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Miscellaneous About the Slow Europe Website

Pauline Kenny and Steve Cohen own and run the Slow Europe website. Pauline was the founder of Slow Travel (slowtrav.com), a large online travel community, which she ran from 2000 to 2007. She sold the website to Internet Brands Inc. in 2007 and they ran it for ten years until they closed the website in 2017.

Pauline started the Slow Europe website in 2009. The Travel Forums were added in 2014. Over the years the Slow Europe website has changed. It started as a list of resources for finding vacation rentals in Europe with some travel articles, then travel forums were added. We then added a system to display day trips - things to do in different countries. Originally the travel articles and day trips were separate from the forums but in 2021 they were merged into the forums, into the Travel Article forums.

Many members of the Slow Europe community were also part of the SlowTrav.com community - committed European travelers who do trips as often as they can. We share our experiences and advice on the forums in the form of conversations (threads) and by writing about our travels. We publish trip reports, reviews and travel articles by country. We encourage new travelers to join our community.

About Pauline Kenny and Steve Cohen

I am originally from Toronto and moved to Vancouver to attend university. Steve was born in Toronto and his family moved to Vancouver when he was young. We met at my first computer programming job after university (Steve was my boss) and got together romantically a few years after that in 1980. I have a degree in Computer Sciences from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Steve has a degree in Mathematics from the University of British Colombia in Vancouver, and a masters in Mathematics from McGill University in Montreal. In Vancouver we both worked in IT for various companies. Steve was part-owner of a company that provided school administration software for schools in Canada and the US. When the company was purchased by a larger company, we were able to take a few years off to travel.

We left Vancouver in 1987 and spent two years traveling in the US and a year in Europe. After leaving Vancouver we lived in Boston MA, Lenox MA, England, Hawaii, and on a sheep farm in north-eastern Pennsylvania. In 1990 we settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 20 years (minus 2 1/2 years when we moved to Seattle for a job for Steve).

It was during our time in Santa Fe, in 2000, that I started the Slow Travel website. Steve was running his own business providing scheduling software for schools (Tabby Software). I was writing computer and training manuals for a school administration software company. I wanted to learn web design so I took all my notes about traveling in Europe and staying in vacation rentals and created slowtrav.com in 2000. It was the best working experience of my life. It started as a hobby and gave me the experience to create websites for other businesses.

In about 2003 I realized that I could make my income from SlowTrav (Google Ads, classifieds, paid links) and I stopped creating websites for others and worked only on my own website. SlowTrav grew in traffic and revenue and out of the blue I received a good offer to sell it. I had never intended to sell it, but on receiving the offer I realized how SlowTrav had taken over my life and kept me so busy that I didn't have time to travel. At that point Steve was doing a lot of work on the site as well as me. In 2007 I sold the site to Internet Brands. They ran it for about 10 years and then shut it down. I've never regretted selling the site because we've had a great time since, traveling and moving to another country. I started this Slow Europe site because I loved running a travel community but wanted to do it on a smaller scale.

In 2010 we decided to change countries again and moved to England. We lived in the Cotswolds for five years. Since 2015 we have lived on the south coast of England, in Bridport, Dorset.

Steve and I span the Baby Boom generation; I am in my mid 60s and Steve is in his mid 70s. We travel in England and the rest of Europe frequently.

Contact Pauline and Steve.

What Does "Slow Europe" Mean?

For me the "Slow" concept as used by Slow Food, Slow Cities and my old website Slow Travel, means taking the time to fully appreciate what you are doing. Slow Food support quality, local food produced by artisans. Slow Cities are designed to enhance a quality life with spaces designed for people not cars. Slow Travel encourages travelers to spend more time in one place instead of less time in more places.

"Europe" because this site focuses on vacation rentals in Europe. You will find vacation rentals all over the world, but in my opinion the ones in Europe are the best. Europeans have been staying in vacation rentals for decades. The vacation rental owners have been dealing with travelers for decades. There is a large selection of vacation rentals in Europe ranging from budget to luxury, from studio apartments to large villas.

Slow Europe gives travelers the information they need to create slower, more enjoyable vacations by staying in vacation rentals instead of hotels. I think the type of accommodations shapes the entire vacation. Instead of staying in hotels and moving about (two nights in Rome, two nights in Florence, two nights in Paris), pick one location and spend a week or two in a vacation rental. This way you get to really experience the local area.

Read the article What is Slow Travel for more information about the concept of slow travel.

We Want to Hear From You
We welcome your comments. Join us on the Slow Europe forums.

Here is a photo of one of the beautiful things you see in Europe.

france-glanum-6957.jpg

Glanum - 2,000 year old remains of a Roman city in the hills above St-Remy in Provence, France

Slow Europe Sponsors and Affiliates
Support Slow Europe by using the businesses that we recommend. These businesses supported the site by providing prizes in our 2019 contest. Some supported us with advertising when the site started. Others are travel businesses run by contributing members of the community.

Italy - Vacation Rentals
  • Summer in Italy - Local family-run agency with vacation rentals on the Amalfi and Cilento Coast, other areas of Italy.
  • Sant'Antonio Country Resort - Vacation rentals on an estate in Tuscany, near Montepulciano.
  • Valle Nuova - Vacation rentals on an organic farm in Le Marche, near Urbino.
  • L’Aiolina - Vacation rentals on an estate in the Chianti, near Siena.
  • San Cristoforo - Vacation rentals in the Le Marche countryside.
  • LeMarcheHoliday.net - Vacation rentals in Le Marche. Also day tours and other activities.
  • Rentvillas.com - Vacation rentals in Italy, France, Spain and more. Agency based in California.
Italy - Travel
Books, Guidebooks, Apps
France - Vacation Rentals
France - Travel
United Kingdom - Travel
  • Cotswold Walks - Self-guided walking trips in the English countryside.
All of Europe - Travel
  • European Experiences - Small group tours by Kathy and Charley Wood to Provence, Austrian Alps and German Alps.
Car Rental in Europe
  • Auto Europe - US broker for European car rental companies with great prices and service.
  • Auto Europe UK - UK broker for European car rental companies with great prices and service.
Hotels and Vacation Rentals in Europe
  • Booking.com - Great site for booking hotels and vacation rentals in Europe and worldwide
Slow Europe Logos
Here is our logo if you would like to link to us on your blog or website. Thanks!

sloweurope-logo-300-75.gif

300 x 75px

Insert this HTML:
<a href="https://www.sloweurope.com/"><img src="https://www.sloweurope.com/images/logos/sloweurope-300-75.gif" alt="Slow Europe, travel guide for Europe" width="300" height="75" /></a>

Logo
The Slow Europe logo was designed in July 2008 by Ginés Valera. The logo for Slow Europe is a spiral to represent the "slow" concept surrounded by the elements of European travel - sea, sun and earth.

The Slow Europe website is wholly owned by Slow Travel Inc. and run by Pauline Kenny and Steve Cohen.
 

How to Find Information

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Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina
Tuscan Traveler, Living in Italy by Ann Reavis

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