What is slow travel and how can event professionals adopt it?

Business travel isn’t always about getting from one place to another as quickly as possible.

For event professionals, slow travel offers a different way to think about business travel. It encourages us to consider how we travel, how long we stay, and how our choices affect the destination and the people who live there.

It won’t work for every trip. International business events still depend on air travel, particularly for long-haul attendees. But when there’s a practical alternative, slowing down can help make business travel more considered, enjoyable and connected to the destination.

What is slow travel?

Slow travel is an approach to business or leisure travel that favors lower-impact transportation, longer stays and greater engagement with a destination over frequent, fast trips.

For event professionals, this could mean:

• Taking the train instead of a short-haul flight

• Extending a business trip rather than making several separate journeys

• Combining meetings or site visits into one trip

• Using public transportation, walking or cycling at the destination

• Spending more time with local businesses and communities

Slow travel and sustainable travel are closely connected, but they aren’t exactly the same.

Sustainable travel focuses on reducing or managing environmental and social impacts. Slow travel supports this goal while also encouraging travelers to be more thoughtful about the pace, purpose and value of each journey.

Why is slow travel growing?

The idea of slow travel isn’t new, but it has become increasingly relevant for event professionals looking for practical ways to make travel more purposeful.

Sustainability goals

Travel can be a significant part of an event’s environmental impact. Reviewing how attendees, speakers and team members reach a destination can therefore be an important part of an event sustainability strategy.

Slower options aren’t automatically sustainable in every situation. However, train travel, direct flights and fewer individual trips may be worth considering as part of a broader sustainability approach.

Traveler and attendee well-being

A demanding itinerary can leave little time to rest, prepare or adjust to a new destination. A longer schedule may give people more breathing room before and after an event.

Slow travel can make the journey feel like a meaningful part of the experience rather than simply a way to get from home to the destination.

More valuable destination experiences

Traveling at a slower pace gives event professionals more time to understand a destination.

That could include exploring neighborhoods beyond the main tourist areas, learning about local culture, meeting community partners and local business owners, and understanding how a destination approaches accessibility and sustainability.

These experiences can be useful for event planners making future event decisions. They can also lead to more informed and respectful relationships with local suppliers and communities.

Smarter trip planning

A slower trip doesn’t have to be an inefficient one. Combining an event with meetings, site visits or other business trips may reduce the need for another journey later.

The aim isn’t simply to stay away for longer. It’s to make each business trip work harder and deliver more value.

What is bleisure travel?

Bleisure travel combines business travel with personal leisure time. An attendee might arrive before an event or stay afterward to explore the destination, spend time with family or take a short break nearby.

Slow travel and bleisure travel can overlap, but they have different aims. Bleisure is about combining work and leisure. Slow travel is a broader approach that looks at pace, transportation, frequency and connection with the destination.

An extended business trip may support slow travel if it replaces a separate journey, uses lower-impact transportation where practical or creates a more meaningful relationship with the destination.

Slow travel in action: traveling to Frankfurt

We’ve worked with Deutsche Bahn to encourage hosted buyers to use discounted train travel to Frankfurt instead of taking a short flight. We also share Explore the City guides from Frankfurt Convention Bureau to help attendees make the most of their time in the destination.

How event professionals can adopt slow travel

Slow travel works best when it’s considered early, rather than after travel plans have already been made.

While you're planning your trip:

Check whether the journey is necessary

Start with the purpose of the trip. Could several meetings, site inspections or supplier visits be combined? Could the meeting(s) happen online instead?

Compare the whole journey

Look beyond the scheduled flight or train time. Include transfers, waiting times and the journey between the arrival point and the venue.

A route that looks slower at first may become more practical when the full door-to-door journey is considered.

Communicate choices clearly

If you're planning an event, travel information should be easy to find, whether on your website or in other event communications. Include rail routes, public transportation options, journey-planning resources and accessibility information alongside flight details.

Consider rail alternatives

Train travel may be practical for journeys between well-connected cities, particularly as it allows for working on the go, opportunities to rest and avoids airport transfers.

Build flexibility into the schedule

Try to avoid requiring attendees to arrive or leave at times that limit their transportation choices. Where the event schedule allows, a little flexibility may open up more rail and public transportation options.

During the trip

Use local public transportation

Give travelers and attendees clear information about trains, trams and buses before arrival. Explain how they can travel between major arrival points, hotels and the venue using different transportation options.

Make walking and cycling easier

Provide maps, realistic journey times and information about the best routes. Walking and cycling suggestions should always take accessibility, local weather and conditions into account.

Support local businesses

When appropriate, include independent restaurants, stores and local experiences in destination information and know-before-you-go content. This can help more of the value generated by a business event remain within the local community.

Allow time to understand the destination

Site inspections and familiarization trips can go beyond venues and hotel rooms. Meeting community organizations and local partners can give planners a clearer understanding of the destination’s priorities and challenges. Destination management companies can also help make these connections.

When you get back to the office:

Review what worked

Ask team members and attendees whether the travel was practical and comfortable, and whether the information provided was clear.

Assess the journey

Where appropriate, review available travel data and compare it with the event’s objectives. Be transparent about any gaps and opportunities to improve.

Plan future trips accordingly

If the trip created opportunities for follow-up meetings or partnerships, consider how these activities can be combined to avoid unnecessary individual trips.

A destination selection framework for event planners

Transportation should be considered alongside venue capacity, cost and availability when evaluating a destination.

The following questions can help events planners compare travel options.

1. Accessibility and connectivity

• Where will most attendees travel from?

• Are there direct air or rail connections from those locations?

• How easy is the journey from the airport or station to the venue?

• Are accessible transportation options available?

2. Local transportation

• Is the public transportation network easy for visitors to understand?

• Can attendees travel conveniently between hotels and the venue?

• Are walking and cycling practical for some journeys?

• Is clear multilingual travel information available?

3. Event infrastructure

• Does the destination have suitable venues and guestrooms?

• Can the destination support the expected event size and format?

• Are suppliers located locally, or will equipment and services need to travel long distances?

4. Sustainability information

• Can the destination and suppliers provide clear, relevant sustainability information?

• Are lower-impact transportation options communicated effectively?

• Can the venue provide reliable data to support event reporting?

5. Community benefit

• How can the event work with local businesses and organizations?

• Are there opportunities for attendees to learn about the destination respectfully?

• Can the event contribute to an existing community priority rather than creating a separate short-term activity?

6. Attendee experience

• Is the journey realistic for attendees with different needs, schedules and budgets?

• Does the destination offer places to rest, meet informally and spend time outside?

• Will attendees feel welcomed and able to navigate the destination confidently?

No destination will score perfectly in every area. The framework is designed to make trade-offs visible and support a more informed decision.

Is slow travel always realistic?

No. Slow travel isn’t an all-or-nothing choice.

Air travel remains an important mode of transportation for international events, especially when attendees are traveling long haul or have limited time. Rail routes may be unavailable, inaccessible or significantly more expensive. Extending a stay may also be impractical because of personal responsibilities, visa requirements or company policies.

Slow travel is generally easier to consider for regional journeys, nearby countries and destinations with strong rail and public transportation networks.

The most useful approach is to treat it as a spectrum. An attendee who needs to fly could still choose a direct route, use public transportation at the destination or combine several business activities into one trip. A regional traveler may be able to replace a short flight with rail.

Progress comes from giving people realistic choices, not making them feel guilty about the choices they don’t have.

Could slow become the new go?

Slow travel is unlikely to replace conventional business travel. Nor does it offer a single solution to the environmental and social impacts of international events.

It does, however, give event professionals a useful question to ask: how can this journey create more value with less unnecessary movement?

Sometimes the answer will be a train. Sometimes it will be an extra day in the destination, a direct flight or several meetings combined into one trip. In other cases, the best option may be not to travel at all.

By considering transportation, destination experience and community impact together, we can make each journey more purposeful.

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of slow travel?

Depending on the journey, slow travel may support lower-impact transportation choices, improved well-being, more efficient trip planning and a stronger connection with the destination.

How does slow travel support sustainability goals?

Slow travel can encourage people to consider train journeys, public transportation, direct flight routes and fewer separate trips. It can also help organizers think about how travel supports local communities. A specific travel option should always be assessed on its own merits rather than assumed to be sustainable.

Is slow travel practical for business events?

It can be, particularly for regional journeys and destinations with good rail connections. It may be less practical for long-haul attendees, people with limited time or travelers whose accessibility needs cannot be met by available rail options.

What is the difference between slow travel and sustainable travel?

Sustainable travel focuses on managing environmental and social impacts. Slow travel focuses on traveling less frequently, moving at a more considered pace and spending more meaningful time in a destination. The two approaches often overlap.

What is bleisure travel?

Bleisure travel combines a business trip with personal leisure time. It might involve arriving early or extending a stay after an event. It can support slow travel, but only when the overall journey and its purpose are considered.

How can event professionals reduce the impact of business travel?

Event professionals can review whether trips are necessary, combine activities, promote direct routes, provide rail and public transportation information and help attendees make informed choices. Organizers can also review travel data after an event and use what they learn to improve future planning.

Can slow travel improve well-being?

A less compressed itinerary may give travelers more time to rest and adjust to their destination. However, a longer journey won’t suit everyone, so traveler needs, accessibility requirements and individual circumstances should remain central to the decision.