Beyond the brochure: exploring meaningful journeys with slow travel
Okay, let's talk about the world we live in. Have you ever wished you could do something to change this world, either for yourself, tired of living in a box among other boxes in a big city, or for your descendants, to whom you are ashamed to explain why we still live in a world of outdated wars and children still die of hunger?
I cannot promise that this article will change the negative political situation, but I would like to remind you that as travellers, we not only have the ability to see beauty and appreciate it, but also to be part of it through our choices. And this is where our choice comes in when we want to go on vacation. It makes sense to want to visit familiar destinations and admire their unparalleled beauty during the few days we can devote to ourselves, but I can honestly say that this can only happen if we stop exploiting tourist destinations and start living true travel experiences.
“ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ”
Honestly tell me, how many times have you regretted booking that cheap trip, to a hotel where they served you some soggy ham for breakfast, and wished you had never booked it, and felt sorry for those few euros you spent but had no other solution because you needed to dip your sweaty feet in the seawater?
Guess what! You can change that, and NO, I'm not suggesting you play the lottery or collect coupons from cheap newspapers to get your share of happiness. What I'm suggesting is called slow travel. And yes, it may be considered a new trend, and you may think it's just a passing fad, but believe me, it's the way to demand from your life the opportunity to feel like a real traveller and at the same time contribute with your choice to a better world that respects the environment, local cultures and humanism.
Spring 2024- Slow tourism in Crete
So let's start with the ways you can apply this trend the next time you want to travel:
Start your search using Google Maps. Type in any word that describes what you are looking for. Warning: the term "all-inclusive hotel" is strictly prohibited. Trust me, you don't want to end up in a hotel with sweaty employees running around recycling yesterday's wilted lettuce into a watery frikassee that you'll eat in a dining room with brass decorations. And for God's sake, you don't want your children eating as much ice cream as they want, especially when it's the result of simply mixing powder of dubious origin and composition. If, for example, you definitely want to go to Crete, although it is known for its over-tourism, you can discover the significant progress of the island towards quality tourism with specific search terms. Try terms such as "eco-friendly hotel Crete" or "mountain retreat Crete" and you will discover accommodations that offer authentic experiences, exceptional service, and unique opportunities to meet like-minded travellers like yourself. However, if you want to make a small revolution, try smaller islands whose local economies suffer despite their exceptional beauty and wonderful people. In that case , you can try a "country house Chios" or a "cottage Samos." and the list goes on.
With around 230 inhabited islands, Greece offers endless slow tourism possibilities. Simply check the map and pick your favourite part of the country. This will lead you to hidden gems where locals have invested in their passions and local culture rather than focusing on tourist numbers. Take a look at what I found, for example:
Please, I beg you, forget for a moment about the super-famous destinations like Santorini. Did you know that between January 26 and February 22 this winter, more than 20,000 earthquakes measuring 1 or greater were recorded in the area? This caused panic even among the most experienced seismologists and volcano experts, because yes, there is an active volcano in the Santorini area, and they did not know where the earthquakes were coming from. Given that scientists did not reach any conclusions and gave us information such as "it is possible that this" or "maybe that or the other," but no one could give a very specific answer, we, as travel experts and advocates of sustainability, felt that the earth of Santorini was crying out with thousands of earthquakes and aftershocks that it could no longer take it! Go somewhere else! Honestly, I could almost hear it saying this from the depths of its magma. How can an island with 15,000 inhabitants accommodate 3 million tourists every year who abuse its infrastructure and resources? Have you ever been to Santorini in August? Honestly, downtown New York during a protest against Trump is less crowded. So much trampling and suffocating vibration could be the cause of a new lost Atlantis! In August in Santorini, even the donkeys work overtime! Honestly, that's not an exaggeration. I was there 20 years ago and, because there were no taxis, I rented a mule, which took me to my destination in 1 hour for 5 euros! Seriously? I refuse to turn these cute four-legged animals, whose nature is to help farmers transport their products on rough trails, into taxi drivers with meters and overtime. Enough!
Choose less famous destinations. Sikinos, Kea, Antikythera for example. There you will find yourself in a situation where the locals strongly resist the wild development of tourism and the Airbnb companies that want to turn even the Cave of Zeus into a hotel. Here you will stay in white and blue tasteful houses, with lace tablecloths, not from Ikea, for God's sake, made by grandma, originals, not fakes, you will drink Greek coffee in the square, under the coolness of a tree with the owner telling you stories from the old days while wisely gazing at the endless blue. The wrinkles on his face, and the slight smile that makes his cheekbones shine under the August shade of a platanus, are better than a visit to a psychology professor for burnout and all the woes that plague you. Of course, in these islands if you don’t book a luxury hotel, you won't have a private pool, and sea bass with avocado sauce and the related dishes that resulted from the systematic training of the television audience with a series of Master chef episodes. You will swim in crystal clear waters, it will be you and ten others max on the beach, you will eat fried marida and boiled greens that grandma gathered from the mountain in the morning. You won't find omelettes every day, because the hen doesn't lay eggs on demand, but the homemade jam and the sourdough bread will be your reward.
When you finally check in to your hotel, please, I am truly asking you from the bottom of my heart, not to use all the amenities to the max just because you have paid for them. Meaning, if the room has A/C, try to use it minimally to not at all. People like me who have lived in the heat can give you some tips to deal with the heat without burdening the environment. First, wake up early to enjoy the day and eat that divine jam we were talking about. Go for breakfast by 10 in the morning, after that the auntie from the rooms also has things to do, to gather those greens we were talking about, maybe clean your room, and she also needs to go for a swim in the sea. She's not a slave, right? The woman rents a few rooms to get through the winter. Then go to the sea and make sure you have shade. Getting scorched under the hot sun besides not being good for your skin, doesn't help you deal with the heat. Swim more and sunbathe less. Oh, and if you care about your tan, know that a tan under the conditions I'm describing lasts longer. After 1 pm, make sure to return to your room until 3 or 4 pm. The siesta that Mediterranean people so devoutly embrace has a reason for existence. Because the hours of strong sunshine are many, staying in a dark cool place during those hours helps your nervous system deal with the shock of the great heat so you can endure the rest of the day without having the A/C on full blast. You can turn it on for half an hour to give your space a sense of coolness and freshness, but believe me, you don't even need that. Eat lightly, yes lightly, don't eat all the goats in the area in one day, a cool salad, with some local cheese and olives are enough so your body maintains the calm it needs for an afternoon rest. Close the shutters and leave the windows open. Take a cool bath and lie on the bed with the clean sheets to enjoy the natural coolness caused by the semi-darkness and the breeze that meets between two opposite windows. Read your book, yes, reading also causes an unexplained coolness, if not in the body, certainly in the spirit. Stay away from mobile phones, inarticulate shouts, and anything that causes turmoil in the afternoon calmness. The afternoon is perfect for a swim in the crystal-clear waters, which keep you cool all the way through to evening.
Spring 2024 Off-road discovering hidden gems
When it comes to more popular destinations, don't necessarily choose accommodation with a pool. Above all, don't even think about having your own private pool! Seriously, when the planet is crying out for water, do you really want a private pool? You go to the Mediterranean Sea, where the properties of seawater can do wonders for your body, and yet you still want to swim in chemicals? When you go to the beach, avoid plastics of all kinds and treat it with the same love and respect it gives you, meaning don't leave your trash behind and produce as little waste as possible.
During your stay on the island, support small businesses and the people who live from day to day. You will not only get to enjoy the pure food, but you will also have the opportunity to experience the authentic moments shared by people from the local community. You will observe how they spend their time, how they laugh and how they build relationships. This, dear travellers, is wealth. Also, when choosing an activity, forget the water slides and all these prefabricated tourist attractions. As well as being expensive, they make you feel like a number in a system. Besides, the food in such places is awful. If you are in Crete with your family, leave the crowded north part of the island and head to the south. There, you will find beaches untouched by mass tourism, as well as food businesses run by people who are passionate about Crete's wonderful products and excellent virgin olive oil, which is renowned for its health benefits. So, for your own sake, say no to overused seed oils and choose pure virgin olive oil.
Finally, when you decide to buy a souvenir to bring back to your friends and family, please, don't buy another fridge magnet with the island depicted on it. Besides being outdated, they will also show your friends that you didn't think of them at all, you just bought some fakes by the kilo to adhere to the bible of the silly tourist. Instead try to find shops, yes they exist if you look, where people make their own crafts or source their products from Greek artisan. They create unique cultural gifts using natural products and not just another plastic badge for your fridge. This way you help the local economy and contribute to a better and more ethical world. Yes! simple actions like these can change the world!
If you can't afford one of the Greek islands, try an off-season destination instead. For example, northern Greece has some excellent destinations, such as Meteora, Ioannina, Karpenissi and Karditsa, which boast wonderful mountains and landscapes that would make even the most famous painter green with envy. You will find cheap accommodation and excellent service there, not to mention the fresh, homemade, delicious food. Look out for small tavernas, mageirion and meze places too — that's where the best food is cooked. Pro tip: fancy restaurants are not part of Greek culture or tradition.
In general, slow tourism can also be linked to the concept of eco-tourism, as it encompasses concepts such as environmental protection and mindful travelling. However, it refers more to quality vacations, and please note that I do not mean luxury vacations. By quality vacations, I mean visiting a place, learning about its culture, customs, and traditions, coming into contact with the locals, getting to know them, learn first-hand things you would never learn from a tourist brochure, and create social and cultural bonds that are good for tourism and humanity in general. The exploitation of tourist destinations is becoming outdated, and the new era of transnational relations begins with people and ends with people. So if we want to change this world, yes, we have the power, and that means nothing more than becoming conscious citizens. When we shop, when we drive, when we choose our food, and of course when we travel.
