time-bound plans or can’t control the transportation element, so the thought of being on a tour bus on someone else’s schedule kept raising my hackles.

Eventually, we made a judgement call and vetoed the long trip to Chichen Itza and opted to visit Ek Balam, a smaller, lesser-known ruin site. We turned it into a long-weekend (since we had a work holiday on a Friday) and stayed at a cute hotel in Valladolid. Additionally, road tripping there put me in control of the schedule and transport, nixing my anxiety.

Ek Balam ended up being the perfect choice because there you can still climb on the ruins which made it much more interesting and interactive for our small child, who didn’t start complaining until an hour in. By that point, we were all dripping in sweat and felt like we’d gotten our money’s worth so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel pool. All in all, an absolute highlight of our first workcation in Playa del Carmen that would not have happened if we had not changed our plans. 

Living outside of your comfort zone.

Living outside of your comfort zone while slow traveling can present a bunch of challenges. Adapting to local customs, overcoming language barriers, and adjusting to different driving habits can be quite overwhelming. The heat of a new climate, combined with the absence of familiar routines, can intensify feelings of discomfort and frustration. 

However, in my experience, these challenges are often accompanied by really cool growth opportunities. By embracing the slow travel philosophy, we learn to adapt, becoming more resilient and open-minded. Take my experience driving in Mexico. While many folks advised me against driving in Mexico, I ignored their advice and learned the local rules of the road very quickly. Get ready to drive fast. Get ready to drive like you mean it. Lanes are largely ignored; they’re more like guidelines, really. Turning signals are rarely used; instead local drivers seem to prefer turning on the hazards for anything that causes them to go under the speed limit. In the end, driving in Mexico is not difficult, but the unfamiliar terrain forces you to pay more attention than you might in your hometown. Not to mention if you don’t aggressively defend your space, you’ll have scooters zip by you or colectivos try to barge their way past you. All of this to say that stepping outside of my comfort zone to drive in Mexico enhanced my defensive driving skills while also giving me a taste of local life.

Experiences outside our comfort zones can provide a richer understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures. They allow us to connect more deeply with the places we visit. We also connect more deeply with the people we encounter.

Establishing a new routine

Finding a new routine while slow traveling can feel like a lot. You’re out of your comfort zone, dealing with new customs, languages, and environments. Without your usual routines, it’s easy to feel lost and disoriented. This can be especially tough if you like things to be predictable and consistent. 

But here’s the thing: adapting to new routines helps you become more resilient and flexible. It gives you the chance to discover new things about yourself and your surroundings. This makes the whole experience richer and more fulfilling. Embracing the chaos can lead to personal growth and deeper connections with the local culture and people. What starts as a challenge can turn into some of your most treasured memories and valuable life lessons.

Let me give you an example from our first workcation in Playa del Carmen, where we worked regular 9-5 hours during the day. Everything about our routine was different from at home:

We had signed Skyler up for a bilingual school with short-term enrollment. Every morning, we walked to school instead of driving, and for lunch, we sent peanut butter tortillas rather than hot dog pieces. The new school looked, sounded, felt, and even smelled different from the one he had attended for almost two years. His new classroom had kids aged 3-5 instead of the 3-4 he was used to, and not everyone spoke English.

The most dramatic change? No naptime for his class. Skyler was used to napping at school and at his grandparents’ house but refused to nap for us no matter where we were. So we went cold-turkey off the naps. Even though he could have taken a nap at 3 PM when he got home, he didn’t. We tried enforcing rest time, which became quiet time, then TV time, and finally “anything to stop the whining” time. Cutting our naps like that turned our sweet, funny child into the moodiest threenager ever, full of attitude, sass, and endless whining. We worked through it, though, and were able to return to a regular nap schedule when we returned to the States, with no long-term negative effects.

Slow travel is worth the time.

As you can see, slow travel has its challenges, but nothing that can’t be overcome or that might even result in unexpected joys and discoveries. The fact that you stay in a place for weeks or months at a time makes the challenges feel smaller and joy easier to discover.  Let’s look at some of the ways that slow travel gives us a high ROI (return on investment).

Slow travel saves money.

A plane ticket costs the same regardless of if you’re going for a week or a month. Staying in a hotel for a short trip is always going to be more expensive per night than renting an apartment for a long trip. Cramming in multiple cities or destinations on one trip will cost more simply because you’re adding transportation costs and logistics. 

Slow travel reduces stress.

Without the pressing of adhering to a tight schedule, you can immerse yourself more deeply in your surroundings and more easily pivot when plans change or something unexpected happens. Spending an entire evening trying to fix a broken stroller when you only have a few days to enjoy a city would be much more frustrating than having a few weeks in that city.Getting food poisoning during a week-long trip can be a major setback, but during a month-long stay, it becomes a minor inconvenience. Additionally, the slower pace also saves money (always a stress reducer!!!) and lowers the logistical stress of continually moving between destinations, making the entire experience more enjoyable and less hectic.

Slow travel is better for the environment.

Slow travel provides a chance to integrate more sustainable practices into your journey. By staying longer in one place, we minimized our environmental footprint and supported local businesses in a more meaningful way. 

Slow travel lets you slow down.

In my experience, the slower pace of travel allowed me to truly appreciate the small moments and subtle beauty of our journey. The everyday interactions with locals, the time spent amidst nature, and the leisurely exploration of our surroundings culminated in a richer, more fulfilling experience. We weren’t rushed by itineraries or the pressure to tick off tourist attractions; instead, we had the luxury to savor each day as it came.

Additionally, slower pace gave us the opportunity to reconnect as a family. Without the constant distraction of moving from one place to another, we could focus on each other and the new environment we were exploring together. It was a time for shared discovery and growth, both individually and collectively. For me, this was the biggest perk of our Mexico trips and of slow travel in general. It didn’t feel like a waste of time to just sit and watch my child play.

Often, I feel guilty because when I should be enjoying my child’s laughter and presence, I retreat into my own space for a few moments of quiet. There’s always something that needs doing, so if my child is entertained and happy, I feel I should use that time productively. However, in Mexico, once work was done for the day, my list of tasks was much shorter than usual, especially since we weren’t living in our own house or near our regular social circle. As a result, our days developed a new rhythm and routine that felt novel and different. Sitting and watching my child felt special and something I wanted to do more often without feeling guilty.

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If you’re considering slow travel, I can only encourage you to GO FOR IT!!! Not only does it offer economic and logistical advantages, it also enriches your travel experience in ways that hurried trips simply cannot. The memories made and the lessons learned from slow travel are invaluable and enduring. Hit me up with any questions or concerns! I’m always happy to talk to folks about this.

Tips for slow travel

Adopting these tips, you can slow down and fully immerse yourself in the destination, allowing you to have a more meaningful and authentic travel experience.

Choose your destination carefully.

When planning your trip, consider choosing a destination that is off the beaten path, with a rich cultural and natural heritage. Seek out destinations that offer opportunities to connect with the local community and environment.

Travel by public transportation or walk.

Try to avoid renting a car or taking taxis everywhere. Instead, travel by public transportation or walk as much as possible. This will give you a chance to see more of the destination, interact with locals, and get some exercise.

Stay in one place for longer.

Rather than trying to see as many destinations as possible, consider staying in one place for a longer period of time. This will allow you to fully experience the local culture and environment, and to build deeper connections with the people and places you encounter.

Engage in local experiences.

Seek out local experiences that will allow you to connect with the culture and environment. This might include taking a cooking class, visiting a local market, or joining a guided tour with a local guide.

Slow down and enjoy the moment.

Don’t rush from one activity to the next. Take time to appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, savor your meals, and connect with the people you meet along the way.

Tell me about your slow travels!

Tell me about your slow travel adventures! Where have you been and what have you learned? What were the toughest parts of slow travel for you? What did you love about traveling in a less rushed manner? What tips or tricks do you have for fellow adventurers keen to give slow travel a try?