Slow Travel
Slow travel is about savouring the journey, the people, sights, smells and sounds along the way. It encourages deeper connections, friendship and lifelong memories. It is local, thoughtful and sensitive to its impact. It is an antidote to mindless mass tourism.
A bicycle journey – indeed, a journey with The Slow Cyclist – is a wonderful way to travel slowly. With an open mind, an open heart and a little juice in the legs, it can provide the ultimate slow exploration of new lands, their food, history, landscapes and people.
We must always ensure that our passion for creating exceptional shared experiences is reflected in the journeys we design and deliver.
CYCLING TO THE ASHES
The Slow Cyclist was born out of the ultimate slow journey. Back in 2009, our founder Oli left his office job in London and set off to cycle alone to Australia to watch the Ashes cricket series between England and Australia. It took him 412 days which means that, by any measure, he is a bona fide slow cyclist.
Along the way he camped wild most nights, played cricket in the shadow of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, was chased by wild dogs on the Anatolian Plateau, slept in a goat pen in Sudan, survived a severe bout of Dengue fever in Bangladesh and dodged a six metre crocodile in the outback.
However, the common threads through every mile of his journey were kindness, friendship, endless surprises around every bend in the road and the slow adjustment to new cultures and landscapes.
The Slow Cyclist was born from a desire to bring these themes alive in shorter, more accessible journeys for those who do not have 412 days to spare.
