Are You a Traveler or a Vacationer?
A friend once told me there are two kinds of people: travelers and vacationers. Travelers plan just enough to stay flexible; vacationers plan to not plan at all.
It now is one of my lightning round questions I ask my travel guests.
Josh Mojica, a flight attendant turned photographer who’s been everywhere from Sri Lanka to Bolivia, says he’s learned to travel slowly. “I don’t like to squeeze everything into seven days,” he said. “I want to find my café, talk to locals, and recharge.”
He’s right. The American habit of “doing Europe in ten days” isn’t travel, it’s more like cardio. We collect stamps like Pokémon instead of stories.
Slow travel, by contrast, gives you the chance to find your rhythm, to discover that the café near your hostel makes the best banana pancakes, or that your body actually thanks you when you stop rushing.
Josh talked about his month in Bolivia—a beautiful but tough trip. “Ten days would’ve been enough,” he laughed. “After that, I missed my own bed.” There’s honesty in that. You don’t have to love every place forever.
Other places, like our time in Athens and exploring Greek islands, required a longer time.
Slow travel is less about the miles and more about what expands inside you when you finally stop hurrying.
Listen to our full discussion here:
If you’ve been racing through your itinerary, try staying put next time. Let yourself linger. And if you want company on the journey toward slower, saner travel, subscribe to Safe Passages.