Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1525926
dominating the global food scene; Slow Travel is a reaction to the same problem in how travel experiences are marketed and packaged. It's an emerging trend that challenges people to change the way they take trips, whether in pace, format, or a little bit of both. "There are lots of different strains of this," explains Penny Watson, early Slow Travel pioneer and author of "Slow Travel: A Movement" (Hardie Grant Books, 2019). "It could be about taking a year's sabbatical or a slow form of transport, or just a slow moment in a big city. It's about being more thoughtful, more mindful about the cultures we come across. It's about talking to the barista at the local coffee shop, or sitting down with someone there." Bausch's embrace of the concept is expressed in every aspect of her camp. At Chem Chem, safari isn't limited to jeep drives: guests can run on the pans with a Maasai guard amid herds of giraffes and wildebeests, or take a silent walk for an hour to a fire circle, where they can write down something they wish to leave behind and burn it there, breaking the silence over a baobab tea infusion. Every guest has a private vehicle, and guide, ready to use as they wish: go out at 4 a.m. and stay the entire day in the bush with a picnic, or idle away the day at camp with a book and head out at 10 p.m. for a nighttime safari. "You're welcome to do what you want," says Bausch, "It's your vacation—not mine." She recalls one client, an American financier, who was forced to come on safari by his wife and three daughters. "He thought it was a boring idea, just sitting in a car looking at animals, but after he walked down to Lake Manyara, to watch the sunset behind the Rift Valley, he had tears running down his face. He needed time to slow down, just be in nature," she says. "And now he and his family come back every year. He says it's the best detox for his personal and professional life." Explora Journeys, the new luxe cruise line, is one of the first among its rivals to embrace the idea of slow travel, too—in this case, quite literally. Captain Francesco Di Palma, vice president of itineraries management for Explora, explains that he plots voyages where ships can chug along at just 10 knots during sea days, versus the more typical 17 to 18 knots that is the average for cruise lines. "[Going slowly] allows people to really enjoy the open decks, and people can feel like they're staying on a beautiful beach—at that speed, it doesn't create much relative wind." Di Palma is also responsible for scheduling, where the guiding values of slow travel are at the forefront, too. Traditional cruise itineraries pinball between places at breakneck speed, cramming in as many destinations as possible, perhaps with just six or seven hours in dock. Explora upends that idea entirely. He's proud to say that ships will always remain in port for sunset, wherever they are, and not race away in mid-afternoon—others do so, Di Palma explains, to save on docking fees, while Explora believes that's money well spent in enhancing passengers' overall experiences. Explora has also reimagined how it spends time in port: often, ships will overnight at anchor in key destinations, whether Monaco, Venice, Dubrovnik, or Mykonos. This allows guests to At Chem Chem, safari isn't limited to jeep drives: guests can run on the pans w ith a Maasai g uard amid herds of giraffes, or take a silent walk for an hour. Chem Chem Safari founder Fabia Bausch relaxes close to a Big Tusker elephant.