Conscious Living - Part 2. The Slow Holiday

If you have ever come home from a holiday more exhausted than when you left, I can relate.

I remember one particular trip to Berlin with a group of friends, when I printed out extensive travel itineraries for everyone, complete with screenshots from Google Maps and a long list of all the places I wanted to visit. Predictably, I needed another break to recover when I got back from that ‘holiday’!

Since then, I’ve learned to travel at a slower pace. I’ve had to fight my natural desire to see and do everything when I visit somewhere new, initially finding it hard to hold back and allow myself to do less. Whether that meant lingering over a meal or spending an entire day relaxing on the beach, I have learned to give each small moment the attention it deserved. Because travelling slow is all about quality over quantity. 

And to find that quality, we need to consider the reasons why we love to travel. Are we trying to impress our friends, or are we looking to relax, reconnect and recharge? Once we forget about showing off our holiday snaps and ticking off bucket lists, we can focus on reclaiming our precious holiday time and savouring every moment of the trips that we take. 

Travel has changed a lot over the past 18 months. This year we are much more likely to be staying in our own countries, or even at home, but you don’t have to hop on a plane and travel to a far-flung destination to take a break. A week off work, exploring your local area or relaxing at home, is the perfect way to try a slow holiday, allowing you to do as you please without worrying about transport connections, language barriers or check-in times. Staying close to home is also a much more conscious and environmentally friendly way to take a holiday. Travelling slow doesn’t have to mean literally, but if you can take the train, drive in your car, or get around on your own two feet, you are already reducing your carbon footprint. 

Wherever you are – at home, abroad or exploring in your own country – it’s what you do and how you do it that dictates the pace of your holiday. I tend to find that doing a little research ahead of time allows me to adopt a slower pace, leaving me free to enjoy each moment, in the moment.

I also like to make space for the unknown and unexpected - for the call of an unknown road or a town seen from afar and spontaneously visited. But, if you’re more of a planner, I recommend choosing only one or two things which are close together – such as a beach and a restaurant. If you get itchy feet, you can always move on, but if you don’t try to squeeze too many plans into one day you will find yourself more relaxed and able to appreciate living in the now.

Let go of any preconceptions about how you ‘should’ spend your holidays. Allow yourself the time to soak up the atmosphere and get to know the beating heart of your destination. Leave your guidebook at home and wander around, allowing yourself to get lost while fully taking in your surroundings. Pay attention to the shops, bars and restaurants the locals gravitate towards and follow them. If something catches your eye, stop and investigate. Spend an entire afternoon sat outside a café, ordering cake and watching the world go by. Relax on a beach or by a lake, dipping in and out of both the water and your book. Slowing down the way that you travel is all about accepting that you can’t do everything and making the most out of every single moment. Make all of those moments memorable. 

And the best part of travelling more slowly and consciously? The philosophy can easily be applied to your daily life. We often wish away our time on the lead up to a holiday or feel nostalgic when we return home, but there is no reason why we can’t continue to enjoy the slowness of a holiday day-to-day. Consider all the elements of a holiday that you most treasure and how you could work these into your daily life. Perhaps that means allowing yourself to linger over your meals, making time each day to read a few pages of a book, or going for a walk in the evening to watch the sunset. We might not be able to explore new places every single day, but we can take that languid, relaxed feeling that we associate with holidays, and enjoy it in our everyday lives, even if only for a few moments.

Staycation ideas - where to visit in the U.K

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Missing the culture associated with travelling to different countries? You don’t have to travel to Europe to admire beautiful works of art - there are countless galleries and sculpture parks to be found around the U.K. We particularly love the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, located close to Wakefield. The predominantly open-air attraction comprises over 100 intriguing sculptures and art installations, set among a beautiful 500-acre estate that leads you through fields and woodland.

The Eden Project

Fast becoming one of the most recognisable tourist attractions in the U.K, the Eden Project is popular for a reason. There’s nowhere else quite like it for anyone who loves plants, flowers and nature. Located in a former clay mine, the gardens are dominated by two huge biomes - the Mediterranean biome that houses everything from cacti to olive trees and colourful blooms, and the world’s largest indoor rainforest, situated inside the Rainforest biome. There are also outdoor gardens, performance areas and contemporary artworks to discover.

Tillingham Vineyard

Did you know you could visit vineyards in England? Tillingham is set among 70 acres of beautiful farmland, meadows and woodland, close to Rye, in East Sussex. Their farming and winemaking philosophy is sustainable and progressive, while also referencing ancient techniques. Guests can stay overnight in one of their stylish rooms, or you can book onto a wine tour and tasting experience, followed by a tasty meal in their restaurant. 

Hay-on-Wye

Book lovers will delight in wandering the streets of this pretty market town on the border of England and Wales. Home to more than 30 specialist bookshops and the world-famous Hay Festival of Literature, Hay is paradise for anyone who loves to read. As well as rooting through the stacks in the bookstores, visitors can browse the antique and independent shops, hike up Hay Bluff and hire a canoe to admire the river. 

Portmeirion 

No, this isn’t Italy, it’s north Wales! Portmeirion takes you by surprise the first time you visit, with its colourful buildings perched on a cliff above the estuary resembling the Amalfi Coast. This pretty village with its gardens, follies and winding pathways was built between 1925 and 1975 as a place for tourists to admire. You may recognise it as the setting of the TV series, The Prisoner. The best way to spend a day here is simply to wander around and admire the views and the architecture, but there are a couple of hotels and cottages to stay in, as well as a scattering of shops and a small gallery.

This article was written in partnership with Emma Lavelle. You can read more of her work here.