The secret to slow travels
How to transform your travels with mindful explorations
Have you ever felt like your trips are a bit like a marathon? In the best possible way but still an exercise in physical and mental endurance.
The goal on these trips seems to be that of:
Seeing as much as possible (and taking pretty pictures for social media)
Eating like a local
Immersing in the language and culture.
Except that of all these points, the only one that truly seems to happen is point number 1, seeing as much as possible and posting about it in social media groups as proof that your trip was amazing.
And it was amazing, make no mistake. Only that… and here you can’t quite put your finger on it but…
The whole time you had the feeling that you were missing something, an important piece of the puzzle.
You had fun but did you experience the country like you’d been dreaming of doing?
Did you get a chance to explore the culture like you’d dreamed of from your living room at home?
Were you caught in tourist crowds that left you feeling uninspired?
How much did you actually converse in the language of your dreams ?
You probably ended up speaking mostly to place orders at cafés and restaurants. If they’d didn’t switch to English on seeing you, that is. Hardly what you’d had in mind at all.
Back in April, when you were running travel options on your laptop at the kitchen table, you dreamt of connecting and feeling the country in your bones and in your soul. It wasn’t only a dream but a need.
Your soul needs this.
I’ve got some encouraging news for you.
You’re not doomed to being pegged as a tourist forever.
You can enjoy your travels without feeling like you’re training for the olympics.
You can speak the language of your dream country and even have meaningful conversations.
In today’s post, you’ll get some tips on how to enjoy mindful, rejuvenating travels that will help you enrich your soul AND your language speaking skills.
1. Define Your Travel Goals
Most of the work starts before you even catch that plane or train.
After all, truly life-changing travels aren't about seeing every landmark.
No, they’re about connecting with the world around you.
You want to make your travels rewarding both linguistically and emotionally.
Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of your trip?
Brainstorm and write down every word that comes to mind. That will help you understand your needs.
For example, if you want to come to Italy, that’s a bit vague.
What specifically does your heart want to find in Italy?
Human Connections?
Food explorations?
Language learning opportunities?
Historical land sites? And if it’s history, what period do you have in mind?
Having clarity on your goals will guide your trip planning and save you from frustration.
2. Choose Smaller Destinations
My biggest suggestion for most of these goals is to pick smaller destinations that might be less glamorous sounding on social media and in conversations. But are better suited if the goal is that of creating meaningful memories.
Picking small towns helps mainly because there are less tourists and people have time and energy to devote to you. You can find a post I’ve written on the subject here.
Give yourself permission to NOT see everything. And embrace the idea of looking for destinations that will help you achieve your goals.
A mindful language learner like you, the last thing you want to do is contribute to the problem of overtourism.
Also, check in with yourself. What are your energy levels realistically? Set your goals based on how much you want to be walking and moving around. Schedule breaks for yourself, allow that you’re human and need to replenish your energy levels to fully appreciate what surrounds you.
Don’t let FOMO rob you of true enjoyment of your travels.
It’s your trip.
3. Embrace Doing Less
Make sure you set time aside for yourself, for some quiet. Perhaps some meditation time or some gentle yoga or even just journaling what your experiences are.
Secondly, if it’s possible for you, why not choose a period of the year where there’s less tourism?
Prices are lower.
There’s less tourists
The country is living at its natural pace of life.
If you’re a food explorer, do some work beforehand. What region are you going to be exploring?
Then, research what food they specialize in that area. Write this all down and get familiar with the vocab and names.
A big mistake that we tend to make is to look for the same dishes ALL over our country of choice. No wonder we end up in tourist traps!
If I’m in Venice, let’s say, I can’t and shouldn’t order a carbonara because it’s a Roman dish. What’s the point? No wonder the waiter has switched to English!
What I can do is read up on local dishes and then pick restaurants that offer it in the menu. It’s a wonderful way to explore and support local culture. And language.
If possible, check the restaurants that you go to before on Google Maps review.
Are the reviews by locals or by foreigners? That’s a big giveaway of what sort of spot it is.
But also, embrace the idea of exploring food on your own by checking out the grocery stores, asking for suggestions and having meals with local ingredients.
In France, for example, get some cheeses ( from the area please!) and some bread with wine but make sure you’re going to the small shops, not the supermarkets.
That’s where you’ll find people willing to offer suggestions and chat with you about the best products their region has to offer.
Next suggestion is to check out if there are any farmer’s markets.
Farmer’s markets are THE way to live by the clock of the town and experience community life at its most authentic.
This is information you can easily find online or even by just asking locals at cafès and restaurants.
4. Personalize Your Activities
Pick land sites that are relevant to you and your interests. If you don’t care about Roman history, why spend a whole afternoon in a museum specialized in it?
Find ways to explore personal passions in your target language.
Like books ? Find out where the best bookshops are and see if there are any book presentations taking place during your stay. Ask the manager. They’ll be happy to help.
Like music? Maybe there are some concerts that you can enjoy?
Enjoy yoga? Why not find a class where you’re staying so you can experience mindfulness in your target language for an hour with other like-minded individuals.
Are you a food enthusiast? Book a food class for locals if possible.
And most of all, take time to savor the food. Chew slowly, explore the flavors, what’s the rush for goodness sake? Enjoy. The. Food. Start by putting that phone down.
Read up on activities in the town you’re in in the local papers.
These are all doable things that you do beforehand with some research. The internet and social media have made all that so much easier.
5. Practice Mindful Observations
It’s natural to want to do everything. You’re excited about your trip. I get it.
But sometimes, doing less is a way of doing more and being more present.
What helps is to pick a smaller destination as a sort of headquarters and stay there while exploring the area.
Setting tiny habits wherever you are, having breakfast at the same spot every day helps you start feeling the pulse of the town and get locals familiar with seeing you and possibly initiate conversations?
The natural thing to do is to change all the time to experience more and see things from as many points of view as possible. But less is indeed more.
Do some eavesdropping around locals and see what you pick up. Journal about your findings. Eavesdropping is such a linguistic goldmine that helps you stay in the moment and be present.
Mindful activities to savor the moment
Engage in people-watching. Take some time to sit down and spend fifteen minutes just observing your surroundings.
What are people wearing ?
Where are they going?
Do they look in a hurry, are they relaxed?
Tiny fragments for you to jot down and be conscious of where you are and feel the pulse of the town. You’d be surprised by how much learning happens when you do this.
People watching and eavesdropping are two activities I always get my students to practice during the language retreats I host in Italy. These are great ways to blend being present with your surroundings, cultural immersion AND language learning.
Most of all, keep a journal and set some time every day, possibly at the beginning of the day to keep a bullet list of what you’re doing or explore all the emotions you’ve been experiencing. Reconnect to your feelings and see if your travel needs are being met.
Rushing through a city keeps you from really feeling the culture.
Whereas slowing down is a game-changer for mindful language learners.
Because one single meaningful interaction can set the tone for the whole trip and completely trumps a packed itinerary.
You don’t need to be fluent or perfect to experience meaningful travel; you just need curiosity and a willingness to be in the moment.
Elfin Waters is the founder of All About Italian and the writer of Substack publication Coffee Secrets. She helps learners create Italian mini-immersions, spaces to absorb the language and culture. If you too would like to plan your very own Italian Escape you can download her guide here that can help you with that.
Are you a language teacher or learner that is carving a less-travelled road of mindful, creative or embodied learning? We want to hear from you! Send me a DM to pitch your article proposal. With love, Jessica
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