More than just getting from A to B – A travel essay on slow journeys through the Alps

More than just getting from A to B

How travelling slowly changes my perspective

In a world that never seems to slow down, I believe there is something special about choosing to travel slowly. For me, it means not simply getting from A to B as quickly as possible, but experiencing everything in between.

My journey to the Queyras region in the French Alps began by train. With my Interrail Pass, I could travel flexibly before heading towards the starting point of my eight-day hike along the GR58. I had planned the trip quite spontaneously and hadn’t booked the shared taxi in advance, which required prior reservation. So I headed to the meeting point, hoping to find other hikers who had already arranged their ride. While waiting, I started chatting with them. One of them was Amoury. What began as a chance encounter turned into a shared journey: we ended up hiking together for all eight days, sharing conversations, challenges and many special moments. Sometimes I wonder whether we would have met in the same way if we had both travelled by car.

Encounters like this show me how much the way we travel influences whom we meet and what we experience. When you take your time, opportunities arise to meet people and share stories. You are not just moving towards a destination; you become part of everything that happens along the way.

During the first three days of our hike, we had no mobile phone reception. And it felt freeing to not be reachable. Before the trip, I had a few things on my mind from everyday life. Without reception, I was simply there: walking, taking in the landscape and focusing on what was right in front of me. It was only when we approached civilisation and reception returned that those thoughts came back. I suddenly realised that I hadn’t thought about them for three whole days. I hadn’t consciously taken a (much needed) break from everyday life – it had simply happened along the way.

Travelling on foot also changes the way I experience the landscape. You notice your surroundings step by step, discover places away from the well-known routes and experience the mountains as more than just scenery. Reaching a summit through your own effort gives the view a special meaning. At the same time, you develop trust in your body and in what you are capable of, both physically and mentally.

Of course, things don’t always go to plan. Trains are delayed, the weather doesn’t cooperate or a planned place to spend the night cannot be found. But these moments teach you to stay flexible, find solutions and sometimes rely on the kindness of others. For me, that’s also part of travelling: embracing whatever comes your way.

Travelling this way also means learning to get by with surprisingly little. Everything I need has to fit into my backpack. I wear the same clothes for several days, leave behind familiar comforts and focus on what really matters. It changes the way I think about what I actually need and gives me a break from a daily life in which so many things are always available and taken for granted.

When I think back to the Queyras today, I don’t just remember summits and beautiful views. I remember meeting Amoury, our days together and the feeling of simply being on the move. The journey has stayed with me because I didn’t just pass through the landscape. Instead I truly experienced it.

For me, sustainable mobility is about more than finding a more environmentally friendly way to get from one place to another. It can change how we travel, what we notice and who we meet along the way. I don’t believe there is only one right way to discover the Alps. But I have experienced how much a journey can offer when you give it more time.

You don’t travel slowly because you want to give something up. You travel slowly because of everything you gain along the way.

~ Johanna Plugge