The Solo Traveller
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Slow travel
The view of the Port of San Sebastián de La Gomera, the main maritime gateway to the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Photographer: Christopher Moswitzer | iStock.
Choosing richness over speed
By Simone Baxter
Briefly …
Personalised rail and ferry journeys are reshaping how solo travellers experience Europe. By prioritising depth over speed, slow travel places the rhythm of the journey and the confidence it can build at the centre of the experience.
Slow travel is often misunderstood. It is not always about moving slowly. It is about shifting what we value in the act of travelling. For Cat Jones, the Founder of Byway, that shift is both personal and professional.
“Slow travel prioritises an integrated journey,” Cat tells us. “It centres the experience of moving through landscapes and cultures rather than simply arriving somewhere. We want people to rediscover the wonder of travelling over land and sea.”
Byway has grown out of a rising appetite for alternatives to what Cat describes as the “fly and flop” holiday. Instead of cheap short-haul flights and crowded hotspots, the company creates personalised rail and ferry itineraries across the UK and Europe. Multi-stop journeys are designed not for speed, but for the richness of what happens between major cities rather than within them.
“Most travel planning tools are built around getting somewhere quickly. We optimise trips for depth instead of rush. That might mean moving between the Italian lakes over a week, taking the Caledonian Sleeper into the Scottish Highlands, exploring medieval towns along the Rhine or weaving through Scandinavia by train and ferry. For solo travellers, that creates time to linger, change plans, or simply follow their curiosity. And because we favour independent and non-hotspot accommodation, solo travellers often stay in places where hosts genuinely engage with guests, rather than anonymous, high-turnover hotels.”
Each journey is fully tailored, with transport, boutique accommodation and local experiences arranged in advance. Travellers have on-demand human support via WhatsApp or phone, allowing plans to remain flexible without feeling uncertain.
For solo travellers, Cat believes the appeal is instinctive. “Slow travel offers independence without isolation. You have complete freedom, but you are still moving through shared spaces – dining cars, small hotels, and ferry decks. There are natural opportunities for connection. There’s something quietly empowering about navigating Europe overland. Watching the landscape change outside the window creates a sense of continuity and confidence. You feel geography in a way flying never allows.”
The sense of continuity that slow travel uniquely provides can often lead to something deeper. “Travel can be transformative at the best of times, but solo travel, in particular, has the power to recalibrate how we see ourselves. When you travel alone, you notice more. You rely on your instincts. You prove to yourself that you’re capable. Slow travel amplifies that because the journey itself becomes part of the story, full of serendipity and surprise.”
“When you travel alone, you notice more. You rely on your instincts. You prove to yourself that you’re capable. Slow travel amplifies that because the journey itself becomes part of the story, full of serendipity and surprise.”
One experience that has stayed with Cat is that of solo traveller Terri Markle, who set off alone from Bari to Budapest by rail. “On paper, it was a straightforward multi-stop European itinerary. In reality, it became something far more transformative.”
“Terri chose to travel slowly, swapping short-haul flights for trains and allowing the journey itself to take centre stage. As she watched the landscape shift from the olive groves of southern Italy to the lakes and mountains of Slovenia, she began to notice a change in herself too. The unhurried rhythm of rail travel encouraged reflection rather than rush. Conversations with locals, lingering lunches and early morning walks replaced ticking off landmarks.”
“By the time she reached Budapest, she spoke not just about the places she had seen, but about a renewed sense of confidence and independence. Travelling solo and moving slowly had given her space to reconnect with herself. It was a powerful reminder that the journey can shape us as much as the destination. If someone returns home with more than photographs – with renewed curiosity and confidence – that feels incredibly meaningful. For me, that’s what travel should do.”
Timing also plays a role in how these experiences unfold. “The sweet spots are April to May and September to October. Spring brings blossoms across France and Italy and tulips in the Netherlands. Early autumn brings grape harvests along the Rhine and golden light in the Alps.” For solo travellers in particular, Cat believes these shoulder seasons create space for more intimate encounters – with destinations, with locals and with fellow travellers.
“For solo travellers in particular, Cat believes these shoulder seasons create space for more intimate encounters – with destinations, with locals and with fellow travellers.”
Cat’s inspiration comes from industry pioneers and the travellers themselves. “Our angel investor, Rod Cuthbert, Founder and former CEO of Viator and former CEO of Rome2Rio, is a major inspiration. His passion for making travel easier and less like ‘cookie-cutter’ experiences was something that helped spur me on in the early days of Byway. Decentralised tourism, which enables people to explore and discover the world at their own pace, is something we are both passionate about. More broadly, I’m inspired by travellers who choose curiosity, people who are willing to engage deeply and purposefully with the world around them.” For Cat, that mindset sits at the heart of the slow travel movement.
Cat’s top 3 tips for solo travelling success …
1. Build in breathing room. Don’t over-schedule. Leave space for wandering, conversations and rest. The best solo moments are often the unplanned ones.
2. Travel overland when you can. Moving through landscapes by train or ferry creates a sense of orientation and confidence, and makes transitions part of the experience.
3. Stay somewhere personal. Choose accommodation where you’re more than a room number. A small guesthouse or locally run hotel can offer connection when you want it, and privacy when you don’t.
To learn more, you can connect with the Byway team on their website here, and on Instagram here. You can also read Terri Markle’s blog about her solo adventure from Bari to Budapest by rail on the Byway website here.
Simone Baxter is The Solo Traveller Group’s Editorial and Pictorial Assistant.