Happy new year!

It’s been about three months since I last posted about my whirlwind adventure.

Let’s take it down a notch and talk about s l o w t r a v e l.

A few days before my last post, I attended a live webinar with Thor Pedersen and Juliana Dever that was organized by The Slow Travel Network and hosted by Lucia Prieto (see YouTube video below).

It was such a lovely hour listening to Thor’s saga of reaching 193+ countries in a decade without flying, followed by a panel discussion with Juliana, a cultural tour curator of the Balkans, Baltics, and Caucasus. With her bubbly and warm personality, Lucia tied their stories together showing us what slow travel is all about.

I found out that no one has gone to every country in the world completely without flying, and it just struck me like lightning, and I couldn’t shake it out of my body.

Thor Pedersen

Thor’s sojourn made me think about my own. I don’t have plans (yet) of traveling the whole world, but as a start, I’d like to visit visa-free/visa-on-arrival countries for Filipinos. What a delightful idea. Of course, it’s best to check the respective embassy beforehand, but for the sake of daydreaming, this will do 🙂

Don’t pack your schedule so full that you don’t allow the ability for the magic to happen.

Juliana Dever

What a beautiful insight. As an obsessive planner, this tip allows me to relax a bit and just let the universe take me where it may lead me. 2023 has been a free-willing year for me. I was able to rest in a few abodes, hang out at several places, and live out numerous experiences, which I’ll gladly chronicle in the succeeding posts.

Human connection is at the very center of every slow travel experience of a responsible traveler.

Lucia Prieto

No man is an island, as they say. I’ve mostly explored on my own but I never felt alone as I have felt the collective energy everywhere I go. As an introverted extravert, it can be daunting to start a conversation but once initiated, the conversation is meaningful and genuine.

What do you think?

How was your 2023? Do you resonate with s l o w t r a v e l ?

Let me know in the comments.

Remember. Reminisce. Reflect.

Salamisim out.