{"id":11152,"date":"2015-07-23T11:21:19","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T09:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=11152"},"modified":"2017-06-16T15:37:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-16T13:37:11","slug":"slow-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/it\/slow-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"6 tips for Slow Travel in High Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most of the summer, I find myself huffing with frustration as I jump out into moving traffic to pass huge tour groups clogging the sidewalks of Florence when I walk with determination to my downtown office. I am probably personally contributing to the city\u2019s reputation for being rude to tourists, but what can I do, I\u2019m in a hurry. Like most Type-A personalities, I\u2019m in a rush most of the time. Even when I go on holiday, my tendency would be to buzz from site to site and snap pictures in a frenzy, but I know I have to go against my nature and slow down! I\u2019ve always been an advocate of \u201cslow\u201d or \u201cdeep\u201d travel, of getting to know a place well enough to speak about it with some authority and to come out richer than before.<\/p>\n

\"Tourists
Tourists in Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Slow Travel \/ High Season is a voluntary contradiction in terms<\/strong> because I want to recognize that not everyone has the possibility to take 6 weeks off in low season to hang around an obscure part of Europe just to get to know the culture better. Heck, most of my trips these days last a weekend, often quite close to home, and my longest trip in five years was 2 weeks in Hawaii last Christmas. Managing other peoples\u2019 social media doesn\u2019t exactly lend itself to taking time off. The sad reality for most of us is that we are so committed to our jobs that even if we do have some vacation time, it\u2019s hard to take it.<\/p>\n

Which is why it\u2019s all the more important to get the most out of what travel time we do have<\/strong>. To explore wherever we are deeply and to take the time to reflect about what we\u2019ve seen. This kind of travel takes planning time and effort, but trust me, it\u2019ll be worth it. There is no recipe for traveling deeply, but here are my six tips for successful slow travel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1) plan plan plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Plan, says the Type-A girl! Big surprise. One of the worst holidays I ever had was our honeymoon. After planning an international wedding<\/a>, I didn\u2019t have time to research our destination \u2013 Sicily \u2013 so just booked a few chain hotels and plotted a route to drive across the island. The hotels were horrible, we spent the wrong amount of time in each place, we didn\u2019t talk to anyone or really learn anything, even the weather didn\u2019t really match the itinerary. Whatever I pictured in my mind\u2019s eye about this part of the country, we didn\u2019t find it.<\/p>\n

I often use this trip as an example of the advantages of the internet, particularly blogs, Twitter and Instagram, to help plan a great trip and identify things to visit that would be hard to find in a guidebook. Back in 2004, when we took our honeymoon, all we had to go on was an Eyewitness Guide, which at the time was the only guide with visual inspiration, and so pre-trip research was even more important than it is now.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll want to plan out your hotels, find some information about restaurants, but also get a sense of what you want to see<\/strong> in your destination. Try to look beyond the \u201ctop 10 tourist attractions\u201d by reading blogs that might suggest something different. Or take a walking seminar with Context Travel<\/a>, whose local guides not only teach the theme of the walk but also provide contact with someone whose brains you can pick for the rest of your trip. If visiting Florence<\/strong>, try their evening orientation walk<\/a> on the day you arrive and you\u2019re liable to find yourself with an itinerary for the rest of the trip.<\/p>\n

2) Get in the mood before you go<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Piazzale
Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I find I enjoy places more when I understand what I\u2019m looking at. When I was younger and had more time, I would read serious books to learn about the destination. One method, which however requires time, is to get an art history textbook<\/strong> that covers the main period or location you\u2019re traveling to. For Italy, something like Gary Radke\u2019s Art in Renaissance Italy<\/a> textbook is actually a good read.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019ve got less time or are less of a self-starter \u2013 like I\u2019ve become \u2013 how about taking a casual night course or attending some talks<\/strong> at a local cultural institute? Most major cities in the USA have an Italian cultural center, so if you\u2019re excited about Italy, you can become even more so through their language and culture classes. Arriving with more context, and maybe able to say a few words, you\u2019ll have a richer experience.<\/p>\n

If attending classes isn\u2019t an option and textbooks feel too much like school, how about a little historical fiction<\/strong>? When I went to Hawaii recently, I read Molokai<\/a> by Alan Brennert, upon advice of some people in a forum. It\u2019s a really well researched book about a particular part of life in Hawaii in the last century, and reading it on the plane and while on the island, I felt like I was learning something but also enjoying it a lot (if you\u2019re not going to Hawaii, read the book anyway, it\u2019s great!!). Headed my way? Here are 10 historical fiction books set in Italy<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n

3) Stay still<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If it\u2019s your first trip to an area or country, there\u2019s always the temptation to try to see as much as possible because you don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll ever get to return there. I like to think that life is pretty long and that if I like a place, I\u2019ll go back. By this rationale, I\u2019ll try to have the best experience possible in a place, and often this means staying put. There are some places you can see in a day or two, but I think any major city, island or area of countryside deserves a week\u2019s consideration (if not more!).<\/p>\n

\"The
The garden at Beehive Rome, with mural by Gio Pistone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Generally, to have a deeper experience in any location, I think it\u2019s best to try to stay in one place for as long as is feasible<\/strong> given your vacation time. In most countries, apartment rentals are available and can make a longer stay both comfortable and cost effective. If you\u2019re traveling on your own or on a budget, you might also look for a shared apartment or room for rent which, if successful, can provide a ready-made friend or network of people in the city you\u2019re visiting. Having to go food shopping and cook a few things in your own kitchen can also be a good way to create contact with locals, be it at a local fresh market or even at a larger supermarket. I love going to big supermarkets in other countries and seeing the different kinds of food that are available, and loading up my bag with stuff for home.<\/p>\n

4) Friendly food<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no question that food<\/strong> is one of the best ways to get to know a culture by doing something we all have to do anyway. In Italian culture, a lot revolves around food, and if you have the opportunity to dine with Italians they\u2019re liable to explain some of this, but also a lot more about their country. Here in Tuscany, an enogastronomic association called De Gustibus<\/a>, of which I\u2019ve been a member for 8 years, offers occasional farm to table meals with large and lively groups of members (including yours truly, whenever possible \u2013 check their website for upcoming dates)!<\/p>\n

\"A
A home cooked meal in Rome with BonAppetour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the rise of the sharing economy that brought us things like Uber and Airbnb, there\u2019s also the trend of home dining<\/strong>, which can be very interesting when traveling. Platforms like BonAppetour<\/a> list hosts and their proposals, which may range from a simple home cooked meal to a whole cooking class in their home. Most of the hosts are \u201ctotally normal people\u201d which means you get a glimpse in to their life and apartment too (I love this part!).<\/p>\n

5) Think themes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One way to explore a place is to think of it thematically. If you\u2019re interested in something in particular, be it Michelangelo, wine, medical history or animation, either on your own or with help online or from a professional, see if you can develop an itinerary around this theme. Chances are this will take you off the proverbial beaten track. I find this is the case with certain famous artists in Florence. If you think the Duomo is cool, maybe check out the rest of Brunelleschi\u2019s architecture. If the David<\/em> is a major driver for your visit to Florence, you might enjoy seeing Casa Buonarroti, the house Michelangelo bought for his family. If you’re a doctor, why don’t you go see the Ospedale degli Innocenti<\/a>, the Bigallo, and maybe the equivalent institutions in other Tuscan towns. This will take a bit of planning but I think it would be worth it.<\/p>\n

6) Spend money (sometimes)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some may disagree with me on this \u2013 especially affirmed budget travelers \u2013 but there are times when you just have to fork over the dough. There are unique experiences that cost nothing \u2013 like \u201cdiscovering\u201d an amazing small town or abandoned cove and you\u2019re the only person there. This still happens in Italy, especially if you drive along some smaller roads and follow the random brown signs<\/a> that indicate historical monuments.<\/p>\n

\"brown
Follow the brown signs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But other experiences cost money and provide good value for it. One is taking a good quality tour<\/strong>. There are lots of tours on the market, and it is possible to get some great ones for a low price (like this street art tour of Rome<\/a> that costs only \u20ac10 because it\u2019s run by an association of artists), but a lot of the tours sold through major websites are just not the type of quality I can recommend. For years, I\u2019ve been a believer in the deep travel approach offered by Context Travel<\/strong> because they hire graduate students or professors, the kind of people who can handle the tough questions I am liable to ask. I\u2019ve even booked my own mother on their tours, and her questions are even tougher than mine! There\u2019s no question that they cost more than the competition, but there\u2019s good reason: they have qualified docents (who receive fair recompense), very small groups, and an ethical approach to the community.<\/p>\n

\"Dinner
Dinner in the courtyard of Santo Spirito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another experience that I think is worth the money is to take part in any kind of local special event<\/strong> you can find. I recently wrote about dining in the courtyards of churches in Florence<\/a> with an Expo2015 project called Orti e Cenacoli. You get a taster menu from the chef of a restaurant that would cost almost as much if you went just to the restaurant, but it\u2019s set in an amazing place, and with such a convivial atmosphere that it is truly an unforgettable experience. If travel is about having stories to take home and remember for a lifetime, sometimes you have to splash out. Here in Florence, I know that there are special events and occasions to fit many budgets, and by reading local blogs and newspapers (like The Florentine\u2019s events section<\/a> or Girl in Florence\u2019s monthly events suggestions<\/a>) you can find one for when you visit.<\/p>\n

Further reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n