Hi folks,

I’m writing to you all about ‘slow travel’. I am at Bath Spa University, UK studying for a Masters in Environmental Humanities. My dissertation is titled: Slow travel. A path towards sustainable travel in Europe.

I wondered if I could trouble you for a sentence or two in response to these questions.

Q. What does the term slow travel mean to you?

Q. Would you regard yourself as a slow traveller?

Q Do you think slow travel is a path towards sustainable tourism in Europe?

Q Can you think of any slow travellers that I could contact?

Research Questions

Question: What is understood by term ‘slow travel’ by self-identified slow travellers?

Hypothesis: Slow travel is emerging as an alternative identity for travellers uneasy with fast tourism.

Question: Have travellers’ attitude to slow travel and air flight changed post-pandemic?

Hypothesis: Slow travel is becoming a mode of travel increasingly chosen for both experiential and environmental reasons.

Question: To what extent can slow travel be said to be merely an expensive, elite pursuit for time-rich people?

Hypothesis: Slow travel is an elite pursuit that might have influence more popular tourist attitudes.

Question: How does slow travel relate to broader ideas of time and temporality?

Many thanks,

Matt Rose

matt.rose22@bathspa.ac.uk