Holiday fads come and go. But the slow travel movement – a seismic shift in the mindset of once-frenetic holidaymakers – is one trend that seems set to stay. Casting aside the need for Instagram likes and bucket list ticks, slow travel shows there’s more to holidaying than whistle-stop city tours and frantic red-eye flights. Instead, we want to take our time over things: the slow swoosh of a sun-drenched French boat trip; a peaceful cycle through the tulip fields of Holland; a rocky amble around the Irish coast. Recently, the movement has been strengthened even further, as the Swedish concept of flygskam, or “flight shame” – which encourages people to boycott air travel in order to lower carbon emissions – takes hold. Now, how we travel is almost more important than where we travel, which makes getting about by ferry one of the wisest travel choices you can make. Here are a few more reasons to take to the seas.
It allows you to connect with your passions
The allure of travelling at your own pace is that you can explore a country under your own steam, be that on two feet or two wheels. If you’re an avid cyclist, taking the ferry means you can bring your beloved metal steed along with you to any destination at no extra cost (bike-friendly Holland should do the trick). And there’s no stingy baggage allowance or cramped overhead lockers to contend with, so you can bring all the energy bars and extra pairs of lycra you wish.
Your holiday starts onboard
Rather than being confined to a few (small, uncomfortable) inches of a plane seat, there’s plenty to explore on the ferry. Kick back in the lounge with a newspaper, hot drink, comfortable seating and panoramic views of seabirds coasting over the ocean waves. Meanwhile, brasseries, food courts and bars offer more than enough options to settle grumbling bellies. You’ll find just as much freedom when you arrive at your destination, and as soon as your feet touch new soil you’ll be ready for your adventure, whether that’s exploring higgledy-piggledy French flea markets or cycling around Northern Ireland’s magnificent Causeway Coast – with no heinous jet lag.
There’s no airport stress
Rare is the person who can pass through an airport unscathed by the stress of monstrous check-in queues, frustrating security processes and baggage handlers who treat moving suitcases like an Olympic discus event. Travelling by ferry offers a more laid-back approach, with streamlined boarding processes and no-fuss logistics. Best of all? There are no pesky “surprise” buses waiting to take you and a hundred other angry passengers to the correct terminal either.
The fun’s in the journey
Think of slow travel as exploring the places “in between” A and B. By taking things slowly and savouring the journey, we become part of a place for a short time, rather than just lurching frantically through it. The deck of a ferry, the bunk of a cabin, or a window with expansive sea views becomes your new viewpoint, and you can immerse yourself in landscapes – from tiny islands to craggy coastlines – that you would never see from 35,000ft up, giving you a new appreciation of the part of the world that you’re travelling through.
It broadens your horizons
Perhaps you’ve always stuck to the UK for your annual camping trip – liking the familiarity of that bluebell wood you know so well, or the campsite you love so much. Travelling by ferry allows you to push your boundaries a bit further and explore destinations you might never have previously considered. Why not swap the forests of England for the seaside campsites of Belgium? Or pay a visit to the historic battlefields of Ypres? Because really, exploring the unfamiliar is what adventure is all about.
It’s ready-made mindfulness
Not all of us have time for meditation and paddleboard yoga, but there is something wonderfully calming about just slowing down. Getting anywhere by ship – where brains are lulled by the slow chug of the engine and frazzled nerves are calmed by the sound of the ocean – is about as close to mindfulness as you can get while not wearing a fluffy robe. And if a sand-splattered dog walk on a sprawling beach sounds like your kind of mindfulness, pets (including cats and ferrets) are welcome on board many P&O Ferries routes too. Namaste.
Memorable holidays start with P&O Ferries. Book your next trip at poferries.com
