Posted by Bill Steiner – Adventures In Italy

“To journey without being changed

is to be a nomad.

To change without journeying

is to be a chameleon.

To journey and be transformed

by the journey

is to be a pilgrim.”

Mark Nepo

This is one of the things that I love about our trips and the way we do them, which is to say slow travel. Staying in one place for a week offers the chance to be transformed. This isn’t to say that you can not be transformed by scurrying from place to place. But the very act of unpacking your bags signals that this is a particular kind of travel.

Staying for a week in Orvieto on one of our trips allows you to have the time to process what you are seeing and experiencing. It allows you to slowly, imperceptibly fall back into the natural rhythms of life. It allows your subconscious to process the very different, comparing it to the familiar and known, so similarities and distinctions are made. And it is through all this that the ability to be transformed emerges.

The beauty of travel is that it offers contrasts that shine a light on how you perceive and live in the world now. It may simply affirm what you are doing and how you are doing it. Or, it may suggest an alternative path. Either way it is transformational.

But it is traveling slow that truly enables one to process things and to come upon transformation. In our fast paced world, slowing down is what it takes to gain the perspective we need. And it is why I love our way of travel. I like being a pilgrim!

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Kristi and Bill Steiner

Kristi and Bill Steiner began leading “learning vacations”  to Orvieto, Italy in 2003. Through Adventures in Italy they provide a cultural immersion experience. Many trips include the pursuit of some kind of creative work that complements and reinforces exploration of Italy’s culture. Relationships built over the years enable Kristi and Bill to provide experiences that a typical visitor to Orvieto never gets. Trips are held in May and September/October every year. Their Discover Orvieto and Girlfriend Getaway trips are available to groups any time of the year. Learn more about Kristi and Bill’s trips.

Stay abreast of Adventures in Italy developments, and follow Bill’s musings about travel and Italy on his blog Make Haste Slowly.