Great article! It’s unfathomable to me that people say they are looking for authentic experiences when they travel and then allow social media to dictate their itinerary…
So many different observations that I agree with! When we went to Rome we sat at the Trevi fountain ⛲️ watching all the people pushing and shoving or jumping barriers to get that perfect picture. But very few actually sat and looked at that fountain (to be fair I think we watched the people more than the fountain itself in the end 😂). The same in the Vatican, we’d stop and admire the walls, finding interesting images in the paintings whereas most walked through taking photos and barely observing. We even witnessed an ‘influencer’ pose her way around and bossing her possible mum to take photos… I couldn’t help but think what a waste of an experience, she’d experience nothing but vanity!
I hate that I do this too... I find myself trying to be present in the moment, but I often end up being distracted and strangely enamored by how desperate people are to get the perfect picture. And is that really a better way to spend my time?! Sigh.
I remembered years ago I went to Florence for my birthday, which is in January and therefore low season so less tourists. I wanted to spend the day at the Uffizi and was glad that there weren't many people as in the past it had been quite busy. When I got the the Botticelli paintings people were in front of them with selfie sticks waiting in line to take a picture and then move on, almost without looking at them. For the most part, I didn't see this happening in any other room. Which means most people probably didn't even know the treasures the Uffizi contains, but had most likely seen Botticelli's Spring and Birth of Venus somewhere and the selfie was their way of saying "been there, done that" But you don't need to get to another country for that. In London every bloody bakery has become a tourist attraction because someone decided it was a must-try place because they do round croissants (or whatever fancy pastry at prices most people can't afford as a result of them becoming so popular) I hate whoever shares a favourite spot on social media and contributes to this madness - why can't people keep it to themselves like we've always done? 😂
It's gone pretty insane, isn't it? Funny thing, I haven't been to Uffizi the 2 times I've been in Florence simply because there were too many people there, and I knew that would spoil my visit. Because I like to spend annoying amounts of time in front of certain pieces, and I enjoy the semi-silence - impossible in popular places.
Don't get me started on must-try coffee shops... !!
I feared someone would poke my eye out with those selfie sticks 😂 And you living in Barcelona have probably had enough of influencers ruining local spots... it's a tragedy!
Gosh, you put what I've been feeling into words. Thank you!!!!
The best thing I ever did was deleting all social media apps off my phone. Removing myself from the rat race. I love to travel, and since moving to Europe from the US, I've had so many opportunities this past year to travel. However, all documentation feels personal because I don't share 99% of what I do or see (except occasionally on SubStack). Sadly, deleting social media and distancing yourself from the hype of the best places to go, best views to "experience," best restaurants to eat at, etc. is the only solution I can find. I'd love to hear what others feel too!
Ever since I quit social media, I also notice I take way fewer photos and I started to take horizontal/landscape photos again. Imagine how even our personal documentation habits were changed by a for-profit app which somehow convinced us to take only vertical photos, even of landscapes!
You’re blowing my mind with the horizontal/landscape pictures. I mostly take those too, and am now realizing I used to always take vertical shots!!! Fascinating how much apps influence the way we see, explore, and ultimately document the world.
Last summer, I went back to Italy for a bit of tourism and a bit of visiting-my-family-after-4-years. I saw the instagrammers doing their things and, as much as I would have loved a photo on the Spanish Steps, I also thought 1) I would be comparing myself to 'The Other Photos' and 2) I don't have socials where people care about it. All the photos I ended up taking make me happy when I spot them in my camera folder because they are snippets of my holiday, not because they got millions of likes.
Nice! After we quit, or don't use much, our social channels, we notice how our habits improve. Taking normal photos, not taking as many of them, experiencing a place without instantly thinking how would this look on ig...
I love this! Yes. 100%. You've articulated it all so well. Honesty though, it's tough when most people don't like their jobs or their lives and want to escape and see people in these picture-postcard places and think it'll fix all the things they don't like and help them keep going. To be honest, that alone is one of the main reasons I've pivoted from travel writing to creative mentoring. We can run as far away as we like, but a lot of the time the issues we have will still follow us. Gotta do the inner journeys as much as the outer ones! 💜
Of course it's tougher to work on ourselves than to get drugged on social media. The apps' creators know that and milk that out of us... I also used to do travel writing, for years, and after a while you realize how superficial it is.
Definitely a very thought provoking post! I mean "Travel" is a verb, it is by definition. To your point, the destination has now become the priority, less about the journey to get there. I really love your work, cant wait to read whats next.
You painted a real picture. The world is getting smaller it seems and people want to travel, esp. since the pandemic. FOMO. And there are those must see's--Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, Venice, Sagrada Familia, etc etc. Even some lesser known places are getting rather busy I've heard, places I'd gone maybe 10 years ago? and now linked to a cruise ship stop--ie Lucca, Tuscany. When we were last there 4yrs ago, the train was jam packed w. cruisers who'd disembarked I suppose at Port Livorno. But there are many off the path places. And seasoned travelers seek these out.
Been thinking about this as well and have slowed down my travels quite a bit over the past year. I did just take a trip to Italy, but not to the big cities, we flew into Florence and then rented a car and stayed near the coast in a small town called Marina di Bibbona and it was right next to this fairytale wine village Bolgheri. I'm becoming more fond of visiting these off the beaten path places with less crowds.
Nice article Monica. We spent two weeks in Italy seeing all the sights in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. We ate local cuisine, shopped in local markets, and attempted to speak a little Italian. It was a fantastic trip.
Regarding the origins of the word 'travel', I guess we should also consider that maybe travel was not an option back then. It involved labor, because it was necessary for survival. The word was closer to 'migration' rather than 'vacation'.
As for vacation -as you probably already know 😋- southern mainland Greece and Kythnos island were the destinations so far :)
Great article! It’s unfathomable to me that people say they are looking for authentic experiences when they travel and then allow social media to dictate their itinerary…
People look to feel good no matter what. Travel and cultures are a secondary thought, I think.
So many different observations that I agree with! When we went to Rome we sat at the Trevi fountain ⛲️ watching all the people pushing and shoving or jumping barriers to get that perfect picture. But very few actually sat and looked at that fountain (to be fair I think we watched the people more than the fountain itself in the end 😂). The same in the Vatican, we’d stop and admire the walls, finding interesting images in the paintings whereas most walked through taking photos and barely observing. We even witnessed an ‘influencer’ pose her way around and bossing her possible mum to take photos… I couldn’t help but think what a waste of an experience, she’d experience nothing but vanity!
Jeez that sounds like your typical Rome-in-the-summer scene... over-tourism is damaging but it's so fascinating to watch.
I hate that I do this too... I find myself trying to be present in the moment, but I often end up being distracted and strangely enamored by how desperate people are to get the perfect picture. And is that really a better way to spend my time?! Sigh.
People watching is fascinating!
Great thoughts. Luckily I hate selfies and I am also bad at them 😄
Funnily today a friend just sent me a foto of hundreds of Swifties fans at the pub in London she mentionrd in her song, crazy!
Oh yeah, that's a whole other kind of a revolution!
If a place pops up on a "trending" list any time in the last 18 months, I do NOT go there.
Let your passions guide your trips (for me, it's climbing, kitesurfing, food). You can't completely escape mimetic desire, but it goes a long way.
Good advice, Russell!
I cut through this by traveling with my 12 year old son, no phone and staying entirely at Workaways...
Where we have to work 5 days a wek.
and also make sure you do it in winter.
This year - Germany to Turkey. Dec - Jan :)
My kindle keeps me alive.
The no-phone and longer periods might be the solution to a better travel.
I remembered years ago I went to Florence for my birthday, which is in January and therefore low season so less tourists. I wanted to spend the day at the Uffizi and was glad that there weren't many people as in the past it had been quite busy. When I got the the Botticelli paintings people were in front of them with selfie sticks waiting in line to take a picture and then move on, almost without looking at them. For the most part, I didn't see this happening in any other room. Which means most people probably didn't even know the treasures the Uffizi contains, but had most likely seen Botticelli's Spring and Birth of Venus somewhere and the selfie was their way of saying "been there, done that" But you don't need to get to another country for that. In London every bloody bakery has become a tourist attraction because someone decided it was a must-try place because they do round croissants (or whatever fancy pastry at prices most people can't afford as a result of them becoming so popular) I hate whoever shares a favourite spot on social media and contributes to this madness - why can't people keep it to themselves like we've always done? 😂
It's gone pretty insane, isn't it? Funny thing, I haven't been to Uffizi the 2 times I've been in Florence simply because there were too many people there, and I knew that would spoil my visit. Because I like to spend annoying amounts of time in front of certain pieces, and I enjoy the semi-silence - impossible in popular places.
Don't get me started on must-try coffee shops... !!
I feared someone would poke my eye out with those selfie sticks 😂 And you living in Barcelona have probably had enough of influencers ruining local spots... it's a tragedy!
Yeah. I’ve lived through pandemic-Barcelona and I’ve seen how the city could be without any selfie stick or any tourist group guided by umbrellas…
Gosh, you put what I've been feeling into words. Thank you!!!!
The best thing I ever did was deleting all social media apps off my phone. Removing myself from the rat race. I love to travel, and since moving to Europe from the US, I've had so many opportunities this past year to travel. However, all documentation feels personal because I don't share 99% of what I do or see (except occasionally on SubStack). Sadly, deleting social media and distancing yourself from the hype of the best places to go, best views to "experience," best restaurants to eat at, etc. is the only solution I can find. I'd love to hear what others feel too!
Thanks for your kind words, Paige!
Ever since I quit social media, I also notice I take way fewer photos and I started to take horizontal/landscape photos again. Imagine how even our personal documentation habits were changed by a for-profit app which somehow convinced us to take only vertical photos, even of landscapes!
You’re blowing my mind with the horizontal/landscape pictures. I mostly take those too, and am now realizing I used to always take vertical shots!!! Fascinating how much apps influence the way we see, explore, and ultimately document the world.
Last summer, I went back to Italy for a bit of tourism and a bit of visiting-my-family-after-4-years. I saw the instagrammers doing their things and, as much as I would have loved a photo on the Spanish Steps, I also thought 1) I would be comparing myself to 'The Other Photos' and 2) I don't have socials where people care about it. All the photos I ended up taking make me happy when I spot them in my camera folder because they are snippets of my holiday, not because they got millions of likes.
Nice! After we quit, or don't use much, our social channels, we notice how our habits improve. Taking normal photos, not taking as many of them, experiencing a place without instantly thinking how would this look on ig...
I love this! Yes. 100%. You've articulated it all so well. Honesty though, it's tough when most people don't like their jobs or their lives and want to escape and see people in these picture-postcard places and think it'll fix all the things they don't like and help them keep going. To be honest, that alone is one of the main reasons I've pivoted from travel writing to creative mentoring. We can run as far away as we like, but a lot of the time the issues we have will still follow us. Gotta do the inner journeys as much as the outer ones! 💜
Of course it's tougher to work on ourselves than to get drugged on social media. The apps' creators know that and milk that out of us... I also used to do travel writing, for years, and after a while you realize how superficial it is.
Definitely a very thought provoking post! I mean "Travel" is a verb, it is by definition. To your point, the destination has now become the priority, less about the journey to get there. I really love your work, cant wait to read whats next.
Thank you for reading it, Marco!
So sad.
I didn't paint a very positive image, did I?
You painted a real picture. The world is getting smaller it seems and people want to travel, esp. since the pandemic. FOMO. And there are those must see's--Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, Venice, Sagrada Familia, etc etc. Even some lesser known places are getting rather busy I've heard, places I'd gone maybe 10 years ago? and now linked to a cruise ship stop--ie Lucca, Tuscany. When we were last there 4yrs ago, the train was jam packed w. cruisers who'd disembarked I suppose at Port Livorno. But there are many off the path places. And seasoned travelers seek these out.
Absolutely spot on, as usual. ❤️ The search for perfection as in, “zero bad stuff” is mind-numbing. Long live real experience and its frustrations!
Oh, but zero bad stuff is comfy and cozy, like sitting in a puffy, white cloud. And just as improbable.
Where did I go on vacation this summer?
I didn't. Although my dream vacation is a month long trip to England, Scotland, and Germany.
That sounds like a great vacation to take!
Been thinking about this as well and have slowed down my travels quite a bit over the past year. I did just take a trip to Italy, but not to the big cities, we flew into Florence and then rented a car and stayed near the coast in a small town called Marina di Bibbona and it was right next to this fairytale wine village Bolgheri. I'm becoming more fond of visiting these off the beaten path places with less crowds.
Nice! I love it when I read about places I've never heard of.
Nice article Monica. We spent two weeks in Italy seeing all the sights in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. We ate local cuisine, shopped in local markets, and attempted to speak a little Italian. It was a fantastic trip.
Nice, glad to hear that, Matthew! Italy is one of my very favorite countries for a holiday. The Sorrento coast is magnific.
Regarding the origins of the word 'travel', I guess we should also consider that maybe travel was not an option back then. It involved labor, because it was necessary for survival. The word was closer to 'migration' rather than 'vacation'.
As for vacation -as you probably already know 😋- southern mainland Greece and Kythnos island were the destinations so far :)
Oh, I think some people travelled (not just migrated), but they were a very small minority, and did it probably for religious reasons.
No matter how popular, Greece is a dream!