I fear I may do Lima a disservice. While there are millions of websites, blogs and articles about the top things to do in Lima…(yes, millions. 105 million search results to be exact)… I came to Lima with one goal and one goal only, to do the bare minimum.
Why would a self-confessed Type A-personality, travel addict endure a 16-hour trip to a vibrant city, just to do nothing? Well, because this self-confessed Type A -personality travel addict is physically and emotionally exhausted. I will talk about this in more detail in my blog post ‘Why I’m taking 6 months off work to go travelling’, but I am keen to do things differently on this trip.
This means I am trying to be less attached to achieving that tick on the checklist of ‘top things to do’ in whatever place I find myself.
It means I am listening to my body and sleeping for as long as it needs to, eating as much as it needs me to and doing as little or as much as it wants to each day.
It means that I am being intentional, spending more time on those things that matter to me and which I feel will enrich me.
It means slow travel.
What is Slow Travel? It is a mindset of slowing down the pace of your travelling and looking for richer, more meaningful experiences along the way. It is an approach to travel that emphasizes connection, with the local peoples and cultures but also with yourself. It encourages one to think more about the quality, than quantity, of experiences.
This approach to travel aligns very closely with my high level goal for this sabbatical: rediscovering a sense of balance and joy within my internal and external worlds, and living an intentional life.
Importantly, a slow travel approach means that at the end of my 6-month trip, I am less likely to suffer from ‘travel burnout’.
Fear not, I will give you Lima, Cusco and all the wonderfully exotic destinations on my itinerary but I will try to do so in a way that I hope will be enriching for me, and you.
Sources:
1. https://www.remoteyear.com/blog/what-is-slow-travel
2. https://www.travlinmad.com/blog/slow-travel