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.
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adventure travel / Africa / cities / local knowledge / mountains / outdoors / personal experience / responsible transport / South Africa / Southern Africa / whl.travel
Slow Down for a Local Travel Experience of Cape Town, South Africa
Here’s the best piece of advice you can get from a local: if you really want to get under the skin of Cape Town, you have to slow things down. If you speed through the city, you will miss out on the great subtleties that give Cape Town its character. It’ll melt together and become a blur, as if you are driving a car at 100 miles per hour and trying to look out the window.
Read More >>Asia / fine arts / food & drink / handicrafts & shopping / holy sites / indigenous culture / Laos / markets / personal experience / South-Eastern Asia / whl.travel
Luang Prabang, Laos P.D.R. – Please Don’t Rush
Time is such a precious commodity these days; we’ve been led to believe that if we don’t maximise our scant vacation time by hitting all the major tourist must-dos, we’ve somehow failed. But travelling and living in Laos has taught me that slowing down adds richness to your experience – like seeing the world vividly in Technicolor.
Read More >>Bosnia and Herzegovina / Brazil / Cambodia / cities / Estonia / Laos / Malaysia / Malta / Nepal / opinion / Philippines / Solomon Islands / Spain / Thailand / Turkey / Vietnam / whl.travel
Learning Slow Travel Through the Eye of Time Lapse
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.
Read More >>animal conservation / Asia / Eastern Asia / indigenous culture / local knowledge / Mongolia / mountains / national parks / personal experience / photo of the week / whl.travel
Photo of the Week: A Ranger in Khustai National Park, Mongolia
When we got on top of the hill and were enjoying the surrounding natural scenery, we spotted a local horseman approaching us from a distance. I don’t know why, but initially we felt slightly ill at ease, maybe because we were otherwise alone in a complete wilderness.
Read More >>What is Slow Travel? Here’s What We Think
“Slow down.” This is the simple message of the Slow Movement. In today’s high-speed world of fast food, jet planes and instant communication, we are losing touch with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth, says the Slow Movement. Like ‘slow food’ and ‘slow media,’ ‘slow travel’ is a part of the movement. And here’s what the WHL Group staff thinks about it.
Read More >>architecture & landmarks / Asia / beaches / cities / holy sites / local knowledge / museums / new local connections / Turkey / Western Asia / whl.travel
Astonishing Antalya, Turkey, Brings the Turkish Riviera to whl.travel
THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND TURKISH. On Turkey’s pristine south coast, nestled between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Antalya has long been a favourite holiday destination. Dubbed the new Turkish Riviera, the flanking seaboard offers everything from Roman ruins to hiking or kayaking deep canyons.
Read More >>architecture & landmarks / Europe / festivals & events / Greece / holy sites / local knowledge / museums / personal experience / photo of the week / Southern Europe / whl.travel
Photo of the Week: Little Churches Everywhere, Corfu, Greece
Religion is of very great importance for the residents of Corfu, as it is for most Greeks, and churches and small chapels can be found everywhere all over the island. Corfu has nearly 800 churches and monasteries altogether! Even the tiniest village in Corfu has a church in its centre and these churches can sometimes…
Read More >>awards / Colombia / Greece / Malawi / Philippines / responsible travel news / WHL Group news / whl.travel
Meet the Best whl.travel Local Travel Experts of 2011
With a steady eye on identifying fun, interactive and ethical travel experiences, the whl.travel global online travel-booking network taps into and magnifies the excellence of local tourism experts who. Alone, these experts are local leaders, but united they have become a forceful global presence for the right kind of tourism, sharing with major markets all…
Read More >>Asia / Cambodia / cities / food & drink / handicrafts & shopping / inside word / local knowledge / markets / museums / personal experience / South-Eastern Asia / whl.travel
The Inside Word… on Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Phnom Penh demands your attention from the moment you arrive. Vibrant, exciting and utterly unpredictable are just a few words to describe Cambodia’s capital. It’s a city of stark contrasts: slick SUVs share the road with old-world cyclos; visitors can relax in a posh cafe and think they are in Paris, or join the locals at a pop-up stall selling fried noodles.
