I used to see countries I'd visited as places I'd 'done.' Slow travel changed that.
Social media made travel feel like a competition. Seeing country counts in people's bios made Macie Strum start keeping score.
Georgia Strum, a traveler who had visited 50 countries, once viewed each country as simply a number in her tally. Provided by Macie Strum After a decade of speed-travel, she discovered the joys of slow travel and forming deep connections with places. Now, the number of countries she has visited no longer holds the same significance.
When Strum reached her 50th country, she realized the milestone meant little compared to the depth of her experiences. As a teenager, she was captivated by travel, tracking her progress with mini flags and online quizzes. At 14, she set her first major goal: visiting every country in Europe. Seven years later, after a trip to Greece, Italy, and France, she was as enamored with Europe as before.
Her new travel style involved spending extended periods in each country, allowing her to immerse herself in local culture and history. In Malaysia, she explored the Kinabatangan River, while in Indonesia, she traveled to the Komodo Islands and learned to dive. Strum still aims to visit all European countries, but now values the meaningful connections and experiences she gains over each visit more than a mere count.
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