Time on Your Side

Slow travel picks up.

Oct 2017

Slow travel picks up.

TEXT JASMINE TAY

As the pace of life quickens with increasing connectivity, so is the demand for long trips rising. “People are wanting to slow down and unwind,” says Alex Malcolm, founder of luxury travel outfit Jacada Travel. The company, which has offices in Hong Kong, London and Capetown, expects requests for “achievement trips” involving trekking or hiking to remote destinations to double next year. Retreats that last more than two weeks or “slow travel” are also expected to see a similar increase. And we are not talking about cruising. Here are some trips of a lifetime – until you reach the next milestone, that is.

TREKKING 10.0

Tasmanian Expeditions, specialising in treks around the island state, recently offered its longest expedition to date: a 39-day journey that takes one to remote beaches and mountainous terrains.

Most nights will be spent at camp sites, and participants (this expedition limits the number to eight) are advised to train for the trip. “Trekkers will feel a real sense of adventure, the sense of getting somewhere while being active,” says general manager Mark Bennic on the Traverse route which starts next February.

TEXT JASMINE TAY

TOUR DE NAPOLEON

Says Dylan Reynolds, director of cycling tour agency Ride and Seek, which organises month long odysseys around Asia and Europe: “People want to get off-grid, but they also see this as a onceina-lifetime experience.” The outfit offers two-week cycling trips, but he notes that more people are game to do the 43-day Napoleon route, following its namesake’s campaigns from Paris to Moscow. Modern comforts – from evenings at luxury hotels to local food and wine tours – will help relieve the buttock pain.

TEXT JASMINE TAY

AMERICANA ON WHEELS

US-based travel agency All Roads North plans road journeys that last as long as 32 days, covering the country’s vast highways.

It’s ideal for drivers who’d rather navigate the roads than the complexities of logistics, as the service includes booking high end accommodation and restaurants, organising guided tours, and even suggesting the car to use.