In the best-selling book and motion picture ‘Eat Pray Love,’ Elizabeth Gilbert spends an entire year on the road. She visits three different countries for four months each. How did she do it? Apart from having a book deal already in place to fund her journey, she also travelled smart and travelled slow, especially in her choice of lodging. From Italy to India and Indonesia, she chose longer-term apartment and lodge rental.

In July of last year, my boyfriend and I set out on a slow travel adventure around the world. We had one rule – no flying. Overland, we had many options – walking, cycling, riding buses, taking a train – but what about crossing the oceans? Many people are simply not aware that numerous cargo ships offer passenger cabins.

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.

If you are willing to skip some of the hit-and-run sightseeing and country hopping of gotta-see-it-all travel, there’s a much simpler way to stay on budget and on the road for a long time: Take it slow, base your travels in one place and opt for a work exchange. Today, there are more and more ways for the industrious slow traveller to find work and break even.