Slow Travel
Night trains are back, and the economics are still difficult
Sleeper services are expanding across Europe for the first time in decades. The operating maths that killed them has not gone away.
Slow Travel
Trains, ferries, long approaches and the argument for taking longer.
25 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 3
Slow Travel
The case for the slow approach: arriving on foot changes what you see
Walking or cycling the last stretch to a place is not just slower. It changes what registers as remarkable when you get there.
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Slow Travel
The ferry is usually the best part of the journey
Ferries survive as transport where they cannot be replaced. That makes them one of the last forms of travel that still has a shape.
Slow Travel
Bothies, refuges and huts run on rules nobody writes down
A mountain shelter works because everyone who uses it behaves in a particular way. The conventions are consistent and almost never…
Slow Travel
Cycling a route you would normally walk changes what you notice
Riding sits between walking and driving in a way that suits some landscapes precisely and ruins others.
Slow Travel
Long-distance cycling on trains, and the rules that vary by carriage
Combining rail and bicycle unlocks enormous range, and the rules differ by country, by operator and by service.
Slow Travel
Walking holidays without carrying anything
Baggage transfer services have made long routes accessible to people who cannot carry a full pack, and the trade-offs are worth…
Slow Travel
Hut-to-hut walking is a different discipline from camping
Alpine hut systems let you cross serious terrain with a light pack, on somebody else's timetable.
Slow Travel
Cold water swimming, and the physiology that makes it risky
The reaction to sudden cold immersion is involuntary and fast, and it is what drowns people rather than hypothermia.
Slow Travel
Sleeping outside without a tent
Bivvying removes weight and adds exposure. Where it works, it is the best sleep available; where it does not, it is a long night.
Slow Travel
Long-distance walking on a schedule that includes rest
Multi-week routes are completed by people who planned recovery, not by people who planned mileage.
Slow Travel
Travelling to a walk by public transport
Linear routes become possible without a car, and the planning is a different skill from route planning.