The essence of Slow Travel

A while back we published our manifesto for Slow Travel which appealed to the interests of a new generation of travelers who increasingly prioritize low impact tourism, engaging with locals and giving something back to the communities they visit. These are folks who are ever aware of their own carbon footprints.

Bradt Travel Guides

A slow travel guide by Laurence Mitchell.

So three cheers for British publisher Bradt Travel Guides, which has launched a new series of guides devoted to Slow Travel, books that focus on the local and highlight how you might secure real insights into a country by exploring a limited area in detail.

Bradt has always been at the innovative end of the guidebook market, venturing to publish authoritative guides to areas of the world that receive only a tiny trickle of tourists. For travelers looking for good English-language guides to Belarus or Kosovo (or even, for that matter, to Eritrea or Kyrgyzstan), then Bradt is absolutely the market leader.

But they also have their own distinctive take on more frequented spots, and we are much impressed by a trio of books published earlier this month on very beautiful parts of England. They are Slow Norfolk and Suffolk by Laurence Mitchell, Slow North Yorkshire by Mike Bagshaw and Slow Devon and Exmoor by Hilary Bradt, who way back in the mid-1970s founded the company that still bears her name.

Slow Travel in England

Slow travel is a state of mind. It is about having the courage to give to places the time they deserve and not being enslaved by the need to travel farther and travel faster. England is of course ideally suited to this mode of travel and the three books that launch the new series dive off the main highways to take in country lanes and small villages.

Bradt say that more books in their Slow series are in the pipeline. US distribution is handled by Globe Pequot Press. The US editions of all three books will be published on July 13, 2010. Amazon is advertising them for about $16 apiece.

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Yet, it is precisely because of its unusual politics that Belarus is a top destination for European travellers anxious to sample somewhere a little more offbeat. The country is beginning to cut a dash in the ecotourism market (think farm stays, fishing and birdwatching), and its cities have a stunning range of monuments and museums.

Eastbound by train

We have been back in Belarus these past few days. The Moskva Express from Berlin is a train with many merits. The train’s nocturnal entry into Belarus at three in the morning is not one of them. We are not at our best at that hour. But the women of the border control were friendly and efficient. They even spoke some English. In truth, though, it really helps to have a few phrases of Russian when visiting Belarus, and it is essential to be able to read the Cyrillic alphabet – if only to decipher road names and street signs.

Ukrainian singer Sofia Rotaru performing at the gala concert that opened the 2009 Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk.

A city of art and culture

Our destination was Vitebsk, a city in the northeast corner of the country. Vitebsk deserves to be much better known. The city on the Western Dvina river is a gem. One-time Jewish city, birthplace of the painter Marc Chagall, and host of the annual Slavianski Bazaar – one of eastern Europe’s foremost festivals of music and culture. Dance troupes from across the Slavic world and beyond; music in a dozen genres; film, art and poetry too.

The two sides of Belarus

Belarus seems very foreign to many visitors that cross its borders. It is hard to get a handle on the place. The presidential website tells one tale. The human rights pressure group, Charter 97, recounts quite another story.

Travellers must make their own judgements. In Vitebsk, we found a people of unfailing courtesy. Hospitable, friendly, keen to party and very proud of their country.

Vitebsk at festival time is Belarus at its best – and for visitors from western Europe unbelievably good value. A half litre of beer for less than a dollar, a tram ride right across town for just a few cents and a main course in a good restaurant for less than five dollars. True EuroCheapo country.

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