I read that there is a new travel trend called "slow travel" that is characterized by longer stays at destinations, with more immersion in the local environment and culture. It sounds suspiciously similar to what bicycle travelers have been doing ever since bicycles were invented.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-slow-travel-vacation-ano_l_671000b4e4b0b6831a1178d5

Agree 

Agree, there is a difference that I think Patrick and I are ready to embrace "slow travel". We've had routes with destinations that sometimes leads to "country bagging" meaning we go through a country quickly but count that we've cycled in the country. We admire those who take the time to immerse themselves into experiencing the country i.e. "slow travel". 

Slow travel is why I prefer to refer to my chosen activity as traveling by bicycle rather than cycle touring. It makes the bike the mode of travel rather than the focus of travel. I recall a presenter saying they planned their tours with at least two nights for most of their stops in order to have time to experience the place they were in. It's also easier on the body as we age.

Yes, the media is discovering what we, those who walk the pilgrimage routes, and many others already do.

I also use the phrase bicycle traveler when talking to strangers. Many people think the word tourist applies to guided groups. Traveler is more widely understood to be an independent solo person or small group.

My earliest tours in my late 20's had almost no tourist excursions or rest days. Nowadays I take more tourist excursions than most traveling cyclists, but I seldom spend more than two nights anywhere, so I don't quite meet the slow travel definition. I suspect that the best slow travelers are extroverts. I'm an introvert.

Rest days have increased dramatically for me. In 2011 I did a mountainous 44 day camping bike tour with zero rest days. Now I stay in motels and need a rest day after 2 to 4 days of traveling. I can easily imagine future tours with two night stays in most every destination. Physical decline pushes me into the slow travel mindset.

I also should have mentioned that the slow part to me is going by bike or on foot, as opposed to driving, flying, etc, where you might spend a few nights in each place but the transport style is still fast. 

And then there is our favorite quote that we think describes bike touring perfectly...."Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see." Jimmy Buffet.

Every generation rediscovers the wheel.

I’d agree that cycle touring is at the slow end of the travel speed spectrum. However within cycle touring there’s quite a range of options and styles. For example, in my early 20’s I hurtled the length of Italy at such a pace on my bike I experienced virtually nothing worthwhile other than pedalling furiously.

Whereas a couple of months ago, my son I used folding bikes and trains to tour some of Europe at what I’d call a fast and slow pace. Fast on the trains. Slow cycling in the well known cities.

Instead of feeling as if we had to keep pedalling to keep moving, the bike travel was much more about immersing ourselves in the local environments, albeit mostly urban environments. 

And as always, being on bikes seemed to enable meeting local people more often. That slows travel down in a good way. Meeting the locals.

I reckon that every reader of this forum has evolved from a young stud focused on pedaling to a distant destination, to a slower and more thoughtful cyclist focused on the journey.