As the CEO of a tech company, my life is often measured in sprints—quarterly goals, rapid deployment cycles, and back-to-back meetings. But when I step away from the screen and into the world, I deliberately choose the opposite pace.
I am a "slow traveler."
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of exploring over 25 countries. While I am currently based in the high-energy heart of Tokyo, my goal when I leave home is never to "check boxes" or collect passport stamps. Instead, I seek to collect experiences.
the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho wrote in his book, The Pilgrimage (O Diário de um Mago), "When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth." I find this to be profoundly true. Coelho argues that travel strips away the "familiar" and forces us into a state of beginner-hood. It is the exact state of a newborn baby—wide-eyed, curious, doesn't speak the language, and open to the wonders of the world.
The Deep Dive: The Residency Model
While my travels range from a week to a month, I find the most profound "rebirth" occurs when I treat a destination as a temporary home. I have spent month-long residencies in places as diverse as Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Cairns, and Athens.
Staying in one place for a month changes your psychological makeup. You move past the "honeymoon phase" of travel and into a state of integration:
- The Transition: You stop navigating by GPS and start navigating by landmarks. You find "your" grocery store and "your" morning cafe.
- The Integration: You start noticing the social dynamics, the local politics, and the quiet beauty of the mundane.
- The Future Vision: Looking ahead, my goal is to evolve this further—living in multiple international locations throughout the year for 3 to 6 months at a time. This is the ultimate goal: a life without a fixed center, but with deep roots everywhere.
Working from Anywhere (Slowly)
One of the greatest shifts in modern business is the ability to decouple work from a specific desk. However, many use "Remote Work" as an excuse to move faster, trying to see the world from the corners of their laptops. I use it as a tool to stay longer.
Working remotely from a quiet apartment in Athens, a vibrant hub in the UAE, or a seaside retreat in the Philippines allows me to maintain my responsibilities at JINZ.AI while fully immersing myself in a different atmosphere. I work my normal hours, but my "off-time" is spent in a different reality. This balance prevents burnout and sparks a specific creativity that only comes from a change in scenery and culture.
Eating and Shopping Like a Local
In my travels through Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia, I learned that the best way to understand a culture is through its stomach—but not at the white-linen restaurants designed for tourists.
I eat where the locals eat. In Hong Kong, that might be a crowded cha chaan teng; in Italy, it’s a neighborhood trattoria. Shopping follows the same rule. Instead of global brands, I seek out the local markets in Algeria, Morocco, or India.
When you shop where locals shop, you support the micro-economy and see the true craftsmanship of the region. As an entrepreneur, this provides an invaluable ground-level view of global commerce that no market research report can replicate.
Embracing the "Boring" Moments
Most travelers avoid the "boring" parts of a city. They want the monuments. But some of my most profound insights have happened while doing laundry in Bali, navigating a pharmacy in Kuala Lumpur, or taking a local bus through Chicago or New York.
Slow travel forces you to solve problems. It builds cognitive flexibility. When things don’t work the way they do in Tokyo, you have two choices: get frustrated or adapt. Choosing to adapt is a muscle that serves me every day in the boardroom.
A Life Cultivated Across Borders
From the Mediterranean shores of Tunisia, Greece, and France to the historic landscapes of Switzerland and the Netherlands, my travels have taught me that despite our different languages, the human experience is remarkably consistent.
Key Insights for the Aspiring Slow Traveler:
- Prioritize Depth over Breadth: It is better to know one neighborhood in Madrid deeply than to see five European capitals in a week.
- Live like a Resident: Rent an apartment with a kitchen. Buy local ingredients. Walk the streets instead of taking Ubers.
- The "Magic Window": If your job allows it, aim for at least 4 weeks in one spot. It changes the psychology of the trip from a "break" to an "immersion."
- Seek the Rebirth: Enter a new country prepared to shed your old habits. Let the locals teach you how to spend your time.
Final Thoughts
The world is not a sequence of sights to be seen; it is a series of lives to be understood.
By slowing down, I’ve found that I return to my work not just rested, but expanded. My perspective is broader, my empathy is deeper, and my gratitude for the diverse tapestry of our world is renewed. Each trip is a chance to be born again into a new culture, a new language, and a new way of thinking.
Next time you book a trip, ask yourself: Am I going there to see it, or am I going there to be there?
The difference is everything.