Travel Trending
Happy New Year!
The beginning of every new year brings plenty of survey articles – the best or worst of this or that, places to go, places to avoid, trends to forget and trends to follow. Since I’m curious about travel trends, I’ve taken a dive into articles and blogs, each with the surety that they know what’s trendy.
I’ve taken heart to some of these trendy topics, very happy to see that local gastronomy, slow tourism, wellness and less-traveled places are among the current trends.
Cultural food traditions are at the heart of Oldways’ mission, and because of this, they are the foundation of everything we do, including travel. This means when we travel, local gastronomy is on the menu, whether it is arancini in Sicily, tagliatelle pasta in Parma (along with Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Aceto Balsamico), or horta and dolmas in the Peloponnese. Learning how traditional products are made, and then how to cook with them, is the best way to embrace local gastronomy – no matter your destination. Even better: bringing these old ways home will also be at the top of our list.
No matter where you travel, holidays are a time to step off the fast track of everyday life. Slow travel doesn’t have to be sitting on a beach or at the pool for a week (although that could be lovely). Learning new things, taking time to really see the place you’re visiting, as well as sleeping a little later and enjoying real meals throughout the day have the potential to revive and renew you, in more ways than one.
Wellness while you travel can mean a spa vacation, and it can also be less formal. Taking time to move – walk, bike, run, yoga, whatever your choice – and eating healthy, local, traditional meals can go a long way toward a feeling of well-being – something that you can also bring home as a souvenir of your travels.
At Oldways, we like to think that generally, we are ahead of the curve in terms of many things, including the places we travel. We visited Puglia in 1995, long before most Americans had ever heard of trulli, burrata and the heel of the boot. So, now that we are trendy, this year and next we are returning to places that are a little harder to get to (no direct flights from the US) – Parma and Emilia Romagna, the Peloponnese, Torino, Bordeaux, and back to Puglia.
Of course, this doesn’t mean ignoring the more familiar and more traveled places like Athens, Croatia, and San Sebastian. Rather, go! Embrace local gastronomy and wellness, slow down and enjoy — and think about making these pleasures a part of your life at home.