Mindful on the move: 5 slow travel tips

Hiking maps, not apps

What’s the quickest way from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace? Look it up on the app and away you go on the underground. Well, that’s not how things work in South Tyrol.

Here we still like to use the “old-style” hiking maps, available to borrow from all our hotels or, if you want to study a map beforehand, you can order one so as to get into a hiking holiday mood at home. 
Hiking apps also exist, of course. But, let’s face it, you feel more like an explorer if you explore the path on your own. And losing our way often leads us to the best places anyway.

Immobilise your mobile!

How many hours have you used your phone today? Just take a look!! If it’s less than four hours, you are actually below the average (=3.7 hours*).

Luckily, many of our Vitalpina Hotels are located in the mountains where mobile phone reception cannot be guaranteed. So DON’T immediately ask for the Wi-Fi password when you check in on your next holiday at a Vitalpina Hotel.
You won’t even have to ask at the Naturhotel Rainer in Ratschings, as there is no Wi-Fi and usually no mobile phone reception either – the perfect digital detox! Another tip is to switch off your phone completely at night: and, if you use your mobile as an alarm, why not invest in an old-fashioned analogue alarm clock for your home and your travels? It does the job just as well and means you won’t have to bring your phone into the bedroom.

Find a travel companion

The best memories are the ones we share with others. You often get to know great people when travelling, as everyone is always more relaxed on holiday.
True friendships can also form. Just exchange contact details, become friends on a social network and, who knows, maybe you will see each other again next year – “same time, same spot”. Why not establish a pen-friendship: after all, when did you last hand-write a letter? We locals, the South Tyroleans, are also happy to chat to visitors. Talk to us when you are on a bus or in a cable car – we won’t bite! And we are especially happy to hear praise for our beautiful land and our hospitality – who isn’t?

Postcards to yourself

When was the last time you sent a postcard? Probably some time ago! Why not send a postcard to yourself? It should contain something funny, something unusual and a few facts about who and where you are currently travelling with and all the experiences you are enjoying! It is sure to be a pleasure to pull one of these postcards out of your collection and relive all your adventures.

Draw the moment

Even if you are no Picasso, drawing is one of the finest forms of creativity, one that will help you to capture a moment, an experience or a mood. It’s just like in school, when you remember best what was written on your cheat sheet. So, remember a moment by consciously sitting down and capturing it in a sketchbook or on a piece of paper.

We at the Vitalpina Hotels are convinced that a mindful holiday, where conscious enjoyment is found in nature, cuisine and other people, will last long after your stay is over. More mindfulness tips for your holiday can be found
in Sara Clemens’s book “Achtsam reisen: Kabellos glücklich oder Wie dein Urlaub zur echten Auszeit wird [Mindful travel: Wirelessly happy, or How to turn your holiday into a genuine break]”.

* FAZ/AppAnnie 2020