The simplest way to make your travel better immediately
When was the last time you travelled to a place and didn’t know that much about it before you got there?
You learned some while you were there, but always felt like you were playing catch-up. You tried talking to some locals but could tell that they thought you were a bit of a clueless tourist. Instead of surging off the beaten track, everywhere you went there were other tourists clutching blue-spined books. You saw lots of little things that you didn’t really understand and the museums you felt you should go to were a bit of a blur. You came home determined to learn more. But months later all the really remained were the photos on your iPhone and a vague sense that you hadn’t made the most of your experience.
When was the last time that happened to you?
Deliberate Travel is about making travel a different type of experience. And best of all, anyone can do it themselves. DT is based on a simple directive - find out about a country before you go there.
It sounds so simple, but in the age of immediate digital information and busy schedules, we rarely do it. It’s easier to focus on booking hotels and researching restaurants - the knowledge can wait til you’re there, right.
Does it?
Travel can quickly become another mindless experience, performed on autopilot. We pick travel locations on what we’ve been hearing about or an insta location we’ve seen, instead of where we want to learn more about.
The solution is pretty simple (and enjoyable!). Take a little time to read a novel, or watch a movie. You can even start on Wikipedia and branch out from there. Search YouTube for a documentary on where you’re visiting. Think about how you can travel differently in a country, rather than just ‘Hitting the Sights’. Maybe you’ll focus on food and trying all the different recipes that you’ve read about. Maybe art is your thing, so you want to see the major masterpieces of a country, or contact artists who work there (Instagram is great for this - people are very friendly). Maybe you’ll set a goal for yourself, like hiking a certain number of miles during your trip or keeping a flora & fauna journal.
We’ve been travelling this way for a few years now, and we’ve found that we travel more consciously, have different experiences and make different choices while travelling because of the knowledge we’ve absorbed before we arrive. We remember it better too. If you want to read about some past experience of Deliberate Travel, check out these story pages….
Deliberate Travel is about inverting the way that travel companies want you to travel. Rather than frequently, mindless travel to destinations which might as well be interchangeable, Deliberate Travel is simply about finding out more about a country before you go there. In an age of tourist overcrowding and tourist-local culture clashes, it’s an alternative way for engaged, thoughtful travellers to go forward.
Questions:
Is Deliberate Travel the same as Slow Travel? DT is pretty similar to Slow Travel, but rather than focusing directly on speed, it’s about engagement. Not everyone has the time to take 6 weeks off to travel through Italy by train. But everyone has time to read a novel or watch a film. Everyone has time to read a Deliberate Travel guide.
Is DT the same as Mindful Travel? It’s pretty similar but without the focus on spirituality or meditation. We simply think you’ll have a better time travelling if you learn a bit first.
Is DT a travel fad? We don’t really know! This is just the way we choose to travel and thought we’d share it with some others. So far the response has been pretty positive. Let us know what you think….
If you don’t have time to do as much research as you’d like, check out Deliberate Travel guides, which give a curated overview of a country’s history, politics, literature, culture and geography, all told through interesting stories and helpful infographics. It will help you get up to speed on a country before you arrive there, as well as giving insights on unusual places to visit and providing varied, original itineraries. We also make sure every edition of DTG has an in-depth article on a sustainability issue that is impacting tourism and what you can do about it.