Slow Traveller

Jo Tinsley is a slow travel journalist and the founder of Ernest Journal – an independent magazine for the curious and adventurous, sold around the world with a combined print and online reach of 90K. Jo is an open water swimmer and never happier than when exploring a loch or bay, or when rambling over northern moorlands. She writes for The Guardian, The Independent, and Lonely Planet. @SlowJoTinsley @ernestjournal

• 1. On spontaneity & embracing the unexpected.   Road tripsWhen time is precious and holidays limited, spontaneity can feel like a forgotten word. And with the whole world mapped out at our fingertips, packing up a van and heading whimsically into the great unknown seems almost reckless. Chapter one focuses on road trips and van life, exploring what can happen when we let our plans unravel and our journeys unfold day by day. It’s all about embracing the joys of intuitive travel, learning how to trust our instincts and turning unexpected situations into adventures.   2. On human connection.   Being welcomed into local homesOpening ourselves up to chance encounters and the kindness of strangers is at the heart of slow travel. Chapter two is about our desire to understand a culture: to meet its people and to drink, eat and laugh with them. Experiences like this might feel lowkey rather than epic, but these humble, human connections stay with you long after you’ve landed back on home soil. Arguably one of the best ways to connect is by sharing food. Thankfully there are often local customs that encourage this – from kaffemik in Greenland (literally meaning to gather ‘over coffee’) to heimablídni in the Faroe Islands (which translates as ‘home hospitality’).   3. On getting there under your own steam.   Journeys by bike, kayak or sail boatChapter three examines how to travel lightly and strive for a more sustainable future by journeying under your own steam – turning away from plane or motor travel and choosing to reach your destination by bike, kayak, canoe or sail boat. By setting your own agenda each day, travelling at your own pace and embracing the times when things go wrong, you will draw on your inner reserves and shift your perspective.   4. On pilgrimage.   Long distance walking trailsWhen you’re busy nipping from one sight to the next, perhaps sharing your adventures on social media as your go, it’s difficult to take time out to think. On a long distance walk, however, you can’t escape yourself. The simplicity of putting one foot in front of the other gives you time to reflect, to reconnect with yourself and with the wild places you’re travelling through. Chapter four examines the slowest of journeys – the solitary walking tour.5. On embracing the journey.   Over-landing & epic rail journeysMost of us don’t travel anymore, we only arrive. The antithesis of a round-the-world ticket or a whistle-stop city break, over-landing by train allows us to focus on the journey and open your eyes to a whole new perspective. Because after all, the destination isn’t necessarily the goal, it’s the journey that counts.6. On solo travel.  Mountain solitudeExploring the lost art of being alone, and how slow travel can help you detach from an overwhelming lifestyle in order to reconnect with yourself. True solitude has the power to restore us to ourselves. Wild, primeval and unspoiled landscapes seem to invite this sort of quiet reflection, where rugged beauty (and a remote and beautifully simple cabin) can provide the perfect reprieve from our super-connected lives. So ditch the itinerary and plan your next off-grid escape. 7. On mindful adventures.   close to home Urban landscapesOften, it can be tempting to focus on far away adventures and not what it feels like when you actually reach a destination and starting shaping your new home. It can take a while to put down roots and to find meaning in the day-to-day. For me, it’s been about establishing routines and small rituals that help bed me into a place, allow me to find emotional stillness and give me the energy to plan the next great adventure. Embracing a slow travelling mindset in your everyday can be as simple as choosing not to take the underground to work but to seek out your city’s green pathways through your city. Chapter seven is about bringing everything you’ve learned back home to your home town, to live more mindfully and to embrace the slow adventures on your doorstep.