Hi! We are the Bishops, Harv and Diane. We created Slow Stroll Travel to make travel possible for people like you who have a passion to see the world but don’t think they can afford to.
We’ll help you turn your travel DREAMS into REALITY.
If you are like us, you dream about travel. You swoon at the idea of exploring Paris cafes, wandering Barcelona’s cobblestoned streets, marveling at Florence’s great statues and paintings, and discovering England’s magnficent castles. And perhaps you think, like we did, that you will never be able to afford to visit these magnificent places.
Our mission
Our mission is to make travel AFFORDABLE and ATTAINABLE for everyone!
You’ll find more than just travel tips here. We have created a SLOW STROLL TRAVEL STRATEGY that anyone can implement to start traveling more and spending less.
We don’t just teach this theory, we live it. Once we created our strategy we put it to the test. In February 2018, we grabbed our passports and spent the next 12 months making our travel dreams a reality.
We danced beneath the Eiffel Tower in PARIS, rode a gondola through the canals of VENICE, toured the Tuscan hillsides in ITALY, partied in pretty PORTUGAL, were charmed by the beauty of BELGIUM, slow strolled through SCOTLAND, visited VIENNA and loved exploring LONDON.
More travel for less money
We are not rich and we didn’t win the lottery. Yet we traveled throughout Europe and the United Kingdom for almost an entire YEAR. And we did it for about the same amount of money it would have cost us to stay home. You read that right! Using the SLOW STROLL TRAVEL STRATEGY, we traveled the world for about what it would have cost us to sit at home.
Our story
Harv teaches at a university and Diane is a writer. Our lives were turned upside down in 2016 when Diane suffered life-threatening complications following a routine surgery. Three surgeries and five months later, life seemed back on track, but then disaster struck again. Two weeks before she had planned to return to work, Diane found out her job had been eliminated. We were faced with crippling medical bills and an uncertain future.
The promise that kept us going
Then we remembered a promise we had made to each other in Diane’s hospital room. A promise that sparked joy and kept us going through those difficult times: that one day we would dance at the Eiffel Tower.
Now, with financial ruin looming, that promise seemed ridiculous. But we still lit up when we thought about it. And there is nothing like almost dying to remind you that the only time to make your dreams come true is NOW. Our dream was to travel. But how? Our bills were overwhelming and some days so was our fear.
But we kept our VISION of travel at the forefront of everything we did and the way became clear. And it has nothing to do with creating a blog or having an InstaGram account with thousands of followers. It is a strategy that anyone can follow.
A better way to see the world
We believe that the SLOW STROLL TRAVEL STRATEGY is a better way to see the world. Our hope is to offer you tools, tips, ideas, and resources that INSPIRE and EMPOWER you to explore and discover all the wonders of this wide, wonderful world.
Where we’ve been
Since we got our first passport stamp in Barcelona in 2018, we have traveled to eight countries. We started in February when it was cold and dark in our home state of Colorado. We longed for warmth and sunshine, so we headed south.
We dipped our toes in the Mediterranean Sea during our stay in Barcelona before heading further south to the colorful city of Lisbon.
Next stop was Italy. Our home base was in Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance. We visited Assisi, the beautiful village that St. Francis called home, and the romantic canals of Venice.
As the weather warmed we began making our way slowly north. Belgium was our next destination. From our home base in Brussels, known as Little Paris, we visited Antwerp, diamond capital of the world, and Bruges, reportedly the cutest town in all of Europe (and we agree).
We continued North all the way up to Edinburgh, Scotland, one of the oldest and most haunted capitals in Europe.
Next we enjoyed a slow stroll in London, home to Big Ben, Harry & Meghan, and some of the best food and culture in all of Europe.
After that we boarded a high-speed train to Paris, the city of lights. Vienna was the next stamp in our passport books. Then we couldn’t resist another stop in magnificent Florence. Next we circled back to London for a couple months to enjoy a Victorian Christmas.
Where we are going
Short list: Everywhere. Travel has changed us and our views of the world in ways we could not have imagined. We have officially been diagnosed with wanderlust and there is only one cure: more travel. We hope you’ll join us.
All our best,
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More about the original Slow Strollers – Harv & Diane
1. We didn’t win the lottery.
That’s the question even our closest friends have been asking since we grabbed our passports and a couple of suitcases and spent almost a year slow strolling throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. What we did do was create a strategy that makes us more money when we travel then when we stay at home. We’ll show you how you can too.
2. We met at an age . . .
when, statistically speaking, it was more likely we would be struck by lightning than find love. Never believe in statistics. Believe in yourself.
3. Harv has been known to rip off his clothing in public places.
This disturbing truth first came to light in Denver International Airport. We were exiting security and his around-the-neck passport pouch was missing. Harv did the only logical thing—he began to panic. When he realized that screaming “Ohgawd, ohgawd, ohgawd” and clutching at his chest didn’t help, he did the next logical thing—and began ripping his shirt off in search of the elusive pouch. Pleased to report that the pouch was found in one of our backpacks before Harv received a 72-hour mental health hold.
4. Diane’s first trip outside of the US involved a donkey.
And wearing a large straw hat. And tequila. That is all she remembers. What happens in Tijuana stays in Tijuana.
5. We were accepted to appear on House Hunters International.
Watching House Hunters International is one of our guilty pleasures. That’s the show that follows Americans as they look for a home in their new overseas locale. Typically, the show begins like this: “My name is Amy and I make art from used gumball wrappers. My husband Bert plays the harmonica. Our budget is $1.7 million.” Our budget is slightly smaller, but I do chew gum and Harv can play a kazoo, so we thought we would be naturals for the show. And we were. After some back-and-forth emails with producers, we were in! They needed one week to shoot and we would receive $1,500. Only problem was we changed how we would travel (moving every 28 days or so instead of staying somewhere long term) so we no longer fit the criteria. Maybe we’ll pitch a new show – Slow Stroll Travel.
6. Peanut butter and baguettes kept Harv from starving the first time he visited Europe.
There weren’t many options for vegan travelers back in the 1990s. So, while everyone around him was enjoying coq au vin in France and bangers and mash in England, he stuck with peanut butter for protein and baguettes for carbs. It’s still a favorite standby and Harv knows how to say peanut butter in many languages.
7. We will never appear in bikinis and Speedos on Instagram.
We promise.
Slow Stroll Travel: a better way to see the world.
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