How We'll Choose Where to Go For Slow Travel
Weather, Crowds, and the Schengen Clock
If you’re imagining our travel planning process involves throwing darts at a map or following our whims like carefree nomads… I regret to inform you that we are spreadsheet people.
We didn’t start out that way. But after a few hard-earned lessons involving heat that felt personal, and crowds so thick you couldn’t tell where you ended and the tour group began, we made a rule:
We won’t chase destinations. We’ll chase good weather and fewer people.
Everything else - food, culture, charm - works itself out if you’re not melting into the pavement or being shoulder-checked by a mega-ship’s worth of cruise passengers.
Enter: The Spreadsheet
Below is one of the first iterations of our slow-travel spreadsheet. It’s evolved since then (some destinations added, others removed), but this version gives you the general idea.
Green means:
Pleasant temperatures (for us, anyway)
Lower crowds
Minimal chance of regretting our life choices
White (or blank) means:
Too hot
Too cold
Too wet
Too crowded
Or some unholy combination of all four
If it’s not green, we probably won’t go. And you’ll notice December is permanently greyed out; we want to be home for the holidays.
The Schengen Zone (aka the Fine Print That Matters)
You’ll notice our spreadsheet is split into “Europe – Schengen” and “Europe – Non-Schengen.” This isn’t random. This is strategy.
The Schengen Zone is a group of European countries that allow free movement between them with no border checks, no passport stamps, no tiny booths where someone asks why you’re there.
But here’s the catch (and it’s a big one):
As a non-EU tourist, you’re allowed 90 days in the Schengen Zone within any rolling 180-day period.
Not 90 days per country.
Not “reset when you cross a border.”
Not “close enough if you don’t count weekends.”
It’s 90 days total. And yes, they count everything.
Enter: The Non-Schengen MVPs
Non-Schengen countries are what keep slow travel in Europe possible long-term. Places like:
Georgia
Romania
Turkey
Ireland
Scotland
These are the destinations that let you stay in Europe longer without draining your Schengen time bank. They’re not consolation prizes, either. Each are fantastic in their own right, often less crowded, and sometimes even better suited to slow travel.
The Real Luxury of Slow Travel
It turns out the real luxury isn’t five-star hotels or first-class flights, it’s timing.
Arriving when a place can be itself.
When locals aren’t exhausted by tourists.
When you can walk for hours, eat outside, and think, Yes. This was the right call.
So yes, we’re planning our adventures with a spreadsheet.