Notes on slow travel; becoming a 'Beta' traveler

In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.

Pico Iyer--Travel Writer

My journey from a Type A to Type B personality started a few years back. So I used to be this TYPE A, Alpha personality (energetic, aggressive, and ambitious) Even the cities I visited and loved were Alpha cities like New York, Cairo and London. Ofcourse, I had more energy then and suffered from severe FOMO (Fear of missing out). I wanted to check every trek, pub crawl, museum, party, festival, night out, whatever that was cool and  happening. I would then instantly document and upload my experiences and later gush at all the adulation. This became more pronounced as I traveled to exotic places like Peru and Colombia. There was always this niggling feeling, I haven't done much or seen enough.

But recently and possibly over the last two years I've decided to take things slowly. I don't exactly recall when this happened, yet on my 3 month sojourn in South America, I realized I needed to ease my pace. I arrived at a point where just being a spectator was enough. This involved taking less pictures, avoiding tourist traps and trying to explore the quirky aspects of a city. So, instead of rushing from one location to another, I decided to stay put in one place and absorb the sights and sounds with a pause. 

Cut to the present---I no longer rush to every famous monument or tourist hub and get all itchy to take that instagramable pic. Sometimes, I just sit in a cafe and watch life pass by. I also do mundane stuff like visit corner shops, grocery stores, the local baker, chat up with random locals, discuss the current affairs of their country and generally become aware of the present. When I was in Santa Marta, Colombia, I noticed many Venzuelans working there as refugees. One really cool guy from Venezuela told me he was an art teacher in Caracas but the ongoing problems in his country had forced him to leave and seek employment outside.

Becoming a Beta traveler

Over this period I realized I've slowly transitioned to a 'Beta' person, in the sense I'm now attracted to cities and countries that are more laid back, casual and slow. I try and avoid the big cities and always take up residence in a Beta town or B city as I like to call it. Some of my favorite B cities now are Bangalore (not Mumbai), San Francisco (not NYC) , Bologna (not Rome), Canberra ( not Sydney), Cusco (not Lima). It's not that I despise the Alpha cities but I just don't enjoy that fast paced, aggressive, big city energy any more.

Which brings me to the concept of slow travel. I think it's important to pace down a little while travelling and not just get stuck about ticking off boxes. It's okay to sometimes take a rain check on that pub crawl. I guess, we cram our itineraries to the brim thinking we've not, or we're not going to experience everything in that one trip. Well, the truth is we're never gonna see or absorb everything about that city in one trip. There will always be something you will miss. When I went to Cusco I had a crammed itinerary for two weeks where I packed in Machu Picchu, Rainbow mountain, Blue lake, etc. In the end I just enjoyed my stay in Cusco and did only Machu Picchu. This made my stay in Cusco more deep and meaningful and I felt I made this intense connection with the city and it's people.

Increasing connectivity with people and places

Now recently on a trip of Sri Lanka I had a few pit stops and decided to check them all but once I reached the beautiful town of Mirissa after Galle and Colombo I decided to spend more days there. In those languid days I read, swam, explored beaches, did some surfing, whale watching and doused myself in laid back activities. Even though I was supposed to cover other major tourist attractions like Sigirya and Kandy, I skipped them both and decided to leave it for round 2.

I was very happy in Mirissa and connected really well with the town, nature and sea. In the end, this slow travel itinerary was just perfect and I had absolutely no regrets about not visiting the other touristy places.

Beta travelling is now my jam. And thanks to all those B cities I prefer to eat B food, meet B people, and explore the more calm side of B travel. Try it and you'll love it too. It could become a way of life.