Visited
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Region notes
Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. My favourite stretch of bus journeys on the planet. Tbilisi as the long stay base, Kazbegi for the mountains, the Black Sea coast for the ferry north. Coffee is good, hostels are cheap, the marshrutka is always leaving in five minutes.
Sarajevo, Mostar, Kotor, Tirana, Pristina. A region where slow travel makes the most sense. Buses, ferries, mountain trains, and old guesthouses where the price is the same in October as it is in July.
Oaxaca for the food, San Cristobal for the highlands, Merida for the cenotes. Long bus rides, slow markets, and the only place on this site where the receipts include a daily mezcal.
Shikoku, the Kii Peninsula, Tohoku in late autumn. Slow trains, pilgrim trails, ryokans you book by fax.
Istanbul as a long stay base, the Black Sea coast for the bus, Cappadocia for the walking, the Aegean for the ferries.
If you only have a month
The single question I get most often is also the broadest one. Where should I go first. The honest answer is that it depends entirely on the rhythm you want from the trip. Slow walkers and readers should consider the Western Balkans, where the bus is reliable, the coffee is good, and a guesthouse for ten nights costs less than a hotel in Brighton for two.
Readers who want a more sensory trip on a tight budget should consider Mexico. Oaxaca city is a slow traveller's dream, with a Sunday market that goes on for half a mile and a coffee scene that has nothing to envy of Melbourne.
Wherever you go first, the rule is the same. Pick one country. Stay three weeks. Move slowly through five or six towns rather than racing through twelve.
