The concept of “slow travel” did not begin with a single tour company. Instead, it evolved organically as a tourism philosophy derived from the Slow Food movement, which was founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. One of the earliest uses of the term for tourism was a community website launched in 2000 by Pauline Kenny. She inspired Kathy Wood to form an informal cooperative network of independent small-business operators called Slow Travel Tours, which formed to offer deeply immersive, regional European itineraries.

Slow travel has grown organically over the past 26 years, which is fitting considering its roots. However, It seems that every day a new “slow travel” tour company pops up on Facebook and Instagram. And with each post I read I discover some new “influencer” wanting to help you discover France, s l o w l y.

So, how do you choose which tour company to sign up with? My answer is simply “experience”,

Inclusion in the Slow Travel Tours group is by invitation only. Over the past 14 years, they’ve been highly selective in inviting others to join, because they want to be sure each new member meets their requirements and has a compatible philosophy. The current 11 members are all established tour operators with a record of highly-satisfied participants from all over the world. Each has been in business for at least three years. Five members have been leading tours for more than 10 years, and some for 20.

French Country Adventures joined Slow Travel Tours in 2020. I had already been offering tours in my local area, Gascony, specifically the Gers, for over 10 years. As I’ve familiarized myself with different parts of southern France, I’ve added the Basque Country, Provence, the Tarn, Gard and Camargue, and most recently the Dordogne. From early spring to late fall, I offer genuinely small, group tours for no more than 6 people, as well as custom itineraries for those not wanting to travel in a group. With a combined history of leading tours for almost 20 years, I invite you to discover unique places to visit in southern France.

Classic Gascony
Gascony is a well-kept secret. Bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, the east by Toulouse, the north by Bordeaux and the south by the Pyrenees Mountains, this unspoiled paradise is far enough off the beaten path to retain its unique identity, yet established enough to accommodate travelers….

The Basque Country
The Basque Country is located in the western Pyrenees Mountains, straddling the border of France and Spain meeting at the Atlantic coast’s Bay of Biscay. Emerald landscapes, distinctively rugged mountains, precipitous shorelines and the rich heritage of the Basque people has kept this area uniquely singular in a world of vanishing cultures…

Edible Provence
The French passion for food is celebrated in the village markets where seasonal foods are the mainstays of daily living. We’ll visit farmers’ markets, and indulge in two, hands-on cooking classes with local chefs. We’ll tour charming villages, sample wines at local vineyards…

The Tarn, Gard & Camargue
This special twelve day tour takes a serpentine route through some of Occitanie’s most beautiful countryside in southern France beginning in La Ville Rouge, the red city of Albi in the southwest, and ending in the southeastern village of Aigues- Mortes, a perfectly preserved walled village set among the salt marshes bordering the Mediterranean Sea…

The Dordogne
Located in southwest France, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its history is intertwined with that of England. After Eleanor of Aquitaine inherited all of the lands from the Loire Valley to the Pyrenees and east to Toulouse from her father, she married King Henri II of England. The Dordogne then fell under English rule until the Hundred Years’ War ended in 1453, when it was returned to France…

Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of southwest France. She is the owner of French Country Adventures, which provides private, personally-guided, small-group, slow travel tours into Gascony, the Pays Basque, Provence and beyond. She writes a monthly blog about her life in France and is a contributor to Bonjour Paris and France Today magazines. Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France, England and other European countries.