A friend asked, “If I also want to go to Europe, can I follow your itinerary? But why do you visit so few places each day?”
Indeed, this European trip was planned very loosely, especially on the days when I stayed in the same city—there were only about three or four attractions. If you look carefully at my itinerary, you’ll notice that many so-called attractions are just places I passed by, with not many that actually required a long visit or exploration. Even though the itinerary looks rich, for most people, they might finish what I considered a relaxed schedule in just half a day.
For long-term travel, I prefer the slow travel approach. I usually don’t head out until around noon each day, starting the new day feeling fully rested and relaxed. For short trips of just a few days, you might need to make the most of your time by going out earlier or focusing only on the places you truly enjoy and cutting out non-essential sights. Travel should really be about relaxing your mind. If it turns into a “city hunt,” rushing around all day trying to take photos, check in, and post online, then yes—you might visit a lot of places, but can you really appreciate where you are? Plus, traveling is more physically and mentally exhausting than working—it doesn’t seem like the purpose of a trip.
Of course, many office workers don’t have many days off. If they don’t hurry and visit more places, wouldn’t their precious vacation time be wasted? For trips shorter than a week, it’s inevitable to plan things tightly. Whether you’re a student on break or an office worker considering a career change, if you ever get the chance for a long trip, try slow travel—you might discover a different meaning in traveling.
By the way, if you really want to use my itinerary as a reference but prefer a faster-paced trip, you could combine two days’ plans into one. Worst case, you’d leave at 8 AM and return at 9 PM—but you’d still have a smooth trip. The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself.
p.s. In my 86-day solo travel journal, I’ll only write about the day’s itinerary. For those who want detailed descriptions, please wait until I’m back in Hong Kong—I’ll try my best to fill them in then.
Itinerary:
Board Street
Canal
National sea life centre
Victoria square
Town hall
Council house
Birmingham museum & Art gallery
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An 86-Day Solo European Plan:
Day 1: Boarding. A journey that began with tears
Day 2: Edinburgh. A freezing first impression
Day 3: Edinburgh. Dreadful jet lag aftermath
Day 4: Edinburgh. Art-filled strolls through the city center museums
Day 5: Glasgow. A park walk without a sunset
Day 6: Glasgow. What does solo female travel even mean?
Day 7: The Highlands. A trip to the zero-degree Highlands
Day 8: Stirling. The fool who trusted the map too much
Day 9: Manchester. An industrial city with morning rain and afternoon sun
Day 10: Manchester. So what if I’m short?
Day 11: Manchester. Still defeated by the cold virus
Day 12: Manchester. Romance isn’t supposed to happen like this
Day 13: Galway. An overnight journey that wiped me out
Day 14: Galway. Don’t use cultural differences as an excuse
Day 15: Dublin. The green capital of Ireland
Day 16: Dublin. Deer everywhere
Day 17: Dublin. A trip where I forgot the date
Day 18: Lake District. Fellow travelers from Hong Kong abroad
Day 19: Lake District. Endless hiking
Day 20 Lake District. Cherish the interactions with the locals
Day 21 Leeds. The quirky girl who turned a battlefield into a marketplace
Day 22 York. Fulfilling a promise made four years ago
Day 23 Liverpool. Have you ever had moments of doubt?
Day 24 Liverpool. A different kind of rainy day culture
Day 25 Liverpool. Experience it with the most peaceful heart
Day 26 Birmingham. Falling in love with a new attitude of slow travel