Slow travel and solo travel: a study confirms what we had sensed

Slow travel, solo travel: a new study has just come out, carried out by DERTOUR Group among 8,000 travellers in 13 European countries. And what it says echoes, almost word for word, what we've been championing with My Native Family from the start.

Slow travel, a deep-rooted trend

53% of European travellers now say they're drawn to slow travel: going away less often, staying longer in one place, favouring a few memorable experiences rather than a packed schedule.

It's not a passing fad, it's a real turnaround. The days of trying to tick off as many sights as possible are coming to an end. Travelling more slowly means giving yourself time to truly live a place — not rush through it.

Solo travel is no longer niche

Solo travel is following the same curve: almost 30% of those surveyed are considering travelling alone within the year. And contrary to what you might think, it's not just single people — a quarter of those in a relationship or married also plan to try solo travel at some point in the year.

Slow travel and solo travel often go hand in hand: when you slow down, you also need company less to feel good on the road.

What it really means

We no longer want to tick off a list of monuments. We want to come home with something real: a bond with someone, a skill passed on, a memory that stays long after we're back.

That's exactly the bet we've made with My Native Family from the start. A week — or a day — with an artisan, a musician, a cook or a herbalist. Not a tour, not a list of sights, but an encounter and a skill you truly come away having learned. Solo or not, at a slow pace, it's the only way we know to travel like that.

You don't bring back a souvenir. You bring back an object, an encounter, a gesture you'll never forget.

Discover the encounters here.

Laurita