In Praise of Slow Travel

Stopping at a pub for lunch while on the road. Source: Author.

First Trip Rush

I recall my first international trip well. It was a bicycle club tour of Southwest Ireland in 1997. I was 32. We had an experienced leader, a set itinerary with rest days, reservations at BnB’s (this was before AirBnB), and we shared turns driving the ‘sag wagon’ with our luggage. We could just focus on biking and enjoying the tour.

For many of us, in our 20s in 30s, this was just our first or second trip outside the country ever and the first to Ireland for many, except the leader. Our collective excitement as the huge Russian Aeroflot plane (the only one that would take our large bicycle boxes) dropped below the clouds on our final approach to Shannon airport was palpable and emotions were high. As we flew over the perfect emerald green of the countryside and the patchwork of family farms with their rocky borders we were transported to an elaborate fantasy. Anything was possible, even elves. We assembled our bikes in the airport and then set off. The first five days were very wet — as we rode away from the airport it was raining hard and there was five inches of water in the road. One pair of my shoes rotted after a few days. But our spirits were so high we mostly shrugged it off with hot showers at the end of the day, loaves of delicious brown Irish bread, and the fresh beer and live music we immersed ourselves in each night at nearby pubs (March of Brian Boru anyone?). Our group of about 20 quickly divided into subgroups based on ability, travel style and interests, though we all met up at the end of the day. I paired off with a woman about my age for daytime biking, and we made detours to visit castles and ruins that were not on the planned route. We stopped and talked to farmers, learning about unsustainable plot subdividing, how Germans were buying up Irish farms, why Irish sheep had paint dots on them, and got directions with a smile. We talked to the BnB owners about the economy, learning about recent EU investment and the ‘Celtic tiger’. At the Cliffs of Moher we kept each other from falling to the rocks below while we dangled for risky camera angles. We watched how the citizenry of the larger towns speed-walked to church on Sunday morning, all dressed in black. (This was before the impact of Sinead O’Conner and the awakening regarding abuses by clergy and staff).

Lonely but beautiful Irish graveyard. Source: Author

We passed graveyards and ruined churches and learned about the origin of the Celtic cross and the tragic legacy of Oliver Cromwell. We even visited the home of the legendary Anglo-Irish writer W. B. Yeats, of whom I had hitherto been ignorant.

Tower home of William Butler Yeats. Source: Author

When we reached the very southwest corner, completing the long climb to the top of the headlands looking out into the Atlantic, a spontaneous group of locals cheered for us!

County Galway. Source: Author.

Our slow pace enabled us to see the countryside and admire the beautiful Fuscia hedgerows bordering the narrow lanes in the southwest coastal region. There were many opportunities to meet and converse with people, to immerse ourselves in the lives of others and experience their living conditions. We were sometimes invited to watch sports with the family who owned the BnB. Watching and conversing with them, we could meet and see them as full people with their own story.

Return Changed

When I returned to my office after two plus weeks, I immediately knew I needed to change jobs. Being away and living in another world allowed me to approach it anew and I was not happy with what I saw. It took a few months but I transferred into a new position. This kept me busy cand challenged for a while. This is another benefit of slow travel — the opportunity to come back and see your life with a different eye and make changes if and where needed.

The next gift of travel was an internal feeling of competency — knowing that I could survive being thrown into another country. I turned out to be pretty skilled at driving on the left and took several turns driving the van (sag wagon), and I wasn’t bad at bike repair. I had an experience I was proud of and could talk about at parties or on dates.

Lastly, I developed a taste for Irish music and listened to it for years. I also studied Irish history in depth, learning of the plight of the Irish at the hands of the English and their progress since Independence in 1922. I saw Michael Collins (1996) in the theatre. I followed the progress of the Irish investigations into church abuses and watched The Magdelene Sisters (2002). I also learned more about my fellow travelers, and some stayed friends for a time but all of them influenced me.

More trips would follow, some personal and some for work. While see a new place was always exciting, few approached the overwhelming excitement of that first trip, however.

Travel in 2024 — more to consider but still useful

These days travel is more complicated. We need to carefully apportion vacation time against other commitments, weigh our carbon footprint, streamline luggage to avoid checked baggage charges. We consider Covid requirements, check the State Department website for in-country safety, send Visa requests. Alternately, Google-translate can be a huge aid in navigating different languages (and well as availing oneself of one of the many language learning services ahead of time). Uber too has been a boon for getting around in many countries.

All in all, travel can inspire us, educate us, connect us to the greater human community, give us fulfillment and competency, but these days it also requires consideration for sustainability and the greater good.