Slowing Down to Move Forward? Minimalist Slow Travel as a Pathway to Resilience and Growth

Bibliographic Data

ID17722124
AuthorsDong Yoon Yoo (0000-0002-3684-7495, Department of Hotel and Tourism Studies Youngsan University Busan Republic of Korea), Mi Zhou (0000-0002-9067-1101, Macau University of Science and Technology, corresponding author), Melody Zhirui Zhou (0009-0007-4374-1932, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management Macau University of Science and Technology Macao SAR China)
Year2026
Volume28
Issue3
Publication date2026-04-28
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Tourism Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1099-2340 • E-ISSN: 1522-1970
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jtr.70328
OpenAlexW7157015736
LanguageEN
References cited73

This study examines how slowness in travel influences travelers' self‐transcendence, resilience, and post‐traumatic growth through the mediating role of flow experience, and whether minimalism in travel conditions these relationships. Using an exploratory sequential mixed‐methods design, Study 1 interviews ( N = 32) informed the conceptual model, tested in Study 2 with survey data ( N = 521, Credamo) and analyzed via AMOS 24. The results indicate that slowness in travel positively predicts flow experience, which in turn enhances multiple dimensions of psychological growth. Moreover, minimalism strengthens both the direct and indirect effects of slowness on flow and growth‐related outcomes. The findings reconceptualize slowness as a psychological gateway to flow and identify minimalism as a critical boundary condition. Practically, the study shifts wellness tourism design beyond time deceleration toward cultivating attentional stability and low‐friction experiential contexts that support recovery and sustainable well‐being

Conceptual model · Experiential learning · Exploratory research · Slowness · Tourism · Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Flow Experience in Various Fields

Tools

Open DOI