All around the world, many of us are staying indoors, cancelling our travel plans and practicing social distancing. It’s certainly disheartening to abandon or postpone eagerly awaiting trips, but it’s a time for putting our health (and the health of others) first. It’s not all doom and gloom though – we’ve been pleased to see so many people helping others and it’s especially heart-warming to see people singing together on their balconies in Italian towns. To keep you all inspired and looking forward to future travels, we thought we’d share some ways that you can continue to enjoy travel while you’re at home and social distancing.

It’s easy to feel guilt about travelling in 2020. We’re constantly being told that catastrophic climate change is already making an impact around the world and travelling by plane massively increases your carbon footprint. So what can we do to continue to see the world while making more sustainable choices?

Travel is something that enlightens our lives, allowing us to take a break from reality and discover new places all around the globe – but did you know that it’s also good for both our physical and mental health?

The way that we travel has changed drastically over the past decade, and it’s impossible to discuss the changes without mentioning the impact of Instagram. With package holidays becoming less popular and more people than ever before organizing their own trips abroad, the obvious conclusion is that Instagram and the world of travel influencers has pushed us towards more adventurous travels – but is this a positive change?

You’ll probably have heard of hygge and fika, but there’s another Nordic lifestyle concept that’s currently on our radar. Friluftsliv is all about spending as much time as possible outdoors – a concept that perfectly translates to travel. 

The antithesis of slow travel is to try to do everything because you’re worried of missing out on something important. When you travel, especially when you spend time researching your destination on social media and in magazines, there is always the temptation to do too much. To eat in every ‘must-visit’ restaurant, to bathe in every bay, to hire a car and drive around trying to see ‘everything’. We think that we should tick off bucket lists for each place that we visit, whether it’s to feel a sense of accomplishment or to show off online. 

California living often feels truly out of the movies: sun-soaked beaches and valleys, golden-hued light, wavering palm trees overhead, and the scent of orange blossom wafting through the air. Life can be blissfully slow here, especially when the days are warm and quiet and windy, and all of life’s hurry is blown out the open windows. Wabi-sabi is about the beauty of the perfectly imperfect; the loveliness of now—the fleeting present—and the complete embrace of simplicity in all facets of life. 

There’s no better time to sink into a good book than on your summer holiday. Imagine yourself by the pool, on the beach or sprawled on a rock overlooking the ocean; book in hand, straw hat perched on your head to shield you from the sun. Whether you get sucked into a page-turner that keeps you on the shore all day long, or you opt for a collection of short stories to read in between dips, books and summer go together like sea and sand. 

Not only will you be taking full control of where you go and what you do but you will have invaluable time to yourself, allowing time to focus on what you deem important. You could choose to spend entire days lazing by a pool with a book, take part in a local cookery course, or lace up your boots and spend your time hiking along clifftops. The beauty of solo travel is that everything is your decision.

‘Over-tourism’ is a word you’ve probably heard thrown around recently. Many popular destinations around the globe are struggling to cope with an influx of tourists, yet we keep visiting the same places. It’s time to step off the beaten path and discover more of the world. We need to stop booking trips based on where our favourite Instagram influencers are flocking to and start thinking for ourselves.

The way in which hotels are advertising their ethical ethos is rooted in luxury travel. Yes, they are ticking all of the right boxes for recycling, sustainable cuisine, eco energy and sourcing everything from furniture to food locally – but they are using imagery and words usually associated with the higher end of the market. Fresh linen sheets, colourful vegetarian brunches, solar-powered outdoor rain showers and complementary morning yoga classes can now be found in a range of boutique hotels, for a variety of budgets. 

It’s all too easy to get sucked into a bucket-list mentality when you’re travelling. If you’re visiting a place for the first time, everything from the guidebooks you read to your friend’s recommendations tells you to tick off a list of all the things you ‘have’ to see and do. Even if you’re trying to see an alternative side to your destination, you will still have a list of things you want to see and places where you want to eat. My suggestion: forget it all. – Cover photo by Andrea Swarz

One of the biggest obstacles to embracing a slower pace of travel is technology. How can you slow down and enjoy the moment when you are glued to your phone? Our smartphones have reinvented the way that we travel, making it easier to get around and research the places that we visit, but they are also hindering us, preventing us from truly letting go and unwinding.

Relaxing on a beach or enjoying a quiet getaway in a secluded cottage may seem like the only options for a slow holiday – but it’s possible to slow down your travels even if you are visiting a fast-paced location. Busy cities may not seem like the best choice for anyone looking for a tranquil getaway, but there are many ways that you can discover a different side to these hectic locations.

Cover Photo: Cecy Young

Travelling has become a race. Who can visit the most places, take the best photos and hop around the world in as little time as possible. It’s time that we stepped back a pace and remembered why we loved to travel in the first place. Cover photo: Andrea Swarz