It is good to travel mindfully, and at the same time travelling is a good time to practice mindfulness. Slow travel is a new aspect of travel, slowing down the pace of life, taking care of relationships and the environment. The Azores are the perfect place to train yourself in slow travelling. Find out why!
Slow travel means being unhurried - stopping frequently, enjoying the journey. You consciously choose not the number of attractions but the beauty of the time spent at them. This ensures a richer and deeper experience. Mindful travel is not an ordinary holiday - we go on holidays to escape and relax from everyday life and slow travel is a lifestyle. Mindful travel provides memories to cherish for years, gives real relaxation and space for new friends who often turn into lifelong friendships.
Why should you practise slow, mindful travelling? So that the next waterfall doesn't look the same, so that the excitement of riding a scooter doesn't stop, so that the next island is not identical, as well the next accommodation... Mindful travelling helps us to start seeing, not just looking. We get closer to the nature, to another human being. It is a way of collecting experiences.
We get to know new places, people, situations, we learn a lot about the world but also about ourselves. If, in addition, we are able to stop and see the bigger picture, we may find the world more interesting than before. It's about being amazed by it. Not about the knowledge about places or its history but about emotions and your open mind.
The Azores are the perfect place to experiment with mindful travelling. Surrounding ocean, green forests, incredible, untouched nature, slow lifestyle and present gratitude will encourage you to stop and redefine how you want to experience the island, how you want to go through your life and how you want to change it.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR GETTING STARTED
Try these few small tips on your next holiday and check if you can see a difference in your rest:
Go offline. Allow yourself to miss something and enjoy moments without your phone. At first you can put it away for a few hours a day, slowly, increasing this time. On most of the hikes on São Miguel island there is no network coverage, so it's a perfect beginning ;)
Breathe. Stop and take deep breaths, through your nose. Pay attention to your body, how it feels. Take 10 conscious, deep breaths and notice what surrounds you with as many details as possible,
Smell. Pay attention to how the air smells around you. This will help you in conscious breathing and, later, specific smells will remind you of that specific moment,
Thrill yourself. Tell yourself and your friends how beautiful something is, how wonderful it smells, how it looks. Awaken your admiration, and... on our island there is a lot to admire!
Feel gratitude. Repeat in your head or out loud how grateful you are. For the weather, for the attractions, for the people who work around you so that you can relax. The more times you say thank you (also in your head), the stronger you will feel the gratitude in your heart,
Be an explorer. See everything as if you were seeing it for the first time in your life. You see a house, notice its decorations, the size of the windows... Are you in a forest? Notice its colours, touch the bark of trees, listen to the wind between its leaves... Listen to the sound of the sea as if it was a new sound in your life. Become an explorer who needs to know every detail of what surrounds him. There are a lot of details to spot on our island :)
Make space. Don't plan everything down to the minute, give yourself space for spontaneous decisions, meetings, longer conversations, longer moments of silence and observation. When in a hurry we lose bits and pieces of our lives along the way. Indulge in the slowness and calmness of São Miguel island - it feels so good!
If you are already excited about slow, mindful travel and you can't wait for your Azorean adventure, click the book button and reserve a stay with us - we will encourage you in your new way of noticing what is unnoticed!
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