The Slow Traveller

~ No, I’m not talking about that person dawdling along the footpath just ahead of you, who seems to anticipate your every change in direction and constantly steps in front of you slowing down your progress.

And no, I’m not talking about that driver on the interstate who seems to be cruising along as slow as humanly possible in the fast lane (I often wonder if it’s the same person).

Slow travellers are those who take the time to learn about the locations they are visiting. They want to immerse themselves in the customs, culture, and daily life of the people. Rather than squeeze three or four ‘attractions’ into each day, they may only visit one, thereby allowing themselves time to appreciate and really see the art in the Louvre, or the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City.

I’m talking about travelling ‘slowly’ as a way of life. As a way of being part of the landscape and society you are moving through. Whether that be your own neighbourhood, or some far flung location a long way from home.

This quote from the Slow Movement website... neatly sums up the philosophy behind the concept: "Slow is not about doing everything at a snail's pace; it's about working, playing and living better by doing everything at the right speed."

The Slow Travel Manifesto outlines the ideas further:

What is Slow Travel?

• We're rethinking how we escape.
• Instead of a fast-paced, 'no-frills' experience, Slow Travel is an engaging exploration of landscapes and cultures. We want to celebrate the local. And recognise the journey as an integral part of the travelling experience.
• To truly escape, we need to nurture the right frame of mind as much as choose the right destination.

You can visit the Slow Movement website... for the full Manifesto.

Like all philosophies you don’t have to agree with everything the authors write. While I don’t fully embrace every idea they espouse, I do agree with the overall thrust of what they are trying to achieve.

So the next time you are on vacation, slow down; stop to smell the roses; and immerse yourself fully in the lives of the people around you.

Oh, and watch out for speeding tourists, checklists in hand, trying to rush past you as they attempt to squeeze in one last attraction before closing time.

Online Resources: more information about Slow Travel can be found at the Slow Travel Blog…

Tips for a Great American Road Trip

~ Research into my 2010 road trip across the USA has begun already. Over the coming ten months I will be adding the best of that research to this blog. So let’s get started.

If you are planning to take a road trip (whatever the time of year, or country of choice), then Wellington Grey has a collection of 16 excellent suggestions to consider before you go.

Wellington’s piece, 16 Tips for a Great American Road Trip can be read online in full here at Silver Clipboard. Among his suggestions: take a GPS Navigation System; avoid bad hotels with online research; stay wired throughout your journey; and keep a journal.

Here is my take on these tips.

Take a GPS Navigation System
This is a no-brainer. When even a modern mobile/cell phone comes with GPS built in, it makes sense to use it to its full advantage. Many hire car companies include a GPS system as part of the hire, and even those that don’t will often install one for an extra fee. Of course, if you are using your own vehicle, you should buy your own. For a couple of hundred dollars, the GPS system will help eliminate much of the stress associated with finding your way to a destination you have never been to before.

I certainly wish I’d had the use of GPS on my recent trip to Sydney, when I inadvertently timed my arrival for the evening rush hour. To make matters worse, it was my first time driving on Sydney’s busy streets, and I had never been to the apartment I was going to be staying at in the inner Sydney suburb of Petersham. Although I had a street directory with me, it was extremely inconvenient to have to stop continuously to check that I was heading in the right direction, and even then I managed to briefly get ‘lost’, before finally finding both the correct route and the apartment.

Quite frankly, the idea of trying to find my way around some of America’s biggest cities without the aid of a GPS navigation system does not bare thinking about.

Avoid Horrible Hotels With TripAdvisor.com
Like Wellington, I too can highly recommend using TripAdvisor.com to research the suitability of your accommodations before you travel. TripAdvisor.com allows users to add their own reviews about specific hotels to the site, and over time this helps build a picture about the potential problems you may encounter at some hotels.

However, make sure you read the most recent reviews rather than the oldest, since some reviews could be several years old, which may give you a false picture of a hotels current rating. Also bare in mind that we all have different standards, needs and expectations as travellers. And finally, remember – you get what you pay for. So don’t expect five star accommodations from a $50 a night hotel. You will just set yourself up for disappointment.

Stay Wired
I have also written about this in my previous entry, The Wired Traveller. As a writer, and veteran Net surfer I would have felt quite lost without my laptop during my seven month trip in 2008. I just can’t imagine travelling across the US during my planned road trip and not being wired to the rest of the world as I traverse the nations highways.

The good news is that many hotels in the United States (and elsewhere), now provide free Internet access to their guests. The even better news is that internet access is available from a host of other sources and locations as well. Places like public libraries, laundries or laundromats, internet cafés and of course, regular cafés to name just a few.

There are also a wide range of mobile internet plans (prepaid or on a monthly access plan) now available for travellers to avail themselves of. And if that’s not enough, as long as your mobile/cell phone can connect to your carrier, you should also be able to connect to the internet from wherever you happen to be.

Document Your Progress
Another good tip from Wellington Grey’s Silver Clipboard article. I have tried for years to maintain a written journal with mixed results. No, I will be perfectly honest, over the years my attempts at journal keeping have yielded abysmal results.

However, because I seem to be quite happy working at a computer for hours at a time, I found to my delight that maintaining a daily travel journal on my laptop, was a breeze. The journal recording my 2008 vacation runs to almost 200 pages. It gives me great pleasure now to occasionally ‘flip’ through it and remind myself of exactly where I was, and what I was doing on any specific day of that seven month trip. If I hadn’t maintained that journal, I would have great trouble trying to remember the specific details of much of the journey.

Well, that’s it. I’ve taken just four of the sixteen tips that Wellington writes about and added my own comments and tidbits to them. What are your tips and suggestions? Feel free to share them via the comments section below.

In the meantime, you can read Wellington Grey’s full article here…

IMAGE: Country Road, Jim Lesses

The Countdown Begins

~ It is June already.

Here in Australia that means the start of winter, while in the northern hemisphere it heralds the beginning of summer.

It has been eight months since returning from my travels to the USA and Europe last year. Assuming I don’t go overseas earlier, and assuming too, that my absolute deadline for heading overseas next year is March 31, then I only have another ten months before I travel again!

Ten months! Those months are going to fly by faster than even I will be ready for.

I’ve already started to think about where I am going to go first, and where my road will lead. Not that I haven’t had the next trip simmering along in the back of my mind ever since I returned last October.

The general thrust of my thinking has always been to return to the west coast of the United States; catch up with relatives in Tucson, Arizona, as well as San Diego, and elsewhere in California. Then the plan is to drive across the US to New York before flying on to London or Athens.

Today, I almost bought a book detailing various road trips across the US. One I probably should have bought anyway, despite the fact that it was published in 1995. Although it is obviously dated, it would be useful – if only to keep me focussed on the dream. In the same Book Exchange, I picked up a second hand copy of David Dale’s 2001 book, The Perfect Journey. This is a revamped and updated version of The Obsessive Traveller which I have written about previously. I’ve already started reading it, and I expect it will be just as entertaining.

I have also been checking out some online sites focussed on road trips in America.

So far the best two I have seen are: Road Trip America, and Road Trip USA, which is based on a book by the same name written by Jamie Jenson.

Road Trip USA, in particular is built around eleven road trips that cross America from north to south and east to west. The specific routes are the Pacific Coast; Border to Border; The Road to Nowhere; The Great River Road; The Appalachian Trail; Atlantic Coast; The Great Northern; The Oregon Trail; the Loneliest Road; the Southern Pacific; and of course, Route 66.

Over the coming ten months I will be using this blog to outline some of my plans and thoughts, and I invite readers to post comments here with their suggestions, tips, favourite destinations, hidden gems, and anything else they think would be useful to me and other readers.