Traveling while taking your time, strolling through the streets of a city, focusing on meeting people, while soaking up the atmosphere that reigns there, isn’t that the very essence of travel? Resting, slowing down, recharging our batteries, that’s often what we’re looking for when we go on vacation… But do we really do it?
“The idea of a vacation is the desire to take a break and to break away from the hectic pace of daily life,” says Jean-Michel Dufaux, author of the book A year abroad and founder of the Siège Hublot website, dedicated to travel.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jean-Michel Dufaux, author of the book My year abroad and founder of the Siège Hublot website
However, he thinks that we must make choices, settle down somewhere, accept not seeing everything, visiting everything, doing less, but better, and taking the time to live. “The purpose of vacation is to rest. Everyone is tired, stressed, overworked, so we should prioritize quality and not quantity, take the time to discover new landscapes, to meet the inhabitants, their culture and their gastronomy,” he says. .
He mentions the popularity of Airbnb and house and apartment rentals, which comes precisely from this desire to stay longer in a place, sometimes far from the most touristy areas of the city, in search of more authenticity.
Marc-Antoine Vachon, holder of the Transat Chair of Tourism at UQAM, recalls that slow tourism (slow travel) appeared around 1999, and this phenomenon of wanting to travel while taking your time has been growing for years.
There is a social and environmental responsibility to staying in one place longer. We favor active transportation like cycling and walking, but it takes a little travel experience to understand the positive effects of this slow tourism.
Marc-Antoine Vachon, holder of the Transat Chair of Tourism at UQAM
Because when we start traveling, we often think that the important thing is to visit as many places as possible. But experience makes us understand that memories are important just like encounters. “The aging of the population plays an important role,” he emphasizes. The older we get and the more we are in search of meaning, we want to slow down the pace, to better enjoy the things in life. »
PHOTO ONECLEARVISION, GETTY IMAGES
Jean-Michel Dufaux notably landed in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
This is the case of Jean-Michel Dufaux, who left for a year in 2018. He settled mainly in three cities, Chiang Mai, in Thailand, Mazatlán, in Mexico, and Da Nang, in Vietnam. “There was this reflection on life which goes too quickly and a questioning linked to fifty years. It feels good to get away from your everyday life, from your comfort. But I am well aware that not everyone can afford this one-year break because of work, financial insecurity or children,” he notes.
Many people have the dream of leaving for a year, like the author Elizabeth Gilbert who recounts it in Eat, Pray, Love (Eat Pray Love)or even like Peter Mayle in A year in Provence. “I want to try the experience again and this time to settle for a year in a city, perhaps in France,” confides Jean-Michel Dufaux.
He advocates the discovery of lesser-known cities where there is added value. Because staying a little longer in a city that sees fewer tourists makes the experience more pleasant and authentic, according to him.
In Italy, which is the victim of overtourism, visiting Rome, Florence and Venice in high season is unpleasant. We may prefer Genoa, Turin, Pavia, Verona. In Spain, you can explore cities like Valencia or Malaga. In France, Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg. It’s not just Paris!
Jean-Michel Dufaux
He lists some less visited countries: Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Belgium, the city of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and Hamburg, in Germany.
Lyon has everything
PHOTO DELPHINE CASTEL, PROVIDED BY ONLYLYON
Lyon, a French city on a human scale, pleasant to visit
Lyon is one of those cities that deserves attention. Virginie Carton, general director of ONLYLYON Tourism and Congress, wants to encourage visitors to stay longer in Lyon. Currently, the average length of stay is 3.5 nights. She would like it to be 5-6 nights. “We offer more possibilities throughout the destination,” she said in an interview. There is gastronomy, culture, and we work in partnership with neighboring towns, such as Beaujolais, known for its wine. It is a magnificent territory with small villages with beautiful viewpoints accessible by train. »
There is also the entire Rhône valley to explore or Lake Annecy and even the Alps, adds the one who indicates that Lyon, a city on a human scale, has developed responsible tourism. “Our public transport network is very efficient. There are also numerous secure cycle paths, a Accueil Vélo label for hotels and restaurants and the Lyon City Card, which gives access, at a reduced price, to many sites and to public transport. »
Off-season travel is also on the rise, notes Marc-Antoine Vachon, a way of avoiding crowds and the extreme summer heat in certain countries. “It is an increasingly popular choice, for financial reasons in particular, but also to live an experience closer to the daily lives of residents, for more authenticity and exchanges. »
Lyon’s efforts
Two initiatives from ONLYLYON Tourism and Congress show the city’s efforts towards slow, responsible tourism, meeting the city’s inhabitants.
Lyon Greeters
The “Greeters” of the Lyon metropolis offer to share a few hours in their company and thus share their good addresses and their favorites of the city. “These are residents of Lyon, volunteers, who give one to two hours of their time for a walk in the city, free of charge. There is a community of around 70 volunteers who show their little corner of Lyon and their favorite addresses. It’s a great way to meet locals,” explains Virginie Carton.
Visit the Greeters page
Water (in a bottle) as much as you like
“Lyon is a responsible destination. We promote the use of the water bottle. We identify on a map all the places where there are public fountains, cafes, restaurants, shops and museums where visitors are welcome to fill their water bottles,” explains Virginie Carton.
Visit the initiative page