On the German book market, there are hardly any books that deal with the topic of Slow Travel. I was all the more curious when I discovered the newly published travel guide by author Elke Weiler in the spring of 2023. Published by Ellert & Richter Verlag in Hamburg, the book highlights selected places in Schleswig-Holstein on around 160 pages. Elke Weiler has dedicated herself to slow travel for years. Based on the North Sea, she writes travel books and novels, as well as texts for her blog.
Her current travel guide “Slow Travel – Unterwegs in Schleswig-Holstein” begins with a brief introduction to Slow Travel, which is hardly any different from the definition I researched in 2020: The type of travel means, he says, to perceive the surroundings with all the senses and, in addition to the stay in the vacation destination, to experience the journey consciously and sustainably. Slow Travel contrasts with fast travel consumption, just as slow food represents the countermovement to fast food. Travelers visit less frequented places and prefer to travel in the off-season. Also, sights are not checked off step by step, but a smaller selection is made, which brings more peace into the travel plan, corresponding to more time to linger in places.1
Could one travel slowly without visiting the same vacation spot every year? An interesting question that I have not yet encountered in literature. Of course, says Weiler. It’s more about experiencing the atmosphere, the spirit of a place, less about always seeing the same thing. She closes the introduction with the information that for some readers significant or beautiful places in Schleswig-Holstein might be missing, but that this is exactly the basic idea of a Slow Travel guide. 2 A good hint, I think, as this really captures the spirit of Slow Travel. Hence the tip: If you want a complete travel guide for Schleswig-Holstein, you should supplement your travel reading with a conventional travel guide.
Weiler’s book, in contrast to the usual fact-packed informational travel guides, is well suited for in-depth acquaintance with a few places in Schleswig-Holstein. In total, the author highlights 44 places (= 44 chapters) and their special features. The texts are appealingly written and summarize background information on flora and fauna, as well as historical aspects and the atmosphere of the destinations. In addition to the well-known corners of Schleswig-Holstein, such as Lübeck, Amrum, Kiel and Helgoland, Slow Travel specialties, such as the first climate hotel in the state in Gelting, donkey hiking on the Schlei and a Tiny House in Delve are presented. These contributions encourage to copy and also “slowly” hiking, cycling (as the author, for example, in Kiel) or climate-friendly overnight.
By the way, if one looks for a map in the travel guide it is missing, however the book is illustrated with numerous colored photos, which come for the most part from the author herself. In order not to leave the reader entirely in an atmospheric wonderland, a few facts, such as addresses, telephone numbers and websites, are listed for each place described. So anyone who wants to head for a place inspired by the reading will be able to do so in no time at all.
Conclusion: “Slow Travel – Unterwegs in Schleswig-Holstein” is not a travel guide that can be opened while searching for a good museum or the best restaurant in town. Here it is useless. On the contrary, it is a book that is ideally read over a cup of coffee or tea, in a hammock under a tree, on a picnic blanket by a lake or in any other place of rest and relaxation. The book inspires to look more closely while being on the road, to explore nooks and crannies, be interested in the stories of people and also to observe nature, plants well as animals. The reading supports not only the visualization of special travel moments, but also the development of a very personal bond to the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
1 See Weiler, Elke (2023): Slow Travel – Unterwegs in Schleswig-Holstein, pp. 6-7.
2 See Ibid., p. 7.
Article by Anika Neugart.
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