In February 2024, Darren and I will hike the Via Francigena from Pontremoli to Rome, concluding in late March.

After thru-hiking the Via Francigena, we will travel via train north from Rome starting 22 March, with stopovers in Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, Modena, Alba, Aosta, Vercelli and Milan. Food, wine, meeting people, architecture, history, learning culture, and speaking with Italians.

The small island of Bonaire has a lot to offer for active slow travelers in addition to its world-famous shore diving. We go back every year—for one or more months at a time—to enjoy snorkeling, hiking, birdwatching, and more.

The Azores are an archipelago of nine Portuguese islands located about 2000 nautical miles east of Boston, Massachusetts, and 1,000 nautical miles west of the Portuguese mainland. The largest of these nine islands is Pico which also happens to be the third largest Portuguese island.

Before embracing slow travel, we were scientists and executives at large multinational companies. Having spent most of our 20s and 30s traveling at a fast pace, we wanted to slow down, avoid mass tourism, and stretch our travel dollars.

A late afternoon view from west Terceira Island, Azores. Green pastures with lava stone fences and steep drop-off into the Atlantic ocean.