Taking up the slow travel theme, Helen Raine finds spending time outside the cities is a great way to explore a country without ticking off a ‘must-do’ list.

In my former life as a manager for a holiday company, I used to put together packages for Americans desperate to “do” Britain.

Seeking a sense of where their ancestors came from, a glimpse of their roots, these brave souls would fling themselves across the Atlantic in economy class and then race around the UK.

Our most popular tour was ‘England, Scotland and Wales’. It took four days.

Even then, as an avid backpacker and seeker of new experiences, that struck me as an insane way to travel.

They spent most of the time on the bus between destinations and just about managed to take in the three capitals of Edinburgh, Cardiff and London, scoff a high tea and buy a kilt, before they were back on the plane and whizzing home to work all year for the next break.

Now that I have two children, lugging luggage and toddlers around multiple destinations holds about as much appeal as a vacation in a North Korean work camp.

Lugging luggage and toddlers around multiple destinations now holds about as much appeal as a vacation in a North Korean work camp

So I was happy to discover an entire movement dedicated to decelerating the holiday experience and getting us to enjoy the moment; to visit the sights close to our accommodation and the food and culture of a single region, rather than dashing about desperately trying to suck up the ‘must-do’ sights that the guide book recommends.

The idea is to spend at least a week in each location, to live like a local (in a homestay perhaps, or a rented house), to shop and eat where they do and to use slower forms of traditional transport, such as hiking, riding or sailing so that you come home feeling refreshed rather than wrung out.

Here are some of the best rural slow travel options available for the next few months.

Stay on ‘Slow’ Stradbroke Island, Australia

Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Brisbane, is branding itself as the world’s first ‘slow island’.

‘Straddie’ is a gorgeous, tropical spot with a heavy emphasis on local food; markets sell a wide range of locally grown produce. There’s also lots of locally owned accommodation where you can cook your own fresh fish from the seafood shack down the road.

The bus service is laid-back enough to pick up and drop off wherever passengers want, making it easy to check out locations like Cylinder Beach and Point Lookout.

They are a picture-perfect combination of white sand and rocky outcrops. The deep green vegetated slopes are the perfect counterpoint to all that navy sea and sky.

The kangaroos here are so tame there that you can practically stroke them on the Gorge Walk.

Get up early to hike in the peace and tranquillity and after that, it’s a question of sitting back, relaxing and maybe watching the whales in the Pacific Ocean.

There’s also a lake… but perhaps save that for next time.

Accommodation on www.stayz.com starts at around €47 per night for a two-bedroom holiday rental. Flights to Brisbane from Malta are around €1,200 on www.kayak.com.

Hang loose in Limousin, France

The idea is to spend at least a week in each location, like a local, shop and eat where they do and use slower forms of traditional transport so you return refreshed, rather than wrung out

If you want your French holiday cottage built of local stone and down a winding, country lane, try La Ferme du Lac.

It’s three kilometres from Marval, in the Parc Naturel Régional Perigord-Limousin and set on a seven-acre lake in 17 acres of woodland. There are no roads, no traffic, just deep French countryside dotted with footpaths and mountain bike trails.

The area has more than 120 species of birds as well as deer, red squirrels, wild boar and civet cats.

Late at night, wrap up in a blanket to watch a celestial spectacular above you. Early risers will also enjoy the sun-up as the mist rolls off the lake and kingfishers fly by.

The nearest village of Marval has a 13th century chateau and there are some good local markets round about.

Within a 60km radius there is also Limoges, famous for its porcelain, the cliff-top town of Angoulême, the old Roman capital of Périgueux and Châlus, site of the siege where British king Richard the Lionheart was fatally injured.

Enjoy days hiking, fishing, cooking and eating, away from the hustle and bustle.

Accommodation costs from around €46 per room per night and there is self-catering or B&B at www.frenchconnections.co.uk. Flights to Bordeaux from Malta on Air France cost around €365.

Horse around in Italy

Highpointetours offer a deeply appealing way to scale Etna: slowly.

They will take you on horseback, inn to inn, all the way from the Alcantara River Natural Park up to 1,900m.

A guide will be on hand to explain the flora and fauna, the volcanic processes and the history and culture of the locale.

From Palermo or Catania airport, you’ll be driven to a Terravecchia country house with a pool and the horse riding will begin the next day along shepherds trails, dry river beds and ancient trails.

The lakes of Mulazzo, Biviere, Cartolari, and Tre Arie are en route.

After a night in the villages of Gangi and Capizzi, you also stay in a cabin at the Tre Arie Refuge, deep in the countryside.

Riders will receive a special entry to an area with an ancient primary eruption and a lava field full of ‘volcanic bubbles’. You’ll exit via a lava trail that crosses the old Circum Etnea Railway.

The last night is in the Ragabo mountain chalet before you’re transferred back to the airport by minibus.

The food is locally prepared and the views are to be savoured, slowly, as you trot up the mountain.

The trip costs around €1,500. www.highpointetours.com. Flights to Catania on Air Malta are currently at a special rate of €38.23 each way.