Carmen
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-09-28
After years of bucket lists, tight timings and squeezing the maximum out of every holiday day, a different idea feels especially timely in 2026: travelling more slowly. Slow travel does not mean going without, but a smarter kind of comfort. Those who plan fewer stops, stay longer in one place and do not treat breaks as wasted time often come back better rested. For many travellers from Germany, that fits the current demand rather well: more quality per holiday day, less organisational stress and a feeling of travel that does not already smell of departure again by the second day.
Fewer changes of location, more genuine relaxation
The biggest advantage of slow travel is simple: a holiday becomes a holiday again instead of a logistics exercise. Every additional stop costs time, energy and attention — from packing suitcases to check-in. Those who stay in one place instead settle in more quickly and feel they have truly arrived. Especially on a trip of one or two weeks, that makes a noticeable difference. A beach hotel, a quiet coastal town or an apartment on a Greek island can bring more relief than an itinerary with three cities in seven days.
Longer stays make a destination more valuable
A place rarely reveals its quality on the first afternoon. Only after a few days do routines emerge, favourite cafés, familiar routes and that lovely sense that you do not have to consume everything at once. That is precisely where the luxury of slower travel lies. Whether in Mallorca away from the hotspots, on the Turkish Aegean coast or in smaller towns on Crete: those who stay longer experience a destination more deeply and often more pleasantly. The trip does not feel bigger because more items have been ticked off the programme, but because memories are given more room.
Slow travel fits the budget surprisingly well
Travelling more slowly may sound like an elevated lifestyle at first, but it is not automatically more expensive. Quite the opposite: fewer transfers, fewer domestic flights or ferry changes, and fewer spontaneous expenses on the road can ease the strain on the travel budget. Particularly with package holidays, which have once again become more attractive for many holidaymakers from Germany, calm can be combined neatly with predictability. Those who book early also often benefit from a better choice of hotels with a good location, larger rooms or more relaxed catering — without having to gamble until shortly before departure.
The best destinations are not always the ones with the biggest name
Slow travel works especially well in places that offer enough atmosphere for several days without constantly demanding activity. That might mean smaller coastal towns in Spain, a manageable island in Greece or a resort area in Turkey where the beach, promenade and restaurants are all within walking distance. What matters is less prestige than everyday practicality. If you like going for a walk in the morning, swimming at midday and eating well in the evening without covering great distances, you do not need an overloaded programme, but a destination that supports a sense of ease.
Less pressure often means better travel decisions
Many poor booking decisions come from the desire to fit absolutely everything into a single trip. The daily plan becomes too full, the hotel is used only as a place to sleep and the transfer turns into a burden. Slow travel turns that logic on its head. Instead of five must-sees, what counts is a coherent rhythm, short distances and enough free time. This is not a second-best solution, but often the more grown-up one. Families, couples and exhausted professionals in particular benefit when not every hour has to be optimised and spontaneous quiet spells are explicitly part of the plan.
How to plan slow travel sensibly for 2026
In practical terms, slow travel begins with a simple question: where would I genuinely like to feel comfortable for a few days? From there, it is worth consciously limiting the number of stops and investing instead in location, room comfort and an uncomplicated journey. For departures from Frankfurt, Munich or Berlin, direct connections to classic sun destinations are often the most relaxed way to begin. Once there, a realistic daily rhythm, unscheduled time slots and a hotel or holiday destination that does not force mobility every day all help. Less planning is not a lack here, but the real quality.
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