It takes most people 3 days to unwind on vacation. Meet the Slowcation.

I should have been more like Claire Sturzaker.

When the full-time solo traveler books a trip, she said it’s usually at least a month long. She schedules time to rest and explore lesser-known destinations that are just a day trip away.

“It helps me really get to know the place without rushing around,” she told Business Insider. “I’d rather spend a month getting to know a place than say, ‘All right, I’ve been here for a day. Let’s go.”

And she’s not the only one.

According to the Summer 2024 Travel Trends Report: The Rise of the ‘Slowcation’ by Scott Dunn, founder of the luxury travel provider Scott Dunn, 60% of 2,000 US participants are planning vacations to have slow travel. The report described it as a “mindset” that emphasizes “exploring somewhere on a deeper level” and “making space mentally and physically for things to happen spontaneously.”

A representative of the luxury travel agency Goway told BI that their clients have been booking an average of three additional days for trips than they did before the pandemic, and more travelers now book 11-day vacations compared to any other length of time.

Slowcations are on the rise due to more Americans prioritizing destressing on vacation, according to Dunn’s report, which says that the ideal trip length is eight days, and among the travelers they surveyed, it took an average worker three days to switch out of work mode once on vacation.

Career coach Alice Stapleton agrees.

“With smartphones, social media, and easy access to WiFi, it’s become harder and harder to switch off completely,” she told BI in an email. “Work (and life) is incredibly consuming these days, and it can take a while for the nervous system to adjust to a slower pace.”

Still, not every traveler can take a monthlong trip like Sturzaker. That’s OK since Stapleton recommends taking 7-10 days to recharge for someone with a typical 40-hour week.

Slow travel isn’t just about trip length

Therapist Mark Loewen also agrees with Dunn’s report, adding that restoring yourself on vacation isn’t just about trip length.

“What makes a bigger difference than the time is how you spend that time,” Loewen told BI. “One of the big reasons…vacations are good for us is because it engages another part of our brain by paying attention to something different. And just like on a computer, it helps that area that is constantly working to cool down.”

He said the second big reason is that learning and discovering new things excites our brains, creating dopamine that helps us recover from stress.

“But if we are still connected to other stressors like news, we can’t fully step into whatever we’re doing,” he added. “So the faster we can disconnect, the faster we can get that recovery.”

“It’s really about the mindset that you really take time to savor the experience,” Do Phuong, tour company founder, told BI. “Search for authentic experiences. Schedule your itinerary in a very loose way. Be really immersed into the experience and try to connect with local culture, local people, and the surrounding nature,” he advises.

According to Phuong, the tour company has been around since 2014, but it wasn’t until 2020 that they rebranded to serve slow travelers as the trend began to build.

Loewen said train trips are also a great way to travel slowly because they make the journey feel like a destination. Scott Dunn’s global product director, Simon Lynch, agrees.

“Leisurely train travel is one of the best ways to experience slow travel, allowing you to sit back and savor every moment,” he told BI in an email. “A new wave of luxury rail itineraries has driven a thirst for cultural immersion, exploring the less-visited backroads of popular destinations.”

Despite the obvious benefits of lower stress, deeper immersion in the cities you visit, and sustainability rewards, Lynch says slow trips may also be more memorable.

“Taking a slower and gentler approach to the way that you travel — and making the journey part of your trip — will not only encourage you to relax and unwind quicker but inevitably lead to discovery along the way,” Lynch said. “This, in turn, can help you to make meaningful memories, too.”