How To Make Remote Work And Slow Travel Work!

We all know that there are several cool ways that we can experience remote work. For example, you could keep it simple and work from home. Alternatively, look for a great co-working space near your home to operate out of. While these are all great options, one avenue professionals are starting to find more attractive is combining remote work and slow travel.

This remote work travel program can open you to unique opportunities and even help you appreciate your job more! But, as with everything, you must ensure you get it right to make the most of the digital nomad life.

Let’s get into all you need to know to get the full benefits of slow travel and remote work!

What Is Remote Work?

Think of remote work as working outside the confines of the established traditional office environment. Also, sometimes called telecommuting, working remotely allows you to complete daily tasks and execute different projects without resorting to any physical location.

Depending on how this measure is practiced, many have hailed remote work as one of the best tactics for reducing carbon footprint.

As a remote worker, you technically enter the digital nomad life when you combine remote work with slow or fast travel.

What Is Slow Travel?

As the name implies, slow travel is a method of destination chasing that allows you to take more time to explore. According to any slow travel guide, you only practice this type of travel if you’re on the road for longer than 3 months.

While fast travel certainly has its perks, the benefits of slow travel are undeniable. For those who follow a slow travel guide, you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, meet new and interesting people, and forge deep and lasting connections.

Another great perk of joining the slow travel movement is that it’s considerably more relaxed, puts you under less pressure, and helps you move without having to figure out every little detail ahead of time. This mode of travel might be suitable especially if you have kids traveling along.

Remote Work And Slow Travel – Where Two Lines Meet

Remote Work And Slow Travel – Where Two Lines Meet

We’ve established that remote work and slow travel are independent elements. So, how do you leverage these two resources in tandem?

Well, at its core, remote work helps you break away from the four walls of the conventional office space. But, more is needed for some workers, especially those struck with wanderlust.

Living a digital nomad life by slow traveling and working while you’re on the go helps you see more of the world in a way that doesn’t require you to ditch what you love doing.

The slow travel movement is gaining traction among remote workers because it helps you get more of the benefits of remote work and makes the demerits less pronounced.

All you need is the right digital nomad gear and equipment and a reliable slow travel guide from any of the best slow travel blogs out there, and you’re set!

Why More Digital Nomads Are Joining The Slow Travel Movement

Why More Digital Nomads Are Joining The Slow Travel Movement

From asking what the slow travel movement was only a few years ago, the world has massively embraced this style of journeying. But why are more professionals considering this particular style of remote work travel program more and more these days?

The biggest reason for this is likely due to the amazing benefits of slow travel movement.

Even without following the best slow travel blogs, traveling this way can still be a highly worthwhile experience.

Some reasons why digital nomads are looking to the slow travel guide more include:

More Time For Exploration

Don’t you hate it more when you spend so long looking forward to (and planning) a trip, but it comes and goes without getting the chance to experience all you wanted?

Well, when you tour the world living the digital nomad life as a slow traveler, you’ll never have that happen!

I spent February to June of 2019 slowly traveling through Barcelona, Spain, and it was undeniably one of my best trips as a digital nomad. I stayed in El Born for those 4 to 5 months and always found new and exciting things to see and do daily.

Slow traveling through that city allowed me to see its beauty not as a tourist breezing through but as a part of the local culture and heritage.

Free And Easy Makes Culture Assimilation Effortless

Another of the benefits of slow travel movement is that it helps you soak in the local culture at a fundamental level. Because I opted to adopt the slow remote work travel program with my trip to Barcelona, I wasn’t in any rush to get anything done.

I’d promised myself that trip for nearly two years, so when the chance came, I ensured I didn’t put myself on any busy schedule. The one thing I did do was ensure that I had my work routine all sorted out, and I stuck to it. Beyond that, I just let things flow as they will.

It allowed me to connect with the environment on a deeper level, and I could appreciate the flow of the local life around me. The best part of the trip was that I got to see and experience so many things I would normally have missed.

Forge Deeper Connections Over Some Time

One of the biggest joys of adopting the slow travel movement approach will always be that it gave me the perfect chance to meet so many different people.

Before I finally slow-traveled to Barcelona, I enjoyed visiting locations as a tourist. If nothing else, it kept the scenery fresh. And, of course, it allowed me to meet people too. However, most of these meetings usually ended up casual. Because we needed more time to develop a bond, there was little basis for keeping in touch after we parted ways.

With slow travel, it’s been entirely different.

I made a network of close friends before I left Spain, and we still stay in touch now!

The fact that I was in a relaxed mood to be anywhere made it easier for me to attempt to get to know the people I came across. I wouldn’t have been able to develop any tangible bonds with these individuals otherwise.

I thought needing time to form a deeper connection with people was a me-thing until I dug into the topic. Even though we are social creatures, we still need an appreciable amount of time before we can bond.

Practice Makes Learning The Local Language Easier

In most cases, knowing that you will be spending only a couple of days or weeks in any given locale will make you not give learning the local language a real chance.

As a remote worker in the slow travel movement, you’ll find it much easier to pick up the local language.

Since you’ll be sticking around for a while, you’ll invest time in learning the language. Because you’ll be actively using the said language to communicate with the locals for a fairly long period, this effort will also increase your aptitude for the native tongue.

If you have a thing for learning new languages, living your digital nomad life as a slow traveler can make this much easier. There’s also the fact that this will make it easier for you to partake in different remote volunteer opportunities.

Long-Term Rent Costs Less

There’s also an economic dividend to combining remote work and slow travel. While certain expenses, like transportation, won’t change, you can chip away a bit regarding how much you spend on rent.

Just think about it; if you’re planning to spend only a week or two in a given location, then it’s only prudent that you get a hotel or short-term lodge. In most places, such an endeavor is likely to be quite costly.

However, when you know you’re slowly traveling, so you’ll be around for a while, it’ll be easier to look for more permanent accommodation. Long-term, this will save you more than spending so much on hotels.

No Rush, No Stress Kind Of Travel

When you travel the regular way, you must be at a certain location and time following an itinerary. While that itinerary can be good for many things, it can also result in much pressure. If not well managed, this pressure can put a damper on the whole trip.

Knowing what is slow travel can greatly relieve you of all that worry.

Again, all you need is a decent slow travel guide. The rest will usually take care of itself. After all, you’ll be staying in that location for a while. So, sooner or later, you’ll get around to doing everything you want to do!

All The Above Makes Traveling More Fulfilling

The ultimate aim of living the digital nomad life is to be free and fulfilled, even while you work. Slow travel presents you with the perfect platform to achieve this and more.

To set realistic expectations, slow travel has its own shortcomings. For some remote workers, there’s surely a learning curve to overcome.

But it intimately exposes you to other cultures, helps you make more friends, saves money, and even reduces your carbon footprint, making it a wholesome and rewarding way to live.

In addition, because slow travel opens the doors to life-long learning, you’ll be able to increase your skills and values with each new day.

How To Embrace Remote Work And Slow Travel

How To Embrace Remote Work And Slow Travel

In answering the question of what is slow travel movement and remote work, you have always to remember that combining these two processes is a mindset, not just an exercise.

Understand that when you slow travel, you’re trying to connect yourself to a location by immersing yourself in its history, food, culture, people, and practices.

So, while it’s certainly okay to do stuff for Instagram and check a few things off your bucket list, you must understand that this remote work travel program style runs much deeper than that.

For those who want to make certain they land on the right foot here, you need to:

Ditch The Tourist Mindset

If you’re going to be a slow traveler, you’ve got to stop thinking like a tourist. Most tourists want to get full value for their money and get the “best” experience. To that end, they dash from one site of attraction to the next, stay in the fanciest joints, and eat at the top-recommended locations.

Nothing’s wrong with any of this, of course. But chances are that, if you take this approach, you’ll leave that location without really being impacted by it.

Rather, consider getting local accommodations, shopping in the surrounding stores, and giving the local restaurants a shot. All of this will bring you closer to the people around you. It’ll foster conversations that will help you learn interesting things.

And while these changes might be small, you’ll find that, given time, it’ll all add up to something truly tangible.

Make Flexibility A Priority

You can only hope to live the digital nomad life if you are prepared to make compromises occasionally. To truly enjoy remote work and slow travel, you have to know when to go all in and when to pace yourself.

This mindfulness is critical to ensuring that new opportunities don’t pass you by and your productivity doesn’t nosedive.

Engage The Local Community

The sights and the food only make up a small percentage of the experience in any region you visit. The true worth of the slow travel movement lies in the potential it affords you to meet new people.

So, don’t hide behind your camera and let all that go to waste!

Make a conscious effort to meet the locals. Talk to them and make your interest to be a part of their community plain to see. You may be surprised to see how well you’ll be received when you do this. And, with time, you’ll also become a treasured part of their community!

Be Prepared To Stick Around For The Long Haul

The best slow travel blogs will always tell you that you must be in a timely manner to move to the next location. The entire point of following the slow travel movement is defeated if you are.

Instead, try to take your sweet time planting your roots. Give yourself the time and chance not just to look but, more importantly, see all that’s around you. That way, you’re likelier to meet new people, find hidden gems, and get more value out of your adventure.

There’s a reason most people say the best way to experience the digital nomad life is through slow travel movement.

Gear Up And Start Planning

Now that you know what remote work and slow travel movement are, is it worth trying?

The benefits of slow travel when you work as a digital nomad range from helping you get more time to explore to allowing you to soak in the local culture, reducing your carbon footprint, and even accessing various remote volunteer opportunities.

What’s more, these dividends are easy to get, too!

You need to drop the tourist mindset, be more flexible with your planning, engage the local community, and be prepared to stick around for a bit. With this, you’ll open yourself to amazing experiences you wouldn’t believe!

Need help backing for the wonderful adventure ahead? Here are a few pointers!

Popular Questions About Remote Work And Slow Travel

Popular Questions About Remote Work And Slow Travel

Is Slow Travel The Only Way To Be A Digital Nomad?

Slow travel is one of many ways to be a digital nomad. The slow travel movement is just one of several ways you can experience the digital nomad life. However, this approach is generally preferred because it’s less stressful and more rewarding. In fact, some nomads prefer to slow travel and “test drive” that country before migrating to a new place forever. 

What Do I Need To Slow Travel?

All you need to slow travel is the right remote work gear and equipment, a location you love in mind, and a slow travel guide for that destination.

Are All Countries Good For Slow Travel?

Not all countries are suitable for slow travel. More specifically, some countries make the experience considerably easier for you. For example, some nations offer dedicated nomad visas. With this, you won’t have to stress yourself looking for the perfect slow travel destination.

What Are The Best Locations To Slow Travel Right Now?

Some of the best locations for slow travel movement are Malta, Germany, Seychelles, Norway, and Portugal.

How Do I Prevent Burnout As A Digital Nomad?

The best way to prevent burnout as a digital nomad is to take things slow. Take your time getting anywhere or doing anything. Savor and appreciate every step of your journey. This experience will keep you invigorated and sharp for a long time.

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