Unlocking the Joy of Slow Travel: Traveler vs. Tourist Mindset

I was recently trying to put all my logical judgments and answer a burning query of mine “why do I consider myself a traveler, when I address most of the people, including many friends, as tourists?”

I mean, I take the same road, experience similar locale, and possibly meet the same local people. So why this demarcation? Is it the term ’a traveler’ which has some sort of bounding appeal to it? What makes me a traveler?

I realized the answer, on its own, while having a conversation with an old friend, a couple of days ago. He was getting married in 6 months from now and was busy doing overtime before the marriage. Under such convoluted circumstances, I asked him if he fancied a short motorbiking expedition in the Himalayas (I really did mention the word ‘short’). And the first thing he said was: “For how long? Give me the dates when we are leaving and arriving.”

I took a little breath, pondered, and then described a tentative route map, with all the precise dates my mind had the ability to process. Starting with a perfect play of weekend (as I know white-collared folks often do) I told him, “we will leave on the coming Friday, and our first destination would be Kaza, near Indio-Tibet border. We will cover a few hidden on the way and see how long it takes.” Suddenly I realised the answer to my burning query…

We don’t want to lead the road, rather follow it to infinity. We are helpless against the ecstasy and the joy of losing ourselves to the oblivion.

I am addicted to this idea too. And that’s what makes me a traveler!

When I travel, I don’t think about dates, or about days. I don’t care when I leave, or when I arrive. All that matters to me are the places I am visiting, people I will meet, and the many unforgettable experiences waiting for me on the other side of the journey.

The joy of slow travel – as travellers call it – is best experienced when you treat the entire world as your little backyard and enjoy it with all the time in the world.

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been. Travelers don’t know where they’re going” Paul Theroux

Beyond any measures, and of all the biggest reasons, this is why I quit my job to travel in the first place. I didn’t want myself to be helplessly restricted under a time frame.

I remember, the first time I left home for my first ever grand adventures – a one month backpacking in Bhutan – I remained excited throughout the journey. Whereas other people I met on the road, who was bound with a return ticket, came and left with a few half-baked conversations.

They were so busy with their bucket list that they never appreciated the joy of travelling and experiencing how it feels to sit with locals and enjoy a nice conversation with days on end.

It is only the idea of slow travelling, which has led me to discover a different side of Varkala or familiarized me with the dying land of Yogis, among many other soul-searching experiences.

So plan a long break, take a sabbatical or fake a medical leave. Do whatever it takes but once in your life, at least, go to a place where you can abandon time restraints, throw away your gadgets, and just… TRAVEL !!