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Slow Travel: A New Vacation Trend?
Do you wind up feeling stressed out on your holidays -- rushing around to see all the "important," or "must see" attractions when you'd really just like to take it easy?
Maybe it's time to slow down, and re-think how you're planning those getaways.
To get you started, check out SlowTrav.com -- a Web site aimed at travelers who want a calmer, slower, more leisurely way to vacation. The site helps you find a short-term rental property instead of a hotel, which, according to site founder Pauline Kenny, "let's you live like a local: shop at local stores, go to the same cafe every morning, take time to see the things that are near you."
And she's right. Not only will taking the time to really investigate your surroundings give you a more relaxing experience, I've found it's also the only way to get a taste for the local culture in a short period of time. Otherwise you run the risk of getting lost amongst the tourists.
If you're interested in the concept, check out Kenny's Five Favorite European Destinations for ideas on where you can go to take that next trip just a little...more...slowly.
Filed under: Business
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pauline Kenny Apr 8th 2007 2:30PM
Thanks for mentioning Slow Travel on this great travel blog!!
any Apr 9th 2007 1:29PM
I'm a fan of "slow travel" -- but it's not exactly something new. Furthermore, you really have to know what you're getting into. You can check out my blog entry on it at http://windowseat.travelocity.com.
Pauline Kenny Apr 9th 2007 8:04PM
It is definately not new! People have been staying in vacation rentals for decades. My husband and I discovered this way of travel in Europe in the mid 80s and when I decided to put up a website about it, in 2000, we gave it the name "Slow Travel".
I started the website because of some bad experiences that I had. I knew there had to be great vacation rentals out there, so I started collecting reviews. Now we have 2000 reviews of vacation rentals - and there are indeed some really great ones out there!!
david Apr 13th 2007 12:51PM
Short term rentals can often be cheaper than conventional holiday accommodation but it really depends a lot on offers and deals available/season/location etc. However it certainly is something I will encourage my readers on http://www.cheapholidaysuncovered.co.uk/ to investigate when planning a cheap holiday abroad.