Anouk, co-founder of Slowmoves speaks to Europe a la Carte about why she set up this hub for slow travel resources.

1 What is the aim of your blog?

Slowmoves is about enjoying the journey, as well as the destination. Moving away from budget flights and quick getaways to faraway places and moving towards overnight train journeys, cycle trips and home-stays. Why not start a holiday from when you leave your front door, rather than when you enter your hotel room? Slowmoves was started by Anouk and George, two friends living in London, UK. We love local perspectives and look for places with genuine qualities, be it a beach house on the Isle of Wight or a family-run farm in Italy. slowmoves is a hub for slow travel resources: our own adventures and ideas, tips for holidays, interesting news, articles and links. You could read about one of George’s overland adventures to San Sebastian or read about a useful website that links you to local guides on your holiday.

2 What prompted you to start your blog?

We feel that the travel industry ushers us to travel the same way, to the same places. We’ve become used to only appreciating where we’re going, not how we got there. At slowmoves we want to take our time, enjoy the journey and experience local culture. It’s about a more sustainable, local and simple way to travel which we feel is much more enjoyable.

3 What has been the hardest aspect of having your own blog?

Juggling having a full time job with trying to dedicate as much time as possible to running the blog.

4 What is the funniest thing that has happened to you running your blog?

That our blog is all about slowing down, taking your time to appreciate things, but that George and I both live in London and live quite hectic lives! It must be the backlash and deep-rooted desire to slow down the pace of our lives and enjoy the world around us.

5 Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

Start contacting other relevant blogs and leaving comments in the blogosphere right from the start – this is a great way to reach people who are truly interested in slow travel.

My comments – I do agree about the issue of enjoying the journey as well as the destination but that can be hard to do if you’ve to hang around airports, sit in a traffic jam etc. I find that travelling off peak goes a long way toward making the journey more relaxing e.g. air traffic controllers usually go on strike in peak season. I remember driving around Buxton in Derbyshire one August Bank Holiday weekend with pedestrians spilling onto the pavement and being unable to find a parking space and vowing never to drive in England during a holiday weekend again.