Traveling opens up a world of emotions for me, a mix of excitement, curiosity, bliss, and deep thoughts.
During my quiet moments of slow travel, I find certain quotes resonate with me. These quotes capture the essence of travel, adventure, and life lessons I learned on the road.
Over the last ten years of traveling, I’ve collected my favorite slow travel quotes. These quotes serve as a reminder of all the emotions and realizations that come with exploring the world.
Below are some of my favorite slow travel quotes. They’re perfect for anyone looking to capture the spirit of their adventures. You can share them on Instagram, or Pinterest, or just keep them close to your heart as you wander.
Most Inspirational Slow Travel Quotes
1. “The beauty of slow travel lies not in how far you go, but in how deeply you immerse.”
This quote perfectly captures the essence of slow travel. In a world where far-off travel is normal, slow travel invites us to change focus.
It’s not about how far we can travel, but about the depth of our experiences. Slow travel encourages us to immerse ourselves in the local culture, connect with the people, and truly understand the places we visit.
It’s a reminder that the best journeys need time, care, and a willingness to explore deeply.
2. “Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” – Eddie Cantor
Many of us also have a desire to tick off countries from our travel lists. But this slow travel quote reminds us why we travel in the first place – to enjoy life.
3. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu
Over time, I also realized that while planning is important, being flexible and enjoying the journey itself has led to countless laughs and memories I still cherish today.
4. “The journey is the destination.” – Ram Dass
Ram Dass is one of the spiritual gurus who inspired me to view travel as a spiritual journey.
Although it’s not specifically a slow travel quote, it’s a great reminder that the journey is more important than the destination.
5. “Slow travel isn’t just about seeing the world, but about letting the world see you, unguarded and open.”
Slow travel allows you to be yourself and enjoy the moment. I love that I can just chill, stroll around, talk to local vendors, or simply enjoy a sunset.
There’s no pressure to always look perfect for that Instagram shot.
6. “In slowing down, we find ourselves.”
Slowing down allows me to connect with myself. I get to be reminded of what matters most to me, and whether my current goals and actions align with that.
It was during my travels that I realized that I needed to quit my job. It no longer sparked joy for me and was leading me towards a life I didn’t want.
7. “Slow travel teaches us that every path leads not just to a new destination, but to a new perspective.”
Traveling taught me so much, especially about various cultures. It made me rethink my worldview and offered me fresh perspectives on many things.
8. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Louis Charles Fougeret de Monbron
9. “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi
I’ve turned to Rumi‘s poems countless times for life guidance. This quote, in particular, inspired me to pursue what I love most – traveling!
10. “The slower you travel, the more you learn.” – Slow Travel Quote from Deborah Fallows
During slow travels, I’ve been able to deeply understand the places I visit, the people, and their lifestyles.
Plus, I’ve witnessed incredible natural wonders. Like recently we were sitting in a park in Prague and we noticed birds watching birds sliding on the river’s surface, then flying to do it all over again, just like children playing.
We would’ve completely missed this moment if we were tied to a strict schedule.
11. “The beauty of travel is found in the pause.”
12. “Travel brings power and love back into your life.” – Rumi
Another slow travel quote from Rumi. Travel brings us strength and love because it makes us live in the moment, fills us with wonder, and helps us reconnect with nature.
13. “Live simply, so that others may simply live.” – Mahatma Gandhi”
Slow travel really makes us think twice about consumerism and the importance of sustainable tourism.
I love how the slow travel movement addresses the downsides of mass tourism, like harming the environment and causing places to become too crowded.
14. “The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” – Wallace Stevens
I love how traveling puts me in a state of awe – whether I’m gazing out of a bus window at the local streets, wandering through a forest or simply sitting in a park. I feel alive, connected, and fully in the moment.
15. “Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.” – Rumi
16. “The greatest discovery is that you are nothing. That is the greatest love.” – Ramana Maharshi
17. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert
Travel has this amazing way of showing us just how small our place is in the vastness of the world. Suddenly our whims are just so tiny in this huge, incredible world.
18. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
19. “Travel slow, for the world whispers its secrets to those who take time to listen.” – An Inspiring Slow Travel Quote
This slow travel quote reminds us that the slower you go, the more you’re able to hear—the stories of the places, the rhythm of nature, and the wisdom of locals.
It’s amazing what staying a bit longer in a place and genuinely connecting with the locals can reveal.
While I love sharing my discoveries here on this blog, the key is really just to slow down and chat with the locals; they’ll lead you to the places they cherish the most.
20. “Travel is never a matter of money but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho
It took me years to finally admit that the reason I don’t travel more is fear, not money. It took me a decade to even do it full-time.
Yes, travel has costs, but it can also be affordable, especially slow travel. By carefully planning transportation, choosing to walk more, staying out of touristy places, and cooking your own meals, you can practically travel to many destinations on a budget.
21. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
22. “Your heart knows the way. Run in that direction.” – Rumi
23. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
This is one of the most powerful slow travel quotes. Nature teaches us the beauty of taking things slowly, both in life and in travel.
24. “Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop
This simple yet profound slow travel quote from Aesop, the Greek storyteller, continues to inspire me, especially when travel doesn’t go as planned.
Whether it’s a missed flight, falling ill, or facing unpleasant weather, these challenges are all part of the beauty and spontaneity of travel.
25. “In slow travel, patience is your passport, and curiosity is your compass.” – A Slow Travel Quote
26. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle
27. “Wherever you are, be all there.” – Jim Elliott
This saying is a reminder to fully immerse yourself in the present moment, regardless of where you are.
Whether you’re exploring a new city, enjoying a quiet moment at home, or facing an unexpected challenge on the road, this slow travel quote invites you to give your full attention and presence to the experience at hand.
28. “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Dalai Lama
This simple idea is an invitation (or excuse) to step out of my comfort zone and experience something new.
It has led me to discover incredible places, meet amazing people, and learn things I would have otherwise missed.
29. “Collect moments, not just destinations.”
30. “Less about miles, more about moments.”
31. “The true journey is measured not in miles but in moments of awe and wonder.”
For me, it’s about those instances that take my breath away, not how far I’ve gone.
It could be a stunning sunset in a new place, a friendly smile from someone I just met, or the first bite of a local dish. These moments are what really make my trips memorable.
32. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
33. “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville
34. “A slow traveler builds bridges of understanding where others barely leave footprints.” – A Slow Travel Quote
35. “Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jaime Lyn Beatty
36. “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
37. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
38.”I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
39. “To travel slowly is to savor each color, taste, and sound, weaving them into the tapestry of your soul.”
40. “Breathe deeply, travel slowly.”
41. “Home is not just the place where you happen to be born, it’s the place where you become yourself.” – Pico Iyer
I have been traveling for over ten years and often people ask me if I feel homesick.
Although I do miss my home, I also feel at home in a place after staying there for a month and making connections. I feel like I have a home in many locations.
42. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
43. “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass
44. “A thousand half-loves must be forsaken to take one whole heart home.” – Rumi
45. “To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark
46. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill
I have met many friends on my travels around the world, and they have brought me more joy than any thrilling adventure I have experienced on the road.
47. “We’re all just walking each other home.” – Ram Dass
48. “Explore the world with an open mind, a sturdy carry-on, and clothes that don’t wrinkle.” – Madeleine Albright
I’ve included this slow travel quote on this list because these aspects make slow travel much easier, and a backpack also qualifies as a carry-on!
49. Through the lens of slow travel, we capture not just images, but the essence of places and people. – A Slow Travel Quote
50. “With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake
I’ve learned far more about a culture and way of life during my travels than I’ll ever do from studying it. It’s by far one of the best educations I’ve ever had.
51. “The best way to get to know the place you are traveling is through its food.” – Michael Palin
My partner and I love trying out the local cuisines whenever we travel. We take this a step further by enrolling in cooking classes.
This way, we not only get to learn about the culture and its people better, but we also get to take a piece of the place back home with us through its food.
52. “Every hundred feet the world changes.” – Roberto Bolaño
53. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin
54. “To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” – Seneca
55. “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
56. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch
57. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
You will realize a lot of prejudices you have while traveling. This profound quote about slow travel reminds us of this humbling experience.
58. “The best education I have ever received was through travel.” – Lisa Ling
59. “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor
60. “Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth.” – Rumi
61. “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” – Chinese Proverb
62. “Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut
63. “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
64. “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho
65. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot
66. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France
67. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
68. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear.” – Freya Stark
69. “Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise.” – Ram Dass
70. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
71. “The next message you need is always right where you are.” – Ram Dass
72. “Travel is like a giant blank canvas, and the painting on the canvas is only limited by one’s imagination.” – Ross Morley
74. “Let the world unfold at your pace.” – A Slow Travel Quote
Have you ever had a plan and it didn’t go as you expected, only to realize years later that it turned out better than what you had originally planned?
The same goes for travel – sometimes it’s best to let things unfold and enjoy the journey.
Save this quote about slow travel or even set it as your wallpaper to remind yourself to let things happen naturally.
75. “Where slow travel leads, wonder follows.” – A Slow Travel Quote
I hope you enjoyed my best slow travel quotes. Whether you’re looking for captions for your Instagram or TikTok, writing to a friend who loves to travel, filling up your Pinterest board, or simply seeking inspiration for your next adventure, I hope these quotes have sparked some excitement in you.
For more travel inspiration, here are some articles that I recommend you read next:
- I’ve used many beach backgrounds from Phuket in these quotes. Here are the best beaches in Phuket.
- Curious about that rainbow-colored mountain? Here’s my ultimate guide to hiking Rainbow Mountain.
- How about that mountain with an adorable dog? It’s in Sri Lanka’s most remote village – Meemure.
- Paris is one of the unexpected destinations for slow travel. Here are the best panoramic views and the best views of the Eiffel Tower for your next trip.
