We’ve asked our global network of local tourism professionals about the ‘length of stay’ factor in their destinations. Answers varied, but they all agree on one thing: the average tourist isn’t a slow traveller and just doesn’t stay long enough to really appreciate a place. Here are their thoughts on how long is long enough and what the average fast traveller is missing.

There are lessons to be learned from time-lapse photography about the beauty of slow travel. Park yourself somewhere and stay awhile. Be still. Go for long exposure. Reconsider time, stretch it, condense it and watch its flow. Leave a place with a long time-lapse memory of it rather than a handful of sporadic snapshot seconds. Here, we’ve asked our local partners from all over the world for time-lapse footage that moves them.

New Year’s Day is a time to bid farewell to the year that was and greet the year that will be with joy and hope for positive change. It is celebrated all over the world and often welcomed with a bang (literally). In the Western world, festive New Year’s events occur on the 1st of January, the first day of the Gregorian calendar. However, for millions of people on the other side of the world, the New Year is ushered in on different days of the year, often in keeping with the lunar calendar.

Long known as one of Southeast Asia’s most visually stunning cities, Luang Prabang, Laos, is replete with uncommonly beautiful sights. Now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and must-see destination for anyone fascinated by the remarkable ancient culture of Laos, the city remains largely protected from the stresses of mass tourism, awaiting visitors with spectacular sunsets along the Mekong and morning processions of saffron-clad monks receiving their daily alms.