Slow travel is the art of traveling slowly. And since the health crisis, we all feel this desire for renewal in our travels. The desire to leave is there for most of us and the will to travel differently leads us to rethink our travels.
Language stays are no exception to this new rule of slow travel. And at Linguifamily, we can even say (without false modesty !) that slow travel has been at the heart of our concept from the beginning : to allow our travelers to fully enjoy the best that learning a new language has to offer.
Slow travel Késako ?
Slow travel is the heir of the slow movement which invites us to slow down our pace of life and to remain conscious of our actions. Slow travel invites us to slow down the pace of our travel experiences and to take the time to immerse ourselves in these new cultures, these new worlds.
Compared to more traditional travel, slow travel is :
- Slower, more varied, more local travel
- Discovering less popular destinations, far from mass tourism
- Longer residence times
- Lodging with local people
- Stays away from modern technology
To have the best experience on a language trip, here are our 5 slow travel tips.
Make way for improvisation !
A linguistic stay cannot be improvised, you may say. And you are right ! A minimum of reservations and administrative formalities are necessary for a safe and smooth stay. Other than that, there’s nothing else to plan. Traveling slowly means trusting the host during your language stay. He makes you discover his city, his region, his district even and he is your best guide. Forget asking for the program and find out each morning what your day will be made of. Letting yourself be guided allows you to experience the unexpected off the beaten path and to create the most beautiful travel memories.
Go less far
With the health crisis and the travel bans that we have experienced, you have (re)discovered language stays in France. Linguifamily was already offering them before the health crisis, and at your request, its offer has been expanded. You can go to Normandy or the South of France, with an English-speaking family and speak English for a whole week. Finally, there is no need to go far away to improve your English !
“(…) Their friends were English (even the French spoke English!), everything was in English. A real immersion. I was able to do (…) scrabble in English (…). I had taken along some readings in English, I saw movies in English, TV or Netflix documentary. My hosts took really good care of me. Susan’s classes were very good, I made progress in writing; in speaking I was more vigilant to make fewer mistakes. “
Gaëtan’s testimony – Stay at Susan and Peter’s house in Dordogne – July 2020
Leave for longer
At Linguifamily, it is you (according to your availability and your project) and the host family (according to their availability calendar) who organize the duration of your language stay. From a few days to 1 year, everything is possible. And for Linguifamily travelers who want to improve their language skills, 3 weeks would be an ideal length of stay, as confirmed by the testimonials on the platform.
In slow travel, you don’t consume the trip like you would a scone, you live it!
Adopt the rhythm of your host family
Living with a local is the basic principle of your language stay. It is this immersion in the daily life of a family (see our article“Succeeding in your first steps in a host family”) that helps to better understand their culture. You will improve your language skills by living with them, by living at their pace, and by discovering their way of life. Shopping, cooking together, having tea are all moments to learn more about the culture of their country.
Disconnect to better connect
Linguifamily offers language immersion. This immersion is all the easier for you if contact with your family, your emails, your social networks are rare. A disconnection is fully beneficial to you by giving you more time to listen and a better ability to concentrate. This disconnection is of course temporary, for the duration of your language stay.
Put your digital tools in a corner of your room, at the bottom of your bag. Forget your smartphone and Google Translate for the duration of the meal and connect with your hosts. A slow travel linguistic stay means more time.
The only exception allowed : the small photo shared on social networks with the #linguifamily. We love to live your adventures!
This year, perhaps even more than yesterday, slow travel has a different meaning. We wish to be more authentic and imagine a trip that is more respectful of the environment and the people. Are you ready for a more authentic language experience? Do you want to travel differently ?
