The Art of Slow Travel: Why Your Next Vacation Shouldn't Be Packed With Plans

On our honeymoon, I had what was honestly one of the best naps of my life in a complimentary pool cabana at The Westin Bora Bora, overlooking the lagoon while we waited for our room to be ready! We didn’t plan it, and it ended up being one of my favorite memories of the whole trip. Some of the best moments of any vacation happen that way: coffee overlooking the ocean, an afternoon wandering a village with nowhere to be, an extra hour at dinner because nobody’s in a rush, or a sunset you almost missed because you weren’t checking the time. We’re all so used to moving fast at home that travel can turn into one more thing to maximize, with every landmark seen and every excursion booked before the flight home. But lately, more and more of my clients are choosing to slow down, and I love it!

So what is slow travel?

Slow travel is traveling with intention, and it doesn’t require a longer vacation. Instead of racing through 4 cities in 7 days, you might spend the whole week in one place, and instead of scheduling every hour, you leave room to be spontaneous, rest, and actually be present. Funny enough, slowing down usually means you experience a place more. You find the little café where the locals gather every morning, you stumble onto a beach you would’ve driven right past, and you come home remembering conversations with people along with the sights you photographed. Those are the memories that tend to stick with you the longest!

I saw this firsthand at Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea, where the resort set up a private breakfast for us on the beach. The spread was enormous, and nobody rushed us for a second, so we just sat there looking at the ocean and enjoying a quiet morning together. It’s one of the simplest moments of our whole honeymoon and one of the ones I remember most!

Wellness starts with disconnecting

When people hear “wellness travel,” they usually picture massages, yoga, or a luxury spa, and those absolutely have their place! (The spa at Namale in Fiji is still one of my favorites ever. Between the hydrotherapy pools and the floor-to-ceiling ocean views, we completely lost track of time!) But for a lot of people, wellness starts with something much simpler: disconnecting. Give yourself permission to put your phone away, sleep without an alarm, read a book by the pool, or wander a new place without worrying about what’s next. At The Westin Bora Bora, my husband and I spent hours swimming right off our bungalow, ordering room service, and watching Netflix from the bathtub after a busy stretch of excursions in Moorea, and doing less was exactly what we needed. A lot of luxury resorts are leaning into this now, with experiences built around nature, mindfulness, local culture, great food, or personalized wellness programs. Everyone defines wellness a little differently, which is why there’s no one-size-fits-all destination for it!

Slow travel can happen almost anywhere

A lot of people assume slow travel only happens at remote wellness retreats, but you can travel slowly almost anywhere in the world! You could spend a week in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia, wake up to the ocean in Fiji, settle into a villa surrounded by vineyards in Tuscany, explore the Scottish Highlands, or unwind at a small boutique resort in Costa Rica with the rainforest all around you. Even Hawaii, with the right pace, can be the perfect place to reconnect with yourself and the people you’re traveling with. The destination matters, and how you experience it matters even more.

It’s also a big part of how I build trips. In French Polynesia, Bora Bora always goes last, so my clients do the action and adventure on the other islands first and then unwind at the end. That way, they fly home relaxed instead of exhausted! In Fiji, I always tell first-timers to leave room for days with nowhere they have to be, because you flew a very long way to wake up next to that water.

The best itinerary is the one that fits how you want to feel

One of my favorite questions to ask clients is surprisingly simple: “What do you want this vacation to feel like?” That answer shapes everything else! Some couples want adventure from sunrise to sunset, and I’m happy to make that happen. Others tell me they’re exhausted and don’t want to come home needing a vacation from their vacation. That’s where thoughtful planning really matters. I build itineraries with room to breathe, balance sightseeing with downtime, and plan experiences that leave you feeling restored, so you come home feeling different than when you left!

Sometimes the best luxury is slowing down

Some of my favorite travel memories are the slow ones. On our last night in Bora Bora, my husband and I sat on the deck at the 727 Bar at The St. Regis, him with a cocktail and me with a mocktail, watching the mountains glow at sunset and talking about life and everything we were excited for. Nothing was on the schedule, and that’s exactly why I remember it so clearly. If you’ve been craving a trip where you can recharge and actually disconnect, slow travel might be exactly what you’re looking for. Start with one destination, fewer hotel changes, and at least a couple of days with absolutely nothing planned!

If a slower, more restful trip sounds like what you need and you’re not sure where to start, that’s where I come in! Book a complimentary consultation with me! We’ll get to know each other, I’ll walk you through how Susan’s Travel Services works (including what being a Virtuoso agency means for you), and we’ll talk about next steps.