Taking Our Time Off; The hectic 10-city, 10-day package tour is a thing of the past. We say good riddance.(Cover story)

Byline: Rana Foroohar and William Underhill (With Jesse Ellison in New York and Tracy McNicoll in Paris)

Andrew Sims has a no-fly rule. As an international development expert and policy director for London's New Economics Foundation, he spends his days thinking globally. But when he travels on holiday, it's always closer to home; several years ago he decided never again to take a vacation by air. "The decision was partly driven by a concern for the environment," says Sims, "but it's also driven by a desire not to overlook what's on your doorstep, and to travel in a more leisurely way." Now, instead of hopping a cheap flight to Spain or the Cote d'Azur, Sims and his family board a sleeper train from London to the west coast of Scotland. They spend unstructured days amid the lochs and islands, hiking, cooking or just dreaming. The journey itself-- made partly on a single track, which curves so that the back of the train is visible from the front--is a key part of the trip. No matter that it takes three times longer than flying; for Sims and his family, enjoying breakfast in bed while chugging past some of the world's most beautiful scenery is the end, not the means to get there.

Sims is at the vanguard of a popular new way to travel: in the slow lane. As work life becomes increasingly hectic, holidays are occupying a more important place in our lives; when we take a break, we want to truly step off the treadmill--even as (or maybe because) we cling to our BlackBerrys. Just as the slow-food movement encouraged diners to savor meals and the way they are produced, the trend toward slow travel promotes a more thoughtful style of vacationing. It refers not only to leisurely and environmentally friendly modes of transport--train, boat, bike or foot--but also to the nature of the trips: smaller in scope and more off-the-beaten-path--a custom-crafted trek through niche sites rather than a top-10 group tour. It generally entails quieter, more intimate accommodations--homey boutique hotels or upscale apartment swaps--and often requires taking more (gasp!) vacation days. With time shares and second-home ownership on the rise, many travelers are taking off for longer periods of time, enabled by the technology that allows them to connect to the office even as they paddle around the Arctic.

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