We'd like to welcome a new travel blog to ChinaTravel.net, World in Slow Motion, where world travelers and "slow travel" advocates Tom and Lara are sharing impressions of their global wanderings. Presently, they're in China, and in the weeks to come we'll be reposting selections from their journey through the Middle Kingdom.

Check out the first post, "The old slow boat to China cliche," on their journey by boat from Japan to China. (Note that Nick Rennick of Nick's Worldwide Wanderings also recently posted on the Japan-China boat link, so the secret's clearly out among savvy slow travelers). 

What is "slow travel," you ask, and why would anyone in our high-speed broadband world go slow when they could go fast? We'll refer to Tom and Lara's own blog description by way of a response: "A world wide wander, without wings. Junking the jumbo, we will rediscover the jobs of travel as it was: nice and slow, and watch the world change gradually around us as we head east." Not for everyone, perhaps, but we like what we hear!

Going by our own experience, "slow travel" is, indeed, the most rewarding: You see far more and have deeper experiences if you take your time, use local transportation and follow your nose rather than a pre-planned itinerary. Of course, it takes more time, but, if you can afford it, it's worth it (and speaking of affording it, it's generally a lot cheaper than hopping on a plane, checking into a spendy hotel and hitting all the tourist traps before racing home to recover from your "holiday"!)

So, ChinaTravel.net welcomes Tom and Lara to the site and we look forward to tracking their slow progress through the People's Republic. 

Note: Their blog is hosted by a provider that is currently blocked by China's Net Nanny, so you might find a proxy or VPN useful if you're behind the Great Firewall. Alternatively, you can follow their adventures here on ChinaTravel.net. Stay tuned for more slow China travel news....