The Art of Slow Travel: From Whirlwind Backpackers to ‘Chill Monsters
Now that we are in our ninth year of continuous travel, we’ve learned a great deal from the extended travel we have in the books. When we reflect on how our travel lifestyle has evolved, we realize that the absolute most important factor is managing the speed of travel—and truly understanding what it takes to keep us content.
To give you some context: back in 2015, we dove headfirst into the deep end. We started with a rapid-paced, whirlwind journey that covered eight countries in just seven months across Southeast Asia. We tore through Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Back then, tourist visas typically capped us at a maximum stay of 30 days per country. Because we wanted to hit every major highlight on our wish list, we had to move fast.
If you do the math, we were averaging one country per month and visiting at least six different cities, towns, or islands within each one. That meant we rarely spent more than five nights in any single location. That is a grueling amount of packing, unpacking, and navigating.
We loved the adrenaline rush of experiencing a new, exotic place every few days. But let’s be honest—we were younger back then, our glutes fired on their own and had a lot more pep in our step!
Fortunately, things have changed. Many Southeast Asian countries have recently revised those old rules, expanding the allowable stay for US flashpackers to 60 or even 90 days. We’ve changed, too. Today, we’ve transitioned to a “slow travel” philosophy. It’s the perfect balance: it keeps the journey deeply exciting without burning us out.
Crafting the Perfect Year-Long Circuit
Drawing from 30 years of travel experience, we know exactly what makes us happy. We’ve built up a shortlist of our absolute favorite places on the planet, and returning to them long-term keeps life incredibly fresh while completely avoiding the trap of a repetitive, ordinary routine. As long as a destination offers a bit of a challenge and a healthy dose of natural beauty, we are good to go.
With that philosophy in mind, we made it a priority to kick off this year’s journey with a two-month stay on the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia.
Looking at our entire itinerary for this year, the routing is incredibly efficient. It covers a massive amount of ground but limits our actual time in the air by eliminating any backtracking.
Our Ultimate Beach Circuit:
| Duration | |
|---|---|
| Hawaii – Big Isle, Maui or Kauai | 4 Months |
| Mo’orea, French Polynesia | 2 Months |
| Gold Coast & Cairns, Australia | 2 Months |
| Southeast Asia | 4 Months |
Not only is this routing cost-effective, but every single one of these destinations is surrounded by arguably the best beaches in the world. Having the ocean at our doorstep perfectly suits our lifestyle. A daily saltwater ocean swim and a heavy dose of Vitamin D seems to keep our bodies feeling young and healthy. Travel might not scientifically guarantee a longer life, but I can assert that it keeps us mentally and physically fit—which certainly can’t hurt our chances!
Living Like Locals in Mo’orea
On our last trip to Mo’orea, we spent two weeks in an Airbnb up on the mountain overlooking the famed Cook’s Bay. We loved the Paopao neighborhood so much that we reached out to the owner directly and arranged to rent it for two full months.
Two months on one tiny tropical island definitely hits our definition of slow travel. It allowed us to drop right into the rhythm of the island without time constraints.. We completely transformed into local “chill monsters.” Barbie spent her days feeding and raising a family of local baby chickens, while I gorged on the freshest, brightest red tuna sashimi, bought daily right from the local fishermen.
Flashpacker Moment: The view of Cook’s Bay from our lanai was spectacular. Every morning, we’d watch new cruise ships and private yachts rolling into the bay. The ultimate highlight was when Mark Zuckerberg’s super-impressive, $300 million superyacht docked in the bay for twelve days. We never met the social media kingpin, but we definitely spied on his daily yachting activities through our German designed Leica binoculars!
Initially, I worried that two months on Mo’orea might feel a bit too long. But time flew by beautifully. We both deeply appreciate the tranquility and the warm Polynesian culture here. We will definitely be back.
For now, our French Polynesian chapter has closed, and we are incredibly excited for the next leg of the journey: two months conquering the world-renowned beaches of the Gold Coast and heading up tropical north to visit the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns.
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 