As someone who has been traveling the world for decades, this has always been the reality. Social media hasn’t ruined anything. People who have the money to travel , don’t rely on social media. These places have always been crammed. I’ve been traveling for over 40 years now.
True, if you go to the most famous tourist points you will find people, is like, go to a famous museum and expect to be alone. Countries have lots of places to visit, do some research and go to the not so famous ones. But if you are only interested in the insta Pic....that is what happens
Exactly! I don't need Instagram to know that places like the Louver, the Eiffel Tower, the Venice canals, and the Vatican are going to be heavy with tourists.
YES!! This. I've been to so many places in the US that I didn't waste a moment putting on IG that I lost count, because I was too damn busy living in the moment and enjoying myself, as we all should.
I rarely put something online when I'm traveling. I kinda enjoy actually not posting. Because then nobody will know I was in that place, like a little secret for me and my husband. It's a little bit like "hihihi, I went to --- and nobody on my social media knows"
Honestly, influencers have ruined everything. My goal this month is to download all my Instagram pictures and get the F out! I've even considered injecting toxic chemicals in my face (Botox) because of all the marketing BS online. Traveling has become so overdone as well. It's time to go back to basics. I'll be in my own backyard drinking some wine 🍷
I was driving yesterday and they advertised Botox on the radio. I could not believe my ears... and mind me, I live in a small country in Central Europe.
I dropped Instagram 2 years ago (or more?) I hardly ever used it. Never been on tiktok. Rarely go on FB anymore. I've been traveling for almost 40 years and have always tried to be mindful and respectful of wherever I go and to whoever I meet. She was 100% correct on doing the research! Sigh...
We went to Greece for our honeymoon 6 years ago. When we were in Santorini, which is absolutely gorgeous, we went to a spot to watch the sunset and there were so many people there 95% of which watched the entire sunset through their phone screens. If you’re going to do that when you travel then you may as well save yourself the time and money and just watch other people’s travel content
Yeah watching through a phone screen is always sad to see how the world is now very few enjoy the actual moment I think x I know I’m guilty of this at times but I definitely try to live more in the moment
I do not get this idea no one took pictures and camcorder recordings 20 years ago. If anything it was bulkier to do but people did it. Whenever we went somewhere we took 100s of photos even in the 70s and 80s my mom took lots of photos of her and her other daughters on vacation.@@sandraankenbrand
It's really weird how this wave of tourists after COVID has no manners! When I first started traveling 10 years ago, everyone told me not to photograph Japanese faces, especially children, as it is illegal in Japan. Now people treat the whole country like an amusement park that exists solely for their entertainment.
Rudeness after Covid has escalated everywhere. I’m still shocked by how rude and selfish people are just in the grocery store. Completely unaware of anyone but themselves
I noticed that in Europe last year.I had previously been there in 2005.The mentality of the vast majority of the tourists was amazing, a zombie like malaise,present but distant,the undead.I inadvertently spent 22 days in hospital in Switzerland, Interlaken and Zurich, I can tell you the locals are really jacked off with certain groups of tourist to put it mildly.
Not being able to do normal social interactions for so long during covid = loss of skills, & being too much alone everyone becomes selfish and insular.
My wife and I hiked the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto last year and it was amazing. The bottom was PACKED with people. The first landing (about half a mile up) was loaded with people getting their photos in the photo spot. But, as we hiked up the shrine (4 miles to the top) we saw less and less people. To the point where we were alone in some areas. Hardly anyone was at the top. People just wanted the pictures. I legit heard someone say "Yeah, that wasn't worth the picture" My head turned so fast.
We did the same last year and it was so amazing. Absolutely worth every step. Also, it helps going early. When we started the hike at 6:30, it was almost empty.
Did the same thing last yr ❤ I agree that the base is so touristy & as you go up, there are less people, making it easier to breathe. Not to mention, you'll pass by a dessert shop and there's a small lake in front & there are also fat cats local visitors are feeding 😅
Yes, I agree with the comments that if you go to places that are a bit harder to get to and take a bit more effort, or go really early, you can still avoid crowds (e.g. getting up at 4am to go to Haunauma Bay in Hawaii for snorkelling - saw the sunrise as we were getting in the water, only a handful of people on the beach, but was getting ridiculous when we left at 10am). I think cruise ships are one of the biggest tourism problems too. I live the small city of Dunedin in NZ and during cruise ship season we can have thousands of people descending on little Port Chalmers, and kids can't even catch the bus to school because the cruise ship passengers fill the bus at the first stop. They have a dedicated shuttle, but why would they pay $50 when they can get the public bus for $5 😓
We used to take pics on holiday for memories of care free times, on disposable cameras, to stick in photo albums, to show anyone who visited us. Now we go on holiday to take pictures, stood queuing, getting hot and bothered, to show off to strangers.
Social media has absolutely ruined less known destinations. Everyone knew Venice and Greece, but then soecial media influencers started posting about chill, inexpensive vacations in Croatia and now that destination is overrun, NOT chill, and NOT cheap. But if this is bad for the locals in high tourism places like Bali, Tulum, Amalfi Coast, Tampa, etc, the level of unmitigated damage is SOOOO MUCH WORSE when the destinations are protected wilderness areas. Outdoor influencers have made Yellowstone, Banff, Joshua Tree, etc so over-touristed that the wildlife, million year old geology, and delicate flora that people came to see are ruined. The animals end up exposed to humans and their garbage, and have no peace to live their animal lives. People vandalize or damage the rocks and plants. And many leave established trails, trampling over rare species that may never recover and may not be found elsewhere.
Omg I keep forgetting that aspect of it, thanks you 🙂. I remember ages ago where there was that trend of influencers lying in the flower fields that caused a lot of destruction. I can’t exactly remember where or when unfortunately, but I would be interested in learning if the area recovered ok?
I agree. I'm from Croatia and yeah, it's not so inexpensive anymore. Especially for us locals, the prices are wild compared to our average income and that's so sad. I'm shocked by the amount of trash people leave behind them on the beaches and throw everything into the sea.
I can’t think of the name of the island off hand, but a few years ago an island was shut down to tourists to allow its ecosystem to reset itself. I get that people want to travel but no one thinks about this type of damage
That is why Anthony Bourdain when he visits a spot / Restaurant he didn't want the place to revel it's location with the fear that tourist will ruining it..
Case in point: Hanging Lake in Colorado. Some yoga chick "had" to get that Instagram shot of some pose, violating strict stay on the path/do not enter rules.
I live in a city where tourism is our largest industry. You were spot on about the air bnbs. It has gotten to the point where some locals cannot find reasonable living accommodations due to all of the available housing being used for rentals/ air bnbs.
Air b&bs should not be allowed or only a very small limited amount in each city where you have to get a permit. My neighbourhood changed for the better with it
Air Bnbs should only be allowed if someone lives in the city part time or they’re doing something like renting out a portion of their house, but long story short the law should be a residency requirement in the house. Nobody should be allowed to buy a place with the sole purpose of making it an Air BnB.
In some places bigger part of affordable housing is big corporations buying the apartment buildings and then kinda setting the price. They can kinda sit on it until someone pays for the way too high price.
When I travel, no one gets to see pictures online until I'm well and done with my itinerary :) I love it best when no one outside my immediate family and friends knows where I am going
Same, I won’t post until at least a week after I come home. I don’t want to worry about posting I want to have fun with the people I’m with beacuse the point of going is to enjoy the area and the people your going with. Unless it’s a emergency I’m not really on my phone either.
Places like Paris, Florence and Capri were ruined by crowds during peak season in the 1990s. The main difference social media has made is the bizarre phenomenon of people constantly taking photos of themselves, trying to impress random strangers on the Internet.
What's even more bizarre is that these people appear to believe that their selfies are unique and special and no one had previously thought of holding up the leaning tower with their hands.
This is how I feel about Tulum. It's about a hour outside of Cancun and it gives "small beach town vibes" but they just opened up their own airport for commercial flights and I already know it's going to change so much😢
What I don’t like are the lies. Like ppl really are lying about how “pretty” these places are. I live in a tourist city in S.E. Asia. And omg this one travel influster had the nerve to say the water in this downtown park water was clear. When I have been living down the street from this city park for almost a decade. I even go running in this park 2wice/week. I called her out and she argued with me. I was like 🤦🏿♀️🙃you can’t win with stupid. Theres also ppl who will spend their money to go to those places and realized it’s false advertising basically
Living in a turistic attraction, specifically a summer destination is very very annoying sometimes, turists are often extremely rude, leaving trash everywhere, drunk every night, WALKING IN BIKINIS in the city where people work regular jobs, treating service people like shit, sitting on the floor randomly, sleeping on the street, harrasing local women, overcrowding, taking photos everywhere in the street, pissing drunk on the ancient streets where people live (yes this happens all the time), getting into fountains like its a pool, being cheap, wearing skanky instagram outfits with butts and tits out in the city, walking barefoot in the city…just the list goes on and on..and you have no idea how exhausting this is.
I know someone who lives in a small picturesque village- & even when she told people to stop staring right into her home at the window, they wouldn't stop! They treated her & her home like a Disney theme park.
I am an Outlander fan and I went to Scotland to visit the filming locations. That place did live up to its expectations. It's absolutely breathtakingly beautiful there. We did go during the off-season and had to freeze to see some of the castles, but we got to see them without the crowds. The problem is that most people only have the summer to see these places, so everyone flocks there simultaneously. I always promote travel during the off-season. Yes, you may have to go somewhere when it's cold but there will be less crowds and it will be cheaper as well!
I lived in Scotland for a few years (also England. Love both places) and it's a running joke among locals that Outlander is both the best and worst thing to happen to Scotland. Tourists just seem to forget that people actually live there. I was doing a work contract in the Isle of Skye for a summer and my neighbour at the time told me a story about how one morning, she and her kids were sitting on their front veranda having breakfast and a tourist just walked up and snapped a picture of them. I'm pleased to say that, after the initial shock wore off, she ripped the tourist a new one. But I just can't fathom how some people can just have the audacity? The world isn't your theme park.
I've been doing that since 2009, anytime I travel- it will be the off season for that area. Growing up, we only traveled during peak seasons and I HATED TRAVELING. Went by myself for the first time in the winter of 2006, after I turned 18 and it was so much better. I love road tripping, so that's what we will be focusing on while my daughter is little. When she's older and can travel more on the off season, we will do our international trips off season.
To be able to enjoy popular travel destinations you basically have to travel in the off or at least late shoulder season and go to some of the lesser known sites. Also, take your time, linger, don't just stop to take photos and selfies, and actually SEE and experience these places. And, most people can travel any time of year as vacation time can be used when you wish so long as you give your boss advance notice. It's just that people prefer to travel in summer for some reason. I used to think this too until I realized that the heat, crowds and prices made for a miserable experience.
I live in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, and we suddenly have lots of foreign tourists, and it's a nuisance. They don't know the basic rules and manners, so they can end up doing things that are considered extremely bothersome or rude here. And it would be fine if they were in a tourist area, but them coming into our "home," our neighborhood is really annoying because we can't get away from it.
Well Tokyo is kind of an exception. Japanese people are very xenophobic and are pretty much sheep regarding rules. They just follow they have no personality, no sense of rebellion no individuality. They just do what other people command
Anytime I get home from a trip ppl ask for pics and I never have many I’m always so busy exploring and having fun I forget that my phone exists it’s a nice feeling!
I love that. I’ve become really tired of the picture taking, I’m just so over it. I feel almost like I’m daringly “coloring outside the lines” when I don’t take photos and document my adventures anymore. It’s freeing.
And people give photographers a hard time when they will not share a location to protect it. It's also why I never go anywhere "on season" any more. The US National Park System has started issuing entrance passes to certain parks because of this.
I wish more museums would do limited entrance or premium entrance times. I'd happily pay extra to explore the Louvre or the Met at 7am and avoid the massive crowds and be able to go explore non touristic attractions for the rest of the day. It's difficult to find a way to be an ethical tourist while also not contributing to crowds and also it effecting personal anxiety
When I was young, I wasn't able to travel because my parents didn't have much money. Now I am quite well off and want to travel, but somehow I feel guilty to do so because so many places are overrun by tourists (especially influencers), the locals are annoyed and sometimes aren't even able to afford living there anymore. Somehow, the past 10-15 years turned travelling into a real problem and I don't want to be part of it. And I don't even have Instagram or any form of social media to post things on 😭
Having grown up influenced by travel advertisements before social media and travelling as an expat in Asia, I became wary of false advertising. I was more influenced by Anthony Bourdain and other travelling food influencers.Therefore, I prefer travelling for the food and activities to cross-off the bucket list rather than going to tourist-heavy spots for photos of myself blocking the view. Hence my IG is more about food. 😅
I grew up in Hungary and currently live in Florida. Buying a house either in Budapest or the Tampa bay area is a pipe dream for most people. Everything is turning into an Air B&B. And yes, the number of tourists in a year is about triple of the actual residents.
Onĺy trippel? Lucky you. Try living in Amsterdam. Its become a hellscape these last 10 years. Best time to live here was during the big C. There Ive said it
I live in Nara, Japan (the place with the deer park) and seeing the disrespectful tourists makes me livid. Stalking geishas, ruining the view of Mt. Fuji (and the wall they had to put up to block tourists), treating the train like a playground...I don't know if it's main character energy or that they think they can take advantage of Japanese people's politeness, but people need to remember that while they are on vacation, the "locals" are going to work and not in the mood to deal with this bs. The fact that they're coming here to take advantage of the weak yen only adds salt to the wound. Workers in Japan are making the equivalent of 5 USD/hour minimum wage or like 1000 USD/month for a salaried job struggling to get by. Every time I go to the grocery store, the price of every item has increased by at least 10 yen. And the government is foaming at the mouth to get MORE tourists in instead of making companies raise wages to meet the inflated cost of living and plummeting value of the yen. I want people to enjoy Japan just like I am privileged to do, but let's have a little decorum!
I live in Hawaii. The city I live in has started to make every single parking lot paid parking. So now locals can't even go eat at their favorite restaurant without having to pay between $15 to $30 an hour for parking. So many native Hawaiians are being forced out of their homes because the housing prices have gone up so much. There are a very few select homes that people can only purchase if you have Hawaiian blood.
I live in a touristy area and the beach front is over $7 an hour I think. The locals who own places are sent free parking passes by the local council- though it's impossible to ge5 parking in the height of summer m
Watch the John Oliver piece about it he did a great job and people Gotta know this. It is so unfair.- last week tonight it is the name of show. - I hope Hawaiians gets Hawaii back. It is just ethical. I love Hawaii so much .
I’m a travel photographer by hobby - I get yelled at from my parents for not including myself in the photo’s I shoot… but that doesn’t stop me. I WANT the crowds in the pictures, I WANT the atmosphere people bring to a place. In a sense, I become a street photographer when I travel and compose my pictures as such. Early on, I was taught that the best picture of a person is the one they never knew you shot. My style has died in the Instagram / selfie stick world… but this is what I am sticking to and I hope that in time, this style sees a renaissance.
One of my favorite photos of my mom was her purposefully ignoring my camera because she didn’t want her picture taken … she passed away a few months later (2019). I’ve started taking MORE photos and taking more trips since then. I’ll post my photos on social media but they’re more for me and my family than strangers on the internet.
Greece has so many wonderful small islands and mainland ,the Greek summer has a unique feeling of freedom and joy ,just choose wisely the time and the secret places … love from Greece !
I always go to Greek islands with my best friend, we love them! Beautiful places, friendly people and amazing food. We’re actually going to Samos in a few weeks😊
I think one of the things Instagram really ruined for traveling is learning about the place you are visiting. Before Instagram, more people took the overseas trips to learn and experience the culture and try new things. Now, people treat the overseas trips as photoshoots. They don’t really do the research before or learn what is expected of the tourists.
Ever since I was a kid I loved learning about different cultures, their history, and languages. I’ve lived in 3 countries, and travelled to and within 5 countries. I hope to visit more when possible. I’m glad influencers had nothing to do with my dreams of seeing the world. It’s so sad seeing people travel just for the likes and views, but pay no attention to the true beauty of experience life the way another culture does, and don’t contribute to their society.
That’s why I love taking a big birthday trip every year. My birthday happens to fall in November which is off season for almost every place I have on my bucket list. Went to Greece last year and it was pretty damn empty.
As an avid traveller I loved this, Caitlyn. Lovely to talk about something other than luxury for.a change. I did a lot of solo travelling/backpacking in my mid to late 20's (even ended up moving to the Netherlands from South Africa because I met my husband) and I love to travel with my family now. I have definitely noticed a shift in the number of humans thronging around every major attraction. There is a chip shop in Amsterdam where there is an Insta/TikTok queue for overpriced fries, the likes of which you could buy literally anywhere else in the rest of the city too, and everyone laughs at the people standing there. As a family we love to travel off the beaten track (Santorini may be overcrowded, Greece is a very large country with a huge amount of nature and history that is yours for the picking if you are not a sheep). Florence, Venice, Rome are to be avoided in peak season but Italy is littered with millions of other hilltop cities and villages that are absolutely gorgeous and a lot less crowded. Influencers themselves are not to blame, narcissists who uncritically follow are responsible for their own actions. PS Eastern Europe (other that the poor overloaded Charles Bridge in Prague and Dubrovnik in Croatia) is an unmined gem of culture, nature, good food, fun activities and so much history too. Think and live. For yourself, not your Insta feed.
I was talking about this with my husband. Traveling used to be chill. Now people are traveling just to post. Therefore why I avoid popular places. Bali is one of those places. My gosh!!! 😫 Bali is great, but loads of people going to the same da•mn temples. The biggest temple in Bali is a scam paradise.
Recently changed to start going to the lesser popular/ well known places. Having a blast without too many people like Im travelling back in time before the 2010s. Obviously I always travel in the offpeak periods
@@tuttuttut7758, me too. I travel to less popular places. When I went to Indonesia, I was in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Lombok and Bali. Hubby was interested in Bali because he had heard a lot about it. I stayed in Bali for only 3 days and went to unpopular temples. I am going to India, Cambodia and Vietnam this December. I am skipping the popular places. The only popular place I will be going are the Taj Mahal and Angkor Watt, due to documentaries I have watched. ❤
@@jenmar9428 Currently Im in Northern Macedonia and a few months ago I travelled to Gambia. I really enjoy these places. I will go to Mexico to travel the sightst but im prepared for the masses. Even when I travel off peak. After that itll be a lesser known place again
As a world traveller, I can say that I almost always give the least amount of time to the really famous monuments and attractions and then spend more time getting the “feel” of the place and exploring the texture of the culture.
I just happened across this video and absolutely loved it. Your honesty was a breath of fresh air. I'm retired and travel twice a year for usually 2 months. I go to places that have been on my bucket list for years, not influenced by social media. Antarctica, Africa, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam. I'm always annoyed by all the people taking selfies trying to get "the perfect shot". I like to go to a country for at least a month to experience the real world. My recent trip to Vietnam was 2 months with a whole month just staying in Da Nang. I too love the new reels about IG vs reality. I am on IG and Facebook to share my travels with friends and family who would never visit these places like I do. I'm not there to influence anyone. I'm too old for that sh*t. I've had people tell me to start a UA-cam channel. Nope. I want to enjoy the place for me and not worry about getting the best shot or content.
This is so true! I love traveling in off season or shoulder season and, because I travel with little kids, we end up mostly doing local markets and playgrounds and lots of low-key stuff and it’s so much more fun that way and we can avoid a lot of the crowding and learn more about everyday life there!
I live on a small island in SW Florida but I no longer post or say where-though it doesn’t matter much as IG influencers and travelers are coming in droves-and everyone is following. They say we’re an old Florida beach town-which we used to be, until all of the investors started buying up all the real estate and now almost every house in a rental. Almost ALL locals have left-just since Covid. It’s awful. They make it look great in photos but it takes 1.5 hours to drive a few miles. If you visit just know that the locals who are left really don’t want you here.
As someone who lives in one of Spain’s most touristy cities, thanks for mentioning the problems of unethical tourism! Also, easy af tip for anyone coming: stay at a hotel! Not an Airbnb, not a “apartment-hotel” hybrid, an actual hotel. And remember that no city is an amusement park, be mindful that people live there! Respect the culture, the resting hours and the space 🤍
I live in Japan. I can tell you that the over tourism has been the highest this year on record. The bans in Kyoto and now the blocking of Lawsons in Mt.Fuji. The worst thing still is that sadly so many tourists from abroad are so rude and entitled. I get it if they don’t know some unspoken rules of life in a place but many are so disrespectful. They also will run in the middle of streets, block traffic, leave garbage, talk loud on trains and eat on the street floor. I sometimes post places and things I think are nice about living here and people start to DM me for advice on their trip to Tokyo or Japan in general. I’m happy to help but then more and more are expecting me to create an itinerary and tell them where to go and how X place is like. I never been to x place 🤣. I tell them to book a travel agent because I don’t know.
I just don't understand why you want the same photo as everyone else. There are beautiful places that are unique and are stunning without a million people
Cape Town 😭😭😭it’s so bad . The locals are paying 5 times more for a cup of coffee nowadays, let’s not talk about rent 😢. South Africa appreciates tourism but also we are unfortunately negatively affected by it 😢
I’m so glad you talked about something that’s been playing on my mind so long. You’re definitely not overthinking it, in fact you’re one of the only people I see talking about social media in a theoretical, sociocultural and philosophical standpoint. Baudrillard’s simulacrum is a perfect theory for how influencer culture has bled into the mainstream to the extent that it’s become the norm for all of us, influencer or not, whether we’re earning money or not, feel like we have to live a certain way in order to post photos in a certain way to look like our lives are a certain way
The thing is Julia. I loved taking photoes, loved fashion, skin products etc. But those influencers have turned me off; don't do shopping except food, and don''t take photoes when I travel. Now, I have a set for work, a set for weekend. Gave all my clothes to charity.
I've had so many amazing trips that wouldn't be considered gram worthy. Simply going away from the crowds and chatting to locals.. enjoying mom and pop type restaurants in alleyways and learning about the culture. You're right, how the culture is being flattened. Together with the rise of narcissism and filters. So many people are neither present or engaged wherever they are traveling to.. they care more about likes from strangers and carefully curated filters, than actually being present and enjoying the magic of where they are. Insightful vid and a discussion that more people need to be having.
Traveling and tourism used to be for one's own self. Now it is to show off to others. Mostly just to boast about how rich you are even if you really aren't that rich.
I lived in a touristic city, not so far from Venice (one hour by train or so). The problem is not only the crowding: it's the fact that, if you are only interested in taking that great photo everybody has already taken tons of times (and, if we are talking about influencers, probably with a profesional set up you can not ever compete to), then traveling looses all of its sense. Every place is the same, only a wonderful background for your shot.
Pre-Instagram (and of course today) there have been loads and loads of tourists with no imagination being driven around by huge buses (or cruise ships) all being told what the destination is about and being given 10 minutes to see it all. In my opinion this is not travel and I’m guessing this sort of tourism is not going to change anytime soon.
I hope it gets enough pushback to start changing. I used to do what it took to avoid the tour bus and cruise ship people and continue to do so with the Instagrammers now added to that list. I am very concerned about local people who live and work near some of these over touristed spots.
Great video! I've been traveling abroad extensively for over 20 years, and even before social media, some places have always been crowded. I thought Bali was crowded when I went after "Eat Pray Love" came out, lol. It's even easier now than it used to be to edit photos to make it look like you were alone in some touristy place. However, the "pandemic rebound" has been hitting a lot of places hard. My friend and I were some of the first Americans to visit Greece after it re-opened to vaccinated travelers (like THE week it re-opened), and I know I will never have those types of experiences ever again, having NOBODY around. I can't shit on influencers too much though, because someone else inspired me to visit Saudi Arabia and now it's one of my top 5 countries. I just wish people were a bit more thoughtful about the content they make. I think you can tell who makes travel content bc they're passionate about travel, and who is making it to "sell" a lifestyle and make money.
I went to Tulum, Mexico because I was influenced by social media, and never again will I go someplace based so heavily on social media and me thinking that it would look enviable to my followers. Tulum is also experiencing overtourism; it does NOT have the infrastructure to handle all the tourists flocking there. There are issues with plumbing, the cenotes and aquifers are being polluted and destroyed. I saw the most abject poverty, people living in shacks with no running water, electricity, etc.. It was super crowded near the beach, traffic can hardly flow on the tiny road that leads to all the beach hotels and clubs. People get injured in accidents all the time. There's trash everywhere. I felt stupid for thinking that influencers were showing the reality and harm that was going on there. It's geared toward tourism and Instagram in such a horrible way that damages the environment and native people. My best trips recently have NOT been popular Instagram destinations. I just go back from my first trip to Europe- we visited Berlin. We stayed in a lovely neighborhood far from the touristy center near the Brandenburg gate and I had such a great time! My first solo trip was to Montreal. Another great but more under the radar destination. When my partner and I went to Costa Rica we stayed in the southwestern Pacific region that's far less popular than the north Pacific area and had an amazing time. I will continue to choose destinations that aren't terribly popular and that I go to because I want to, not because I think it'll look good online. If anything, when I post about going to less popular places it doesn't get as much attention/traction, which may be why influencers post popular places in the first place. They're posting for the algorithm and so more 'exotic' or romantic places get more attention than going to a little small town no one's ever heard of or going to a big city that no one views as a cool tourist destination. Also, I have definitely gotten mad at my partner for not taking a good photo of me! 🤣 My next big trip will be a 10 day road trip around Iceland in July! 😊 This is a bucket list trip for me. I'm hoping to experience awe at the beauty of Earth, possibly feel otherwordliness, and connect to nature. Great video Caitlin! Thanks for bringing light to this issue, because we travelers have a responsibility to be good stewards and minimize harm.
cabo in mexico is great, ya Tulum used to be super rural and remote, other places in mexico can handle a lot more tourism and they're just as beautiful.
Yeah I didn’t realize Tulum was such a popular destination until social media. I went to Mexico 10 years ago and only visited tulum for the maya ruins and the coast nearby then went back to the area I was staying
Something that I’ve heard from a Greek local: some of the islands that used to be just a where locals and fishermen lived are new hot destinations for tourists. And the locals are selling their land/ houses for big $$$ to developers or just renting them out. The upside is that now all of the sudden a fish shop owner is now a millionaire, the downside is that the fish shop/ other local business is now closed. So it’s killing the small authentic businesses. (But probably is good for cafes and restaurants and tourist shops)
The scooter videos are so much cooler as a viewer than the “cool pictures” the pictures just look like something everyone else posts and sure they’re nice pics but there’s nothing authentic feeling about it. It feels like just that a photoshoot not a vacation. The video of you two driving around makes me feel like it’s the real experience and makes me happy to see what you’re doing. Just my thoughts on it ♥️
I left all social media (except UA-cam obviously 🤣) in October of last year. I now realize how much social media was influencing to want and do. And now I feel so much more in control of my own likes ❤. Instead of traveling to the usual Europe spots, this year I’m doing a roadtrip through Canada. I’m so much more present, I don’t care about a specific photo to post, I don’t care what other people think… it’s SO liberating!!!! 😊
This is a good reminder for me to choose carefully and adjust expectations carefully. Unfortunately, as grad students, my husband and I are stuck on a university schedule, and we cannot wait until we can take more advantage of shoulder season. Picking location has always been the toughest part of trip planning.
Hi, greetings from Europe😁 I can totally recommend going to southern european countries like Greece, Spain or Italy in the middle of winter. We live in central Europe and do it every year and belive me - it's the best season for visiting antient ruins, medieval towns and cities. Everything is open but almost no crowd at all.. we visited for example Acropolis in Greece in February - it was great - only several people, very good temperature ( about 15-17 degrees Celsius) and the tickets only 50% of the price on high season. Perfect timing😁
I can’t wait for this one, this is so up my ally as you well know…Tbh I’m glad in my new job I’m dealing with mostly 65+ who just care about getting a nice lunch and actually learning about stuff. My tour company is really good in reducing the tacky factor, like we don’t wear uniforms or have obnoxious flags, we have subtle ways to stand out
We were in Barcelona few years ago and there was a lovely cafe across Sagrada Familia, owned by an old man, who offered delicious local food. But some years after how upset we were seeing McDonals and KFC at that place 😭 I have many stories from my personal experience how tourism just destroyed local food in Italy.
I think it’s a good idea when government/council restrict these zones. Nothing wrong with offering tourists a sense of familiarity and comfort whilst travelling, but allowing something that should have been no more than a gesture of hospitality to destroy the local culture, is devastating for the community as well as those that enjoy visiting it
Similar happened to me in Koh Samui, Thailand but almost thirty years ago, it was beautifully unspoilt, revisited the following year and there was a McDonald’s 😢
Thanks for sharing your experiences, definitely interesting to think about. I returned from an overseas holiday a week ago, and I had a ball. Took some cool pics, but one of my favourite parts of being away is being able to switch off. It's a good excuse for not being reachable 😁 While sitting in the pool, covered in sunscreen with a daggy hat, chugging delicious cocktails, I saw at least one couple/group a day come up to the rooftop pool and spend 45 mins+ posing, changing swimsuits etc and I was very happy to be watching (it's interesting!) while drinking and chilling, as opposed to getting the perfect insta moment.
This isn't meant to be mean or judgemental... Genuinely happy to be where I'm at, and past feeling the need. That said I 100% feel that frustration when you take a gorgeous photo of someone and then every photo of you makes you want to cry 🙃 I try to be of the mind that there will be other cute moments, and other pfp worthy pics 🤞
I had an acquaintance get mad at me for not taking all the photos she wanted. She handed me her phone (a model I had no familiarity with) and had it lined up to take continuous photos.....I didn't know I had to keep my finger on the button (or it would switch to single shot) and didn't know how to restart the function after I moved my hand. She was PISSED that I had ONLY taken about 25 frames of her before/during/after bungee jumping despite the fact her mom was standing next to me taking a video. We have several friends in common but I have never hung out with her again after that weekend. I'm happy to take pictures for other people, but if they need me to know more then aiming in their direction and pressing a button a couple times...well...that's on them.
Your points at the end really sunmed it up, its treating popular locations like photoshoots, its why people see and treat Japan like a theme park, just travelling for photos and the gram but you dont experience anything. X this thousands of times over and thats modern travel
Yeah, especially with how cheap it is now because of the low yen rate. It SOO much easier to go to Japan now. Which is why people are flocking to Japan. Gotta get those shots for only 100 USD!! (maybe even cheaper, idk)
Seriously how do we even travel anymore? I love Japan.. went there 15 yrs ago and finally am financially able to go but now everyone is going.. ppl are getting streets closed.. 😢 i hope social media ends one day.
I just came back from Japan. Don’t let social media fool you because you can go as normal. Instagram/social media is not real life (always remember that). You will not see all the influencers you know because you landed in the airport. It will be like visiting (just as you did 15 years ago but with more people who speak English) and as fun as ever.
My husband and I randomly decided to do a bike tour of Tokyo on our visit there and it was banger! So nice to not have to make any decisions and just follow the guide and be shown some nice places we wouldn’t find on our own and get to know some other people. On bikes you are so much more than on foot and now we always try and find a bike tour or just hire bikes and bike around randomly and see what we find. I’ve also found that planning trips less is lovely. Now we might have a few museums or places that we really want to see, but we don’t plan for much and leave lots of time to just wander around and hang out at a coffee shop. Like it’s a vacation, you’re there to be somewhere else and see nice things and relax. You can’t see and do everything in life do you kinda have to embrace that you’ll miss out. We’ve also taken to going on vacations to random places locally. Like a weekend away at a nearby town, we stay at the local hotel and go to the tourist center and ask what there is to see. It’s been fun, we’ve been to a match museum, seen old Stone Age graves and visited a cheese factory for lunch, and all that in towns that are less than 1-2 hours away. Worst case scenario we spend a couple of nights at a nice hotel eating out at restaurants and wandering around parks and enjoying each others company.
I travel frequently to Italy for work and a lot of people have commented that I rarely share photos and it’s because I am just experiencing. That being said, I am grateful to a few friends who have made sure that I get at least some photos with them or at places. But most of where I’m going is not super populated. That being said, I grew up in the 70s and I remember that everybody owned slide projectors because people wanted to share their vacation photos. The medium has changed with social media, but the desire to share all these photos has not.
This is very true! I remember on my way walking from my hotel to the trevi fountain which was 20 minutes of walking and it was like 5:00pm on the way there it wasn't as much people
Exactly! For all the complaints about how tourism ruins the beauty of a location, in many locations, it's just as beautiful but you just need to explore a bit (which should be happening during a trip anyways)
I will admit, that I’m actually rather happy that information is not exactly ‘common knowledge’ amongst travellers that are overly concerned with centring their entire experience around replicating the ‘perfect shot’. It’s also pretty cool to meet other tourists on the outskirts and less saturated areas that enjoy exploring, are more relaxed and far less rude or entitled, at least compared to some I’ve met in the crowds in hotspot areas.
I'm disappointed how much the photos are edited. Imagine my shock when I found out cherry blossoms are not pink. Also the shell sculpture in Seoul on social media was edited to be pink and purple. When I got there it was red and blue!!!!
The cherry blossoms outside my house are bright pink. There are different ones, all shades of very pale white pink to pink that is clearly very pink. You can just google it. There are yellow and green ones too but pale white pink and pink are most common.
I cannot explain you how much i agree with all of this. Im from a touristic place and in the last 10years i literally hate it… its all souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants, all the local spots where i used to go do not exist anymore and going through a street to finish a simple task is impossible as the town’s infrastructure is not able to accommodate the amount of people visiting on daily basis. I travel around the world as part of my job and as my town became such a popular site to visit i act totally different when i travel for work as im thinking how annoying it might be for the locals, im mindful not to stop in the middle of the street and pull out my phone and take pictures 3million times to get a good shot, or even using public transport as i know that it makes it so much more difficult for locals to go to work or whatever as a bunch of tourists don’t want to spend too much so ofcourse they use the public transport and try to pass as cheap as possible
9:20--Just came back from a three-week trip to Japan and went to this exact shrine (Fushimi Inari). I was so overwhelmed by the number of people that I quickly found a side path up the mountain and encountered maybe eight other people before reaching the top. Was a great experience outside all of the hellish crowds. Kyoto is having a huge overtourism problem right now, and the stress of the locals is palpable. Was my least favourite city out of the five I stayed in.
I feel this! There has been such a major shift in what it’s like to travel from my early trips circa 2015 (nowhere near this busy!) to this year almost a decade later. It’s so full on in some locations that I didn’t enjoy it. Too many people hustling to get photos and disrespecting the locals.
YESSSS!!!!! This perfectly explains what I hated about Dubai. It wasn’t until I left the tourists areas that I gained an appreciation for Dubai. Thank you for exploring this topic.
Instagram is where advertising photography went when it died. I am so glad to see the pushback starting against influencer type of travel. Take your own pictures for your own memories and don't be a predator just using places. I am so glad people called out the idiot stalking the geisha.
Someone got killed by a train because she was taking an Instagram photo. She walked onto the train track. That happened the other day. I can't remember where it was.
I love traveling and being out in nature. I’ve stopped wanting to go to national parks in the U.S. because they are often so overcrowded. People will crowd up overlooks and even get into fights over parking spots at trail heads. I’ve had some of my favorite moments at state parks, regional parks, and at hidden gems.
Yes yes yes! I just got back from California and I want to stop getting dressed up and wearing makeup on vacation. I don’t care if it didn’t photograph well because I had an amazing time. I was happy and saw beautiful things that my phone totally failed to capture.
No, there are different types of travelers. I was just in New York City and some girl thought it was her own private photo shoot at the stock exchange. She asked another traveler to move out of her photo.
I'm from the Netherlands and it's an issue in Amsterdam too where people go to one specific stroopwafel shop or whatever because it went viral on Tiktok. It creates a huge line of people waiting in front of the shop blocking people going in an out of other shops. So they loose customers. Also other shop owners get annoyed and pissed off because everyone seems to go to that viral stroopwafel shop while their stroopwafels are really good too but they all go to the other one they saw on Tiktok because that has be better. Of course there always have been very popular shops and stuff many people go to because they heard it's great but now it's gotten why out of hand. Same with photo's. I'm not in Amsterdam often, I only go there for a concert usually, but now there is even more people blocking roads and sidewalks because they want to recreate that one picture they saw on tiktok or make a picture of something because they saw it on tiktok. Even in my own city I see more tiktokkers and vloggers and I hate it, because I don't want to end up in a vlog or tiktok etc.
I went to Amsterdam with a list of instagram food spots to visit. I wanted this famous french fries on Damrak and when I got there, it had a long line. As I stood in line I noticed next door was another french fry spot with no line so I went there. As a foreigner, I couldn't have know there would be a bunch of shops selling the same thing.
Its annoying as the fresh stroopwafels from the market are much better and cheaper. Its all a scam. And those queue are so annoying. I get road rage on my bike when i need to get past those people 😂
@@annan.3283 actually you can, just by walking around. Avond the tourist places. Go where the local people are because they know whats good in the area
As someone who travels for work, I feel the pressure to squeeze in visiting beautiful places so I can share them on scial media, when sometimes, the reality is that I'm so tired that I just want to sit in the bathtub in my hotel room and order room service or sushi. I'm getting better at recognizing these signals for myself and it makes the trips more enjoyable this way. :)
I'm happy to say I traveled quite a bit before the whole social media thing blew up. I do love photography, so I take photos on my dslr while travelling, but I also put it away most of the time and just enjoy the moment. What I love is finding those wonderful little places that the insta-tourists don't bother with because it's not on their bucket list of flex photos. Like finding a tea house in Kyoto that is sunk down a bit so the incredible traditional garden outside is at, or just below, your eye level. I sat there for three hours, watching the snow fall and drinking tea. No pics.
Watching this reminded me of the brass markers I saw at the Grand Canyon for people who fell to their death because they were posing for photos...before you brought up the deaths later in the video.
When we did tours in Ephesus and Pompeii, it was incredible, don’t get me wrong, but THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AND THE HEAT!!!!! Definitely NOT what you see online, and I was cracking up when you brought up the “tour signs”. It was so packed I couldn’t even find our tour guide half the time & started getting panicky 🤣
I just finally visited the Grand Canyon, on a solo trip. It was so crowded and irritating, and that was on a Wednesday, while kids are still in school. I didn't stay long, and I didn't post a single photo.
So sorry you had a rough experience. GCNP can be really busy - but go just a little down any trail, and crowds thin considerably. I hope you have more amazing adventures!
same. i was there in march and it was awful! i go to a lot of national parks and i’ve never seen one as crowded as the grand canyon. people were driving like maniacs there too!
Just about a minute in and I can't believe you've mentioned Vienna, my hometown! I live in Paris now because even here, tourism is managed better than it is in Vienna. I've seen so many places ruined by overtourism - there is hardly any spot left for the locals.
This has always been a thing it’s just been ramped up by a 1000. When I was younger I traveled a lot and so often I see pictures or videos of places I’ve been that present an unrealistic view that it’s so glamorous to visit the Eiffel Tower. Not showing the fences, police with guns and lines. Even back in 2008 when I visited Notre Dame, they were actually having Mass but the tourists were behind ropes circling the sanctuary looking at all the art, during Mass! I would never want to be one of those parishioners. As a tourist I felt so uncomfortable being there during their service. I used to live in the tourist area of Chicago, Lincoln Park/ Michigan Ave. it was a lot then but it wasn’t non stop 24/7 tourists. Today there is no way I’d ever live there. The crowds, the constant lines, everyone stopping and taking videos and pictures. It’s obnoxious when it’s your everyday. Plus, because there are just so many people it’s just so much dirtier and unsafe. I have no problem with these communities limiting the number of people or requiring an entrance fee etc. So many of these places are being ruined and we need to take care of them.
I live in Vienna and every other sunday I visit the inner city with the eyes of a tourist (without a cellphone) and marvel at the beautiful buildings and hidden little streets. There is always something new to find.
One advice for the visit of the louvre … Don‘t look for the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is a fantastic museum, and aside from the one room where this painting is presented, it‘s even quite quiet in peak season.
*screams in displaced Hawaiian* I'm feeling a WEIRD kind of "OG vibe" to the very roots of my family tree listening to all this, tbh. I feel like Hawaii is one of the post children for this and it truly does warp the lives of the people involved forever if it goes unchecked. To skip over a lot of the usual fluff about visiting Hawaii, etc. etc. --> Yes, there is almost nothing that can be exported but tourism at this stage on any scale that would keep up even a TINY bit with the cost of living. No, that does not mean that "tourism" helps the people living on the islands to the degree that serious overhaul of the laws, regulations, tax distrubution, voting district lines, and guest and visitor's self-reflection isn't needed. My family - the side who have my heart, who have shaped me - are native Hawaiian and at this point only one old Auntie and Uncle are able to live in their increasingly falling apart house around Hilo. I think I have a cousin clinging for dear life with her family of six to working three jobs in Honolulu, but last I checked in she was trying to figure out how to get a night shift at McDonalds and Taco Bell to patch up the bills on a two-bedroom apartment *with six people living in it.* And she works full time during the day in hospitality management!! To cut through a ton of it again: Where money goes, where a feeling of indulgence and exclusitivity go, where a real community and their land and their culture are turned into backdrops for someone's main character mood and movie... a lot of problems follow. The problems in Hawaii go so, so much deeper than people realize because of the way the land was taken (my great-grandfather, for instance, worked for the military his whole life but wasn't allowed to be a citizen, had to PAY a company that "acquired" the land that his family had lived on for over six generations for the right to own his home, then was given exactly $1USD and forced to sign a contract thrust in his face by personal with guns in less than five minutes that signed over the rights to his property so it could be bulldozed for the sole highway that now loops Big Island and since he was not a citizen had no legal recourse or money to fight it) all the way to how the laws are written and *where the money is actually going* today. IT IS NOT STAYING ON THE ISLAND FOR THE PEOPLE THERE. Phew. Okay. Bottom line, imho: Travel is life changing. It always has been, it always will be. The challenges we face, the experiences we discover, the people we bump into far from home who make us realize things about ourselves or humanity as a whole are beyond priceless. Where it becomes this toxic is where our work being human - at proving how beautiful humanity can be, starting with our own actions - is given to us. Can we answer - are we truly being respectful of the place we are visiting? Of the land? Of the people there, now? Did we stop for just a second before we took a step onto that beach and check in and ask, "Okay - it is beautiful here, but am I adding to the pressure and stress that makes life worse for everyone through how I choose to be here?" Did we choose the cheaper option we could learn in a one minute Google search just cut their employee's healthcare? Were we patient with the people who are expected to be acting like vacation-perfect NPCs while in their own grocery store? Did we ignore litter on a street we snap that awesome pic to share on, so we could exploit someone else's home and the land itself without even a two-second geasture of gratitude? I think the reason people end up ignoring all this is because... we're so freaking tired by the time we get on vacation. Usually we've pushed ourselves, we're fried, we're done, and there is some increasingly frantic voice in the back of our minds that pins our hopes on the pressure easing up "once we are there and relax." Dealing with the tangled, nuanced realities that life is messy for the people there, too, just feels like way too much. But it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It can look like taking just a *moment* to really stop and question your motives. What does respect really look like here? Are you really getting the opportunity this place offers to you, in a fair exchange for what it costs the people living there? Back home - are you really paying attention to the local laws? Putting in even the amount of time someone might scroll on TikTok during bathroom breaks for the week to check if the things that make up your community - housing prices, public access to healthy places, truly transparent and fair distribution of taxes, the real root behind the parent company of the parent company? And at the very, very least... exhausted, tired, just wanting to believe there is somewhere good in the world you can go and see cool things, eat fun things, and maybe have enough novelty to wash away the fatigue for a bit? Perhaps we can all at the very least aim for the same rule we are supposed to aspire to while camping: Leave no traces. Don't distrub the wildlife. Don't carve your names into trees. Admire and don't pick the wildflowers. Leave where you came from in a state of the beauty that you, too, hoped you'd find.
thank you for this. going to Hawaii for the first time in a few weeks, with deep reverence and respect for the indigenous all over this planet. will do my best to shop only local, support artisan and small business, no chain hotels etc. and tipping
Beautifully said! I'm from a Caribbean island, so I 100% get you! Tourists can be so entitled and expect that people where they go dance for them and treat them like royalty with no respect for the culture, but thankfully there are also people that do take interest in learning about how the locals truly live and go with a more open mind to learn about the culture, but yes, those are more rare!
Sooo true! I used to be obsessed with travel photos and used to get into so many arguments with my partner because he just couldn’t match the shot I had in my mind. I didn’t like who I was becoming. Now I have an iPhone full of hundreds of amazing photos, including a photoshoot in Egypt, but can’t be bothered to post them on IG. It was so exhausting making sure my feed ‘looked perfect’, and it always all matched. I put so much pressure on myself and spent so much time on it, and for what? I’m not even an influencer and never made any money or anything from it. I got to the point where I stopped enjoying it. Haven’t posted in months. Thank you for making this video.
Instagram has certainly ruined some places. However, it is the growing number of people being able to afford traveling. European capitals as Rome or Paris have always been popular but the masses of tourists have grown significantly over the last 30 years. Instagram made it even worse. I feel bad for those attention seeking people needing to take instagram photos of hotspots. In today's world its sadly more about showing off then really experiencing the place. I love wondering around and taking photos of little treasures on the side, not only the attractions. On the other hand I am happy everybody is going to Santorini, so we have the beautiful places to ourselves.😙 Greece is a beautiful country and has way better places to offer than Mykonos and Santorini.
Great video. For myself I think there are a couple of different things I do (or will do more in the future): first off, just don't feel like intercontinental travel is necessary or "a right" and instead look for destinations closer to me, that don't require flying or at least not intercontinental flying. This has the upside of reducing the huge environmental impact AND it makes it more likely that you'll see smaller places that aren't on everyone's itinerary. A hiking or cycling trip in my own area is usually MUCH nicer than flying into a hot crowded city. Secondly, not feeling any FOMO about skipping the "must see" things. Especially in peak season (and sadly my job doesn't allow me to travel in the off season), the experience just won't be good no matter how pretty the place is, so it's really ok to just NOT go there and follow my nose into lesser known places, churches, restaurants etc. It can feel weird to go to Rome and not visit the Colosseum but there are a ton of much smaller Roman ruins that are also super interesting to visit and that aren't choked to the gills with people. So just changing that mindset that it's possible and fine to skip the things that are considered "must see". I also just never had IG and that helps. I'm not good at taking photos, and I also don't enjoy it, so usually have only maybe 10 pics of a two week vacation. It helps to not behave obnoxiously to just "get that pic" and actually engage with the environment and people in it in a more respectful manner, as the guest that in the end you are as a tourist. You gotta go to a new place with respect, flexibility and curiosity.
I think instagram made it way more accessible to plan a vacation but to vacation it’s work … planning waiting standing around moving through crowds walking a lot has always been a part of it … to do it for one single picture is wild to me 😅
I think the key is to visit the not so popular travel destinations, there is an absolute abundance of beautiful places on this planet. I’ve seen all of the popular places in millions of pictures, I’d rather go somewhere different to everyone else. Or, if it’s something I really want to see, I’m happy to go off peak, if it’s cold, I can just put more clothing on. And yes to travelling on a train, I love trains. I’m also the person who is so immersed in the moment, that I don’t even think to take pictures of the scenery, let alone wasting time worrying about getting myself in a shot.
I have been traveling a lot for years, way before social media. I remember my first trip to Paris with my classmates, and I purchased 2 of those Kodak disposable cameras. So many pictures ruined where it would be blurred, etc. I was taking pictures of everything!Lol! Now Paris has definitely changed, but I feel tourism has been consistent. People have more money to travel. I feel those touristic places have always been busy, it is just that we are being more aware of it now! I am travelling to unknown destinations, staying in resorts as I have a baby and can't be adventurous. We are also planning trips in the countryside. I am tired of long queues to get to a landmark under the summer heat. I have been to Paris for my babymoon, and it was great! Everything planned to the detail, since we have visited the city so many times. Now we are going more to small towns and small countries, before mass tourism reaches those places as well!
Yes, traveling just to take pretty pictures is so different to traveling to immerse oneself at the destination. my parents went to Japan a few years ago and they used a tour. all they did was going here and there by bus, take a few photos of travel hot spots, then having a meal, then take a rest at hotels. all felt rushed and they felt little enjoyment. a few years before that me and my wife traveled to Tokyo and stayed there for 2 weeks. we had a relaxed schedule, only visited 2-3 destinations a day and then free-stroll. this way we found so many unexpected good stores and cafes, and even unplanned restaurant visit impressed me with a excellently-cooked tonkatsu.
This is some of your best work. I don't spend much time on TikTok so I hadn't noticed this trend. My 77 y/o Mom wants to go to Italy, I wonder when the best time to take her is OFF season.
![[UA] NAVI проти G2 Esports | Blast Premier Fall Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QWlIm4FGESQ/mqdefault.jpg)
the creepy woman following the geisha to take a photo is SO SICK
I thought so too 🤢
Makes my skin crawl. I saw a Geisha in Gion, but I had a cursory glance, and moved on with my life. They're real people ffs. Leave them alone!
Omg that made me so mad 😡
Right?!
That’s an entitled Karen!!!
As someone who has been traveling the world for decades, this has always been the reality. Social media hasn’t ruined anything. People who have the money to travel , don’t rely on social media. These places have always been crammed. I’ve been traveling for over 40 years now.
True, if you go to the most famous tourist points you will find people, is like, go to a famous museum and expect to be alone. Countries have lots of places to visit, do some research and go to the not so famous ones. But if you are only interested in the insta Pic....that is what happens
Exactly! I've traveled my whole life and tourism has always crowded, it's expected and it's not interesting to document that aspect.
Exactly! I don't need Instagram to know that places like the Louver, the Eiffel Tower, the Venice canals, and the Vatican are going to be heavy with tourists.
Not really true for all great hidden gems though
Not true, selfie deaths have increased.
I enjoy travel so much more when I am not posting it online. I can be present and take photos without worrying about “likes” or how I look.
YES!! This. I've been to so many places in the US that I didn't waste a moment putting on IG that I lost count, because I was too damn busy living in the moment and enjoying myself, as we all should.
I rarely put something online when I'm traveling. I kinda enjoy actually not posting. Because then nobody will know I was in that place, like a little secret for me and my husband. It's a little bit like "hihihi, I went to --- and nobody on my social media knows"
Same!!
Honestly, influencers have ruined everything. My goal this month is to download all my Instagram pictures and get the F out! I've even considered injecting toxic chemicals in my face (Botox) because of all the marketing BS online. Traveling has become so overdone as well. It's time to go back to basics. I'll be in my own backyard drinking some wine 🍷
Deteled IG in March and I truly don’t miss it at all ❤
I was driving yesterday and they advertised Botox on the radio. I could not believe my ears... and mind me, I live in a small country in Central Europe.
No one told you to compare yourself to them, thats on you!
I dropped Instagram 2 years ago (or more?) I hardly ever used it. Never been on tiktok. Rarely go on FB anymore. I've been traveling for almost 40 years and have always tried to be mindful and respectful of wherever I go and to whoever I meet. She was 100% correct on doing the research! Sigh...
Please save a chair for me! Do you prefer red or rose?
We went to Greece for our honeymoon 6 years ago. When we were in Santorini, which is absolutely gorgeous, we went to a spot to watch the sunset and there were so many people there 95% of which watched the entire sunset through their phone screens. If you’re going to do that when you travel then you may as well save yourself the time and money and just watch other people’s travel content
Or people can do what pleases them on their vacation they paid for and you do the same. The audacity!
This is my opinion as well. Same at concerts.
There was literally no one like 20yrs ago
Yeah watching through a phone screen is always sad to see how the world is now very few enjoy the actual moment I think x
I know I’m guilty of this at times but I definitely try to live more in the moment
I do not get this idea no one took pictures and camcorder recordings 20 years ago. If anything it was bulkier to do but people did it. Whenever we went somewhere we took 100s of photos even in the 70s and 80s my mom took lots of photos of her and her other daughters on vacation.@@sandraankenbrand
It's really weird how this wave of tourists after COVID has no manners! When I first started traveling 10 years ago, everyone told me not to photograph Japanese faces, especially children, as it is illegal in Japan. Now people treat the whole country like an amusement park that exists solely for their entertainment.
Rudeness after Covid has escalated everywhere. I’m still shocked by how rude and selfish people are just in the grocery store. Completely unaware of anyone but themselves
I think that being rude has been deemed okay in part because a certain political figure in America gave everyone the license to be their worst self.
I noticed that in Europe last year.I had previously been there in 2005.The mentality of the vast majority of the tourists was amazing, a zombie like malaise,present but distant,the undead.I inadvertently spent 22 days in hospital in Switzerland, Interlaken and Zurich, I can tell you the locals are really jacked off with certain groups of tourist to put it mildly.
Not being able to do normal social interactions for so long during covid = loss of skills, & being too much alone everyone becomes selfish and insular.
My wife and I hiked the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto last year and it was amazing.
The bottom was PACKED with people. The first landing (about half a mile up) was loaded with people getting their photos in the photo spot.
But, as we hiked up the shrine (4 miles to the top) we saw less and less people. To the point where we were alone in some areas.
Hardly anyone was at the top. People just wanted the pictures.
I legit heard someone say "Yeah, that wasn't worth the picture"
My head turned so fast.
We did the same last year and it was so amazing. Absolutely worth every step. Also, it helps going early. When we started the hike at 6:30, it was almost empty.
Did the same thing last yr ❤ I agree that the base is so touristy & as you go up, there are less people, making it easier to breathe. Not to mention, you'll pass by a dessert shop and there's a small lake in front & there are also fat cats local visitors are feeding 😅
Was about to write the same thing. Just keep walking and the crowds thin. Also was amazing to see the size of it.
😊😊😊😊1😊😊1😊1😊😊1 5:06 😊1😊😊😊😊1 5:06 5:06 5:06 21😊😊1😊 5:06 😊1😊 5:06 111 5:06 😅111😊😊😊1😊😊😊1😊2😅😊😊😊111😊 5:06 5:06 5:06 😊1😊😊121 5:06 1 5:06 5:06 11 5:06 1 5:06 11 5:06 1 5:06 1😊😊1😊11😊1😊😊1😊1 5:06 1😊2 5:06 😊😊😊😊😊😊😂😊😊
Yes, I agree with the comments that if you go to places that are a bit harder to get to and take a bit more effort, or go really early, you can still avoid crowds (e.g. getting up at 4am to go to Haunauma Bay in Hawaii for snorkelling - saw the sunrise as we were getting in the water, only a handful of people on the beach, but was getting ridiculous when we left at 10am). I think cruise ships are one of the biggest tourism problems too. I live the small city of Dunedin in NZ and during cruise ship season we can have thousands of people descending on little Port Chalmers, and kids can't even catch the bus to school because the cruise ship passengers fill the bus at the first stop. They have a dedicated shuttle, but why would they pay $50 when they can get the public bus for $5 😓
We used to take pics on holiday for memories of care free times, on disposable cameras, to stick in photo albums, to show anyone who visited us. Now we go on holiday to take pictures, stood queuing, getting hot and bothered, to show off to strangers.
Social media has absolutely ruined less known destinations. Everyone knew Venice and Greece, but then soecial media influencers started posting about chill, inexpensive vacations in Croatia and now that destination is overrun, NOT chill, and NOT cheap. But if this is bad for the locals in high tourism places like Bali, Tulum, Amalfi Coast, Tampa, etc, the level of unmitigated damage is SOOOO MUCH WORSE when the destinations are protected wilderness areas. Outdoor influencers have made Yellowstone, Banff, Joshua Tree, etc so over-touristed that the wildlife, million year old geology, and delicate flora that people came to see are ruined. The animals end up exposed to humans and their garbage, and have no peace to live their animal lives. People vandalize or damage the rocks and plants. And many leave established trails, trampling over rare species that may never recover and may not be found elsewhere.
Omg I keep forgetting that aspect of it, thanks you 🙂. I remember ages ago where there was that trend of influencers lying in the flower fields that caused a lot of destruction. I can’t exactly remember where or when unfortunately, but I would be interested in learning if the area recovered ok?
I agree. I'm from Croatia and yeah, it's not so inexpensive anymore. Especially for us locals, the prices are wild compared to our average income and that's so sad. I'm shocked by the amount of trash people leave behind them on the beaches and throw everything into the sea.
I can’t think of the name of the island off hand, but a few years ago an island was shut down to tourists to allow its ecosystem to reset itself. I get that people want to travel but no one thinks about this type of damage
That is why Anthony Bourdain when he visits a spot / Restaurant he didn't want the place to revel it's location with the fear that tourist will ruining it..
Case in point: Hanging Lake in Colorado. Some yoga chick "had" to get that Instagram shot of some pose, violating strict stay on the path/do not enter rules.
I live in a city where tourism is our largest industry. You were spot on about the air bnbs. It has gotten to the point where some locals cannot find reasonable living accommodations due to all of the available housing being used for rentals/ air bnbs.
Air b&bs should not be allowed or only a very small limited amount in each city where you have to get a permit. My neighbourhood changed for the better with it
It’s not good for locals!
Air Bnbs should only be allowed if someone lives in the city part time or they’re doing something like renting out a portion of their house, but long story short the law should be a residency requirement in the house. Nobody should be allowed to buy a place with the sole purpose of making it an Air BnB.
In some places bigger part of affordable housing is big corporations buying the apartment buildings and then kinda setting the price. They can kinda sit on it until someone pays for the way too high price.
When I travel, no one gets to see pictures online until I'm well and done with my itinerary :) I love it best when no one outside my immediate family and friends knows where I am going
Same, I won’t post until at least a week after I come home. I don’t want to worry about posting I want to have fun with the people I’m with beacuse the point of going is to enjoy the area and the people your going with. Unless it’s a emergency I’m not really on my phone either.
Trust me no one outside your circle cares
Places like Paris, Florence and Capri were ruined by crowds during peak season in the 1990s. The main difference social media has made is the bizarre phenomenon of people constantly taking photos of themselves, trying to impress random strangers on the Internet.
What's even more bizarre is that these people appear to believe that their selfies are unique and special and no one had previously thought of holding up the leaning tower with their hands.
This is how I feel about Tulum. It's about a hour outside of Cancun and it gives "small beach town vibes" but they just opened up their own airport for commercial flights and I already know it's going to change so much😢
😣 oh no
Tulum has been ruined for a long, long, long time now.
What I don’t like are the lies. Like ppl really are lying about how “pretty” these places are. I live in a tourist city in S.E. Asia. And omg this one travel influster had the nerve to say the water in this downtown park water was clear. When I have been living down the street from this city park for almost a decade. I even go running in this park 2wice/week. I called her out and she argued with me. I was like 🤦🏿♀️🙃you can’t win with stupid. Theres also ppl who will spend their money to go to those places and realized it’s false advertising basically
Living in a turistic attraction, specifically a summer destination is very very annoying sometimes, turists are often extremely rude, leaving trash everywhere, drunk every night, WALKING IN BIKINIS in the city where people work regular jobs, treating service people like shit, sitting on the floor randomly, sleeping on the street, harrasing local women, overcrowding, taking photos everywhere in the street, pissing drunk on the ancient streets where people live (yes this happens all the time), getting into fountains like its a pool, being cheap, wearing skanky instagram outfits with butts and tits out in the city, walking barefoot in the city…just the list goes on and on..and you have no idea how exhausting this is.
Oh geez that sounds infuriating
Walking barefoot in the city? That's tempting fate.
Where do you live?
@@fire.smok3sounds fun right?
I know someone who lives in a small picturesque village- & even when she told people to stop staring right into her home at the window, they wouldn't stop! They treated her & her home like a Disney theme park.
I am an Outlander fan and I went to Scotland to visit the filming locations. That place did live up to its expectations. It's absolutely breathtakingly beautiful there. We did go during the off-season and had to freeze to see some of the castles, but we got to see them without the crowds.
The problem is that most people only have the summer to see these places, so everyone flocks there simultaneously. I always promote travel during the off-season. Yes, you may have to go somewhere when it's cold but there will be less crowds and it will be cheaper as well!
I lived in Scotland for a few years (also England. Love both places) and it's a running joke among locals that Outlander is both the best and worst thing to happen to Scotland. Tourists just seem to forget that people actually live there. I was doing a work contract in the Isle of Skye for a summer and my neighbour at the time told me a story about how one morning, she and her kids were sitting on their front veranda having breakfast and a tourist just walked up and snapped a picture of them. I'm pleased to say that, after the initial shock wore off, she ripped the tourist a new one. But I just can't fathom how some people can just have the audacity? The world isn't your theme park.
I've been doing that since 2009, anytime I travel- it will be the off season for that area. Growing up, we only traveled during peak seasons and I HATED TRAVELING. Went by myself for the first time in the winter of 2006, after I turned 18 and it was so much better. I love road tripping, so that's what we will be focusing on while my daughter is little. When she's older and can travel more on the off season, we will do our international trips off season.
To be able to enjoy popular travel destinations you basically have to travel in the off or at least late shoulder season and go to some of the lesser known sites. Also, take your time, linger, don't just stop to take photos and selfies, and actually SEE and experience these places.
And, most people can travel any time of year as vacation time can be used when you wish so long as you give your boss advance notice. It's just that people prefer to travel in summer for some reason. I used to think this too until I realized that the heat, crowds and prices made for a miserable experience.
I live in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, and we suddenly have lots of foreign tourists, and it's a nuisance. They don't know the basic rules and manners, so they can end up doing things that are considered extremely bothersome or rude here. And it would be fine if they were in a tourist area, but them coming into our "home," our neighborhood is really annoying because we can't get away from it.
Well Tokyo is kind of an exception. Japanese people are very xenophobic and are pretty much sheep regarding rules.
They just follow they have no personality, no sense of rebellion no individuality.
They just do what other people command
Anytime I get home from a trip ppl ask for pics and I never have many I’m always so busy exploring and having fun I forget that my phone exists it’s a nice feeling!
I love that. I’ve become really tired of the picture taking, I’m just so over it. I feel almost like I’m daringly “coloring outside the lines” when I don’t take photos and document my adventures anymore. It’s freeing.
Same! Isn’t it nice to live in the moment? ❤
i get asked why i don’t post the pictures i take on social media. like why would i? they’re for me and my memories
I love that!
I Can do both. Pictures are for me to remember, I can still explore and commemorate with a photo
And people give photographers a hard time when they will not share a location to protect it. It's also why I never go anywhere "on season" any more.
The US National Park System has started issuing entrance passes to certain parks because of this.
Love the park entry times! Helps keep the experience enjoyable, with space in the parkong lots and fewer miles-long traffic jams
I wish more museums would do limited entrance or premium entrance times. I'd happily pay extra to explore the Louvre or the Met at 7am and avoid the massive crowds and be able to go explore non touristic attractions for the rest of the day. It's difficult to find a way to be an ethical tourist while also not contributing to crowds and also it effecting personal anxiety
When I was young, I wasn't able to travel because my parents didn't have much money. Now I am quite well off and want to travel, but somehow I feel guilty to do so because so many places are overrun by tourists (especially influencers), the locals are annoyed and sometimes aren't even able to afford living there anymore. Somehow, the past 10-15 years turned travelling into a real problem and I don't want to be part of it. And I don't even have Instagram or any form of social media to post things on 😭
Having grown up influenced by travel advertisements before social media and travelling as an expat in Asia, I became wary of false advertising. I was more influenced by Anthony Bourdain and other travelling food influencers.Therefore, I prefer travelling for the food and activities to cross-off the bucket list rather than going to tourist-heavy spots for photos of myself blocking the view. Hence my IG is more about food. 😅
I grew up in Hungary and currently live in Florida. Buying a house either in Budapest or the Tampa bay area is a pipe dream for most people. Everything is turning into an Air B&B. And yes, the number of tourists in a year is about triple of the actual residents.
Onĺy trippel? Lucky you. Try living in Amsterdam. Its become a hellscape these last 10 years.
Best time to live here was during the big C. There Ive said it
@@tuttuttut7758 I could not agree with you more.
I use social media, see where people are going, and avoid it
I live in Nara, Japan (the place with the deer park) and seeing the disrespectful tourists makes me livid. Stalking geishas, ruining the view of Mt. Fuji (and the wall they had to put up to block tourists), treating the train like a playground...I don't know if it's main character energy or that they think they can take advantage of Japanese people's politeness, but people need to remember that while they are on vacation, the "locals" are going to work and not in the mood to deal with this bs.
The fact that they're coming here to take advantage of the weak yen only adds salt to the wound. Workers in Japan are making the equivalent of 5 USD/hour minimum wage or like 1000 USD/month for a salaried job struggling to get by. Every time I go to the grocery store, the price of every item has increased by at least 10 yen. And the government is foaming at the mouth to get MORE tourists in instead of making companies raise wages to meet the inflated cost of living and plummeting value of the yen.
I want people to enjoy Japan just like I am privileged to do, but let's have a little decorum!
I support you 1000%.
I live in Hawaii. The city I live in has started to make every single parking lot paid parking. So now locals can't even go eat at their favorite restaurant without having to pay between $15 to $30 an hour for parking.
So many native Hawaiians are being forced out of their homes because the housing prices have gone up so much. There are a very few select homes that people can only purchase if you have Hawaiian blood.
I live in a touristy area and the beach front is over $7 an hour I think. The locals who own places are sent free parking passes by the local council- though it's impossible to ge5 parking in the height of summer m
Watch the John Oliver piece about it he did a great job and people
Gotta know this. It is so unfair.- last week tonight it is the name of show. - I hope Hawaiians gets Hawaii back. It is just ethical. I love Hawaii so much .
I’m a travel photographer by hobby - I get yelled at from my parents for not including myself in the photo’s I shoot… but that doesn’t stop me. I WANT the crowds in the pictures, I WANT the atmosphere people bring to a place. In a sense, I become a street photographer when I travel and compose my pictures as such. Early on, I was taught that the best picture of a person is the one they never knew you shot. My style has died in the Instagram / selfie stick world… but this is what I am sticking to and I hope that in time, this style sees a renaissance.
One of my favorite photos of my mom was her purposefully ignoring my camera because she didn’t want her picture taken … she passed away a few months later (2019). I’ve started taking MORE photos and taking more trips since then. I’ll post my photos on social media but they’re more for me and my family than strangers on the internet.
Your style stands out.
I got extremely fed up with people filming me in my home town like I'm just a nice piece of colourful backdrop.
Greece has so many wonderful small islands and mainland ,the Greek summer has a unique feeling of freedom and joy ,just choose wisely the time and the secret places … love from Greece !
I always go to Greek islands with my best friend, we love them! Beautiful places, friendly people and amazing food. We’re actually going to Samos in a few weeks😊
I think one of the things Instagram really ruined for traveling is learning about the place you are visiting. Before Instagram, more people took the overseas trips to learn and experience the culture and try new things. Now, people treat the overseas trips as photoshoots. They don’t really do the research before or learn what is expected of the tourists.
Ever since I was a kid I loved learning about different cultures, their history, and languages. I’ve lived in 3 countries, and travelled to and within 5 countries. I hope to visit more when possible. I’m glad influencers had nothing to do with my dreams of seeing the world. It’s so sad seeing people travel just for the likes and views, but pay no attention to the true beauty of experience life the way another culture does, and don’t contribute to their society.
That’s why I love taking a big birthday trip every year. My birthday happens to fall in November which is off season for almost every place I have on my bucket list. Went to Greece last year and it was pretty damn empty.
The same here. Don't care for "in season" anything. I travel when all the others are not. :))
As an avid traveller I loved this, Caitlyn. Lovely to talk about something other than luxury for.a change. I did a lot of solo travelling/backpacking in my mid to late 20's (even ended up moving to the Netherlands from South Africa because I met my husband) and I love to travel with my family now. I have definitely noticed a shift in the number of humans thronging around every major attraction. There is a chip shop in Amsterdam where there is an Insta/TikTok queue for overpriced fries, the likes of which you could buy literally anywhere else in the rest of the city too, and everyone laughs at the people standing there. As a family we love to travel off the beaten track (Santorini may be overcrowded, Greece is a very large country with a huge amount of nature and history that is yours for the picking if you are not a sheep). Florence, Venice, Rome are to be avoided in peak season but Italy is littered with millions of other hilltop cities and villages that are absolutely gorgeous and a lot less crowded. Influencers themselves are not to blame, narcissists who uncritically follow are responsible for their own actions. PS Eastern Europe (other that the poor overloaded Charles Bridge in Prague and Dubrovnik in Croatia) is an unmined gem of culture, nature, good food, fun activities and so much history too. Think and live. For yourself, not your Insta feed.
Oh I loved reading your comment I also can’t help but think how brave you are I really want to travel more but scared to do it solo xx
I was talking about this with my husband. Traveling used to be chill. Now people are traveling just to post. Therefore why I avoid popular places. Bali is one of those places. My gosh!!! 😫 Bali is great, but loads of people going to the same da•mn temples. The biggest temple in Bali is a scam paradise.
Recently changed to start going to the lesser popular/ well known places. Having a blast without too many people like Im travelling back in time before the 2010s.
Obviously I always travel in the offpeak periods
@@tuttuttut7758, me too. I travel to less popular places. When I went to Indonesia, I was in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Lombok and Bali. Hubby was interested in Bali because he had heard a lot about it. I stayed in Bali for only 3 days and went to unpopular temples.
I am going to India, Cambodia and Vietnam this December. I am skipping the popular places. The only popular place I will be going are the Taj Mahal and Angkor Watt, due to documentaries I have watched. ❤
@@jenmar9428 Currently Im in Northern Macedonia and a few months ago I travelled to Gambia. I really enjoy these places. I will go to Mexico to travel the sightst but im prepared for the masses. Even when I travel off peak. After that itll be a lesser known place again
Oh that makes me sad I haven’t been to Bali and I don’t know I’m weary to go if I was to I would need to know the more low key spots too xx
@@tuttuttut7758 , How was North Macedonia?
I was thinking about Albania for a week. I saw a documentary about Albania and the beaches look marvelous!
As a world traveller, I can say that I almost always give the least amount of time to the really famous monuments and attractions and then spend more time getting the “feel” of the place and exploring the texture of the culture.
I just happened across this video and absolutely loved it. Your honesty was a breath of fresh air. I'm retired and travel twice a year for usually 2 months. I go to places that have been on my bucket list for years, not influenced by social media. Antarctica, Africa, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam. I'm always annoyed by all the people taking selfies trying to get "the perfect shot". I like to go to a country for at least a month to experience the real world. My recent trip to Vietnam was 2 months with a whole month just staying in Da Nang. I too love the new reels about IG vs reality. I am on IG and Facebook to share my travels with friends and family who would never visit these places like I do. I'm not there to influence anyone. I'm too old for that sh*t. I've had people tell me to start a UA-cam channel. Nope. I want to enjoy the place for me and not worry about getting the best shot or content.
Respect! I want to go and live a bit in Vietnam so bad ❤ that'll be my next place to visit. Maybe teach there.
International traveling is like visiting Disney World. You have to travel in the off season to avoid the crowded tourist destinations.
This is so true! I love traveling in off season or shoulder season and, because I travel with little kids, we end up mostly doing local markets and playgrounds and lots of low-key stuff and it’s so much more fun that way and we can avoid a lot of the crowding and learn more about everyday life there!
I live on a small island in SW Florida but I no longer post or say where-though it doesn’t matter much as IG influencers and travelers are coming in droves-and everyone is following. They say we’re an old Florida beach town-which we used to be, until all of the investors started buying up all the real estate and now almost every house in a rental. Almost ALL locals have left-just since Covid. It’s awful. They make it look great in photos but it takes 1.5 hours to drive a few miles. If you visit just know that the locals who are left really don’t want you here.
As someone who lives in one of Spain’s most touristy cities, thanks for mentioning the problems of unethical tourism! Also, easy af tip for anyone coming: stay at a hotel! Not an Airbnb, not a “apartment-hotel” hybrid, an actual hotel. And remember that no city is an amusement park, be mindful that people live there! Respect the culture, the resting hours and the space 🤍
I live in Japan. I can tell you that the over tourism has been the highest this year on record. The bans in Kyoto and now the blocking of Lawsons in Mt.Fuji. The worst thing still is that sadly so many tourists from abroad are so rude and entitled. I get it if they don’t know some unspoken rules of life in a place but many are so disrespectful. They also will run in the middle of streets, block traffic, leave garbage, talk loud on trains and eat on the street floor. I sometimes post places and things I think are nice about living here and people start to DM me for advice on their trip to Tokyo or Japan in general. I’m happy to help but then more and more are expecting me to create an itinerary and tell them where to go and how X place is like. I never been to x place 🤣. I tell them to book a travel agent because I don’t know.
I just don't understand why you want the same photo as everyone else. There are beautiful places that are unique and are stunning without a million people
Saw a bunch of want to be instagram models in my travel, they are ridiculous to see. Their lack of reality-staging of photos was something else
Cape Town 😭😭😭it’s so bad . The locals are paying 5 times more for a cup of coffee nowadays, let’s not talk about rent 😢. South Africa appreciates tourism but also we are unfortunately negatively affected by it 😢
I’m so glad you talked about something that’s been playing on my mind so long. You’re definitely not overthinking it, in fact you’re one of the only people I see talking about social media in a theoretical, sociocultural and philosophical standpoint. Baudrillard’s simulacrum is a perfect theory for how influencer culture has bled into the mainstream to the extent that it’s become the norm for all of us, influencer or not, whether we’re earning money or not, feel like we have to live a certain way in order to post photos in a certain way to look like our lives are a certain way
Never pay attention to influencers😂 always travel by myself and almost never take a lot of pictures, I am BUSY exploring and being in a moment😊
The thing is Julia. I loved taking photoes, loved fashion, skin products etc. But those influencers have turned me off; don't do shopping except food, and don''t take photoes when I travel. Now, I have a set for work, a set for weekend. Gave all my clothes to charity.
I've had so many amazing trips that wouldn't be considered gram worthy. Simply going away from the crowds and chatting to locals.. enjoying mom and pop type restaurants in alleyways and learning about the culture. You're right, how the culture is being flattened. Together with the rise of narcissism and filters. So many people are neither present or engaged wherever they are traveling to.. they care more about likes from strangers and carefully curated filters, than actually being present and enjoying the magic of where they are. Insightful vid and a discussion that more people need to be having.
Traveling and tourism used to be for one's own self. Now it is to show off to others. Mostly just to boast about how rich you are even if you really aren't that rich.
I lived in a touristic city, not so far from Venice (one hour by train or so). The problem is not only the crowding: it's the fact that, if you are only interested in taking that great photo everybody has already taken tons of times (and, if we are talking about influencers, probably with a profesional set up you can not ever compete to), then traveling looses all of its sense. Every place is the same, only a wonderful background for your shot.
Pre-Instagram (and of course today) there have been loads and loads of tourists with no imagination being driven around by huge buses (or cruise ships) all being told what the destination is about and being given 10 minutes to see it all. In my opinion this is not travel and I’m guessing this sort of tourism is not going to change anytime soon.
I hope it gets enough pushback to start changing. I used to do what it took to avoid the tour bus and cruise ship people and continue to do so with the Instagrammers now added to that list. I am very concerned about local people who live and work near some of these over touristed spots.
Great video! I've been traveling abroad extensively for over 20 years, and even before social media, some places have always been crowded. I thought Bali was crowded when I went after "Eat Pray Love" came out, lol. It's even easier now than it used to be to edit photos to make it look like you were alone in some touristy place. However, the "pandemic rebound" has been hitting a lot of places hard. My friend and I were some of the first Americans to visit Greece after it re-opened to vaccinated travelers (like THE week it re-opened), and I know I will never have those types of experiences ever again, having NOBODY around. I can't shit on influencers too much though, because someone else inspired me to visit Saudi Arabia and now it's one of my top 5 countries. I just wish people were a bit more thoughtful about the content they make. I think you can tell who makes travel content bc they're passionate about travel, and who is making it to "sell" a lifestyle and make money.
I went to Tulum, Mexico because I was influenced by social media, and never again will I go someplace based so heavily on social media and me thinking that it would look enviable to my followers.
Tulum is also experiencing overtourism; it does NOT have the infrastructure to handle all the tourists flocking there. There are issues with plumbing, the cenotes and aquifers are being polluted and destroyed. I saw the most abject poverty, people living in shacks with no running water, electricity, etc.. It was super crowded near the beach, traffic can hardly flow on the tiny road that leads to all the beach hotels and clubs. People get injured in accidents all the time. There's trash everywhere. I felt stupid for thinking that influencers were showing the reality and harm that was going on there. It's geared toward tourism and Instagram in such a horrible way that damages the environment and native people.
My best trips recently have NOT been popular Instagram destinations. I just go back from my first trip to Europe- we visited Berlin. We stayed in a lovely neighborhood far from the touristy center near the Brandenburg gate and I had such a great time! My first solo trip was to Montreal. Another great but more under the radar destination. When my partner and I went to Costa Rica we stayed in the southwestern Pacific region that's far less popular than the north Pacific area and had an amazing time.
I will continue to choose destinations that aren't terribly popular and that I go to because I want to, not because I think it'll look good online. If anything, when I post about going to less popular places it doesn't get as much attention/traction, which may be why influencers post popular places in the first place. They're posting for the algorithm and so more 'exotic' or romantic places get more attention than going to a little small town no one's ever heard of or going to a big city that no one views as a cool tourist destination.
Also, I have definitely gotten mad at my partner for not taking a good photo of me! 🤣
My next big trip will be a 10 day road trip around Iceland in July! 😊 This is a bucket list trip for me. I'm hoping to experience awe at the beauty of Earth, possibly feel otherwordliness, and connect to nature.
Great video Caitlin! Thanks for bringing light to this issue, because we travelers have a responsibility to be good stewards and minimize harm.
instagram destroyed tulum
cabo in mexico is great, ya Tulum used to be super rural and remote, other places in mexico can handle a lot more tourism and they're just as beautiful.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and I hope you have the best time in Iceland! X
Yeah I didn’t realize Tulum was such a popular destination until social media. I went to Mexico 10 years ago and only visited tulum for the maya ruins and the coast nearby then went back to the area I was staying
Something that I’ve heard from a Greek local: some of the islands that used to be just a where locals and fishermen lived are new hot destinations for tourists. And the locals are selling their land/ houses for big $$$ to developers or just renting them out. The upside is that now all of the sudden a fish shop owner is now a millionaire, the downside is that the fish shop/ other local business is now closed. So it’s killing the small authentic businesses. (But probably is good for cafes and restaurants and tourist shops)
The scooter videos are so much cooler as a viewer than the “cool pictures” the pictures just look like something everyone else posts and sure they’re nice pics but there’s nothing authentic feeling about it. It feels like just that a photoshoot not a vacation. The video of you two driving around makes me feel like it’s the real experience and makes me happy to see what you’re doing. Just my thoughts on it ♥️
I left all social media (except UA-cam obviously 🤣) in October of last year. I now realize how much social media was influencing to want and do. And now I feel so much more in control of my own likes ❤. Instead of traveling to the usual Europe spots, this year I’m doing a roadtrip through Canada. I’m so much more present, I don’t care about a specific photo to post, I don’t care what other people think… it’s SO liberating!!!! 😊
This is a good reminder for me to choose carefully and adjust expectations carefully. Unfortunately, as grad students, my husband and I are stuck on a university schedule, and we cannot wait until we can take more advantage of shoulder season. Picking location has always been the toughest part of trip planning.
If you are both students where does all the money come from to go travelling?
@@stephenbanks5952 we also work full time and have budgeted carefully. Not all of our trips are extravagant out of the country trips.
Hi, greetings from Europe😁 I can totally recommend going to southern european countries like Greece, Spain or Italy in the middle of winter. We live in central Europe and do it every year and belive me - it's the best season for visiting antient ruins, medieval towns and cities. Everything is open but almost no crowd at all.. we visited for example Acropolis in Greece in February - it was great - only several people, very good temperature ( about 15-17 degrees Celsius) and the tickets only 50% of the price on high season. Perfect timing😁
I can’t wait for this one, this is so up my ally as you well know…Tbh I’m glad in my new job I’m dealing with mostly 65+ who just care about getting a nice lunch and actually learning about stuff. My tour company is really good in reducing the tacky factor, like we don’t wear uniforms or have obnoxious flags, we have subtle ways to stand out
Omg that’s so good!!
We were in Barcelona few years ago and there was a lovely cafe across Sagrada Familia, owned by an old man, who offered delicious local food. But some years after how upset we were seeing McDonals and KFC at that place 😭 I have many stories from my personal experience how tourism just destroyed local food in Italy.
I think it’s a good idea when government/council restrict these zones. Nothing wrong with offering tourists a sense of familiarity and comfort whilst travelling, but allowing something that should have been no more than a gesture of hospitality to destroy the local culture, is devastating for the community as well as those that enjoy visiting it
Oh that’s so unfortunate!
Right?!? We have this absolutely breathtaking building, you cross the street and there it is American fast food. But ❤ all of Barcelona
The worst pizza I've ever eaten was in Italy. Certainly did not expect that.
Similar happened to me in Koh Samui, Thailand but almost thirty years ago, it was beautifully unspoilt, revisited the following year and there was a McDonald’s 😢
Always travel off peak ❗️its cheaper and you miss the crowds. Travel to the unpopular places. There's magic there too 🔆
Thanks for sharing your experiences, definitely interesting to think about.
I returned from an overseas holiday a week ago, and I had a ball. Took some cool pics, but one of my favourite parts of being away is being able to switch off. It's a good excuse for not being reachable 😁
While sitting in the pool, covered in sunscreen with a daggy hat, chugging delicious cocktails, I saw at least one couple/group a day come up to the rooftop pool and spend 45 mins+ posing, changing swimsuits etc and I was very happy to be watching (it's interesting!) while drinking and chilling, as opposed to getting the perfect insta moment.
This isn't meant to be mean or judgemental... Genuinely happy to be where I'm at, and past feeling the need.
That said I 100% feel that frustration when you take a gorgeous photo of someone and then every photo of you makes you want to cry 🙃 I try to be of the mind that there will be other cute moments, and other pfp worthy pics 🤞
That's why I do not believe infuencers packing light. They do not show their checking luggage for all there clothing changes for their photos😂
I had an acquaintance get mad at me for not taking all the photos she wanted. She handed me her phone (a model I had no familiarity with) and had it lined up to take continuous photos.....I didn't know I had to keep my finger on the button (or it would switch to single shot) and didn't know how to restart the function after I moved my hand. She was PISSED that I had ONLY taken about 25 frames of her before/during/after bungee jumping despite the fact her mom was standing next to me taking a video. We have several friends in common but I have never hung out with her again after that weekend.
I'm happy to take pictures for other people, but if they need me to know more then aiming in their direction and pressing a button a couple times...well...that's on them.
Your points at the end really sunmed it up, its treating popular locations like photoshoots, its why people see and treat Japan like a theme park, just travelling for photos and the gram but you dont experience anything. X this thousands of times over and thats modern travel
Yeah, especially with how cheap it is now because of the low yen rate. It SOO much easier to go to Japan now. Which is why people are flocking to Japan. Gotta get those shots for only 100 USD!! (maybe even cheaper, idk)
Seriously how do we even travel anymore? I love Japan.. went there 15 yrs ago and finally am financially able to go but now everyone is going.. ppl are getting streets closed.. 😢 i hope social media ends one day.
I just came back from Japan. Don’t let social media fool you because you can go as normal. Instagram/social media is not real life (always remember that).
You will not see all the influencers you know because you landed in the airport.
It will be like visiting (just as you did 15 years ago but with more people who speak English) and as fun as ever.
@@MsSizzlingSuccess In English speaking Japan ranks at the bottom and only recently has Japan gotten popular with tourist from like 2010s.
@@23Lgirl Rightly so. This was my exact point on a reason to return even more. (Even less barrier).
My husband and I randomly decided to do a bike tour of Tokyo on our visit there and it was banger! So nice to not have to make any decisions and just follow the guide and be shown some nice places we wouldn’t find on our own and get to know some other people. On bikes you are so much more than on foot and now we always try and find a bike tour or just hire bikes and bike around randomly and see what we find.
I’ve also found that planning trips less is lovely. Now we might have a few museums or places that we really want to see, but we don’t plan for much and leave lots of time to just wander around and hang out at a coffee shop. Like it’s a vacation, you’re there to be somewhere else and see nice things and relax. You can’t see and do everything in life do you kinda have to embrace that you’ll miss out.
We’ve also taken to going on vacations to random places locally. Like a weekend away at a nearby town, we stay at the local hotel and go to the tourist center and ask what there is to see. It’s been fun, we’ve been to a match museum, seen old Stone Age graves and visited a cheese factory for lunch, and all that in towns that are less than 1-2 hours away. Worst case scenario we spend a couple of nights at a nice hotel eating out at restaurants and wandering around parks and enjoying each others company.
I travel frequently to Italy for work and a lot of people have commented that I rarely share photos and it’s because I am just experiencing. That being said, I am grateful to a few friends who have made sure that I get at least some photos with them or at places. But most of where I’m going is not super populated.
That being said, I grew up in the 70s and I remember that everybody owned slide projectors because people wanted to share their vacation photos. The medium has changed with social media, but the desire to share all these photos has not.
I always forget to take pictures when I go to places, so we don't have a lot of pictures of us travelling.
But you have the memories ❤
Note all of those crowded "reality" spots could be vacant if you went 2 miles out of the way to a spot nobody goes to
This is very true! I remember on my way walking from my hotel to the trevi fountain which was 20 minutes of walking and it was like 5:00pm on the way there it wasn't as much people
Exactly! For all the complaints about how tourism ruins the beauty of a location, in many locations, it's just as beautiful but you just need to explore a bit (which should be happening during a trip anyways)
I will admit, that I’m actually rather happy that information is not exactly ‘common knowledge’ amongst travellers that are overly concerned with centring their entire experience around replicating the ‘perfect shot’. It’s also pretty cool to meet other tourists on the outskirts and less saturated areas that enjoy exploring, are more relaxed and far less rude or entitled, at least compared to some I’ve met in the crowds in hotspot areas.
I'm disappointed how much the photos are edited. Imagine my shock when I found out cherry blossoms are not pink. Also the shell sculpture in Seoul on social media was edited to be pink and purple. When I got there it was red and blue!!!!
The cherry blossoms outside my house are bright pink. There are different ones, all shades of very pale white pink to pink that is clearly very pink. You can just google it. There are yellow and green ones too but pale white pink and pink are most common.
I cannot explain you how much i agree with all of this. Im from a touristic place and in the last 10years i literally hate it… its all souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants, all the local spots where i used to go do not exist anymore and going through a street to finish a simple task is impossible as the town’s infrastructure is not able to accommodate the amount of people visiting on daily basis. I travel around the world as part of my job and as my town became such a popular site to visit i act totally different when i travel for work as im thinking how annoying it might be for the locals, im mindful not to stop in the middle of the street and pull out my phone and take pictures 3million times to get a good shot, or even using public transport as i know that it makes it so much more difficult for locals to go to work or whatever as a bunch of tourists don’t want to spend too much so ofcourse they use the public transport and try to pass as cheap as possible
9:20--Just came back from a three-week trip to Japan and went to this exact shrine (Fushimi Inari). I was so overwhelmed by the number of people that I quickly found a side path up the mountain and encountered maybe eight other people before reaching the top. Was a great experience outside all of the hellish crowds. Kyoto is having a huge overtourism problem right now, and the stress of the locals is palpable. Was my least favourite city out of the five I stayed in.
I feel this! There has been such a major shift in what it’s like to travel from my early trips circa 2015 (nowhere near this busy!) to this year almost a decade later. It’s so full on in some locations that I didn’t enjoy it. Too many people hustling to get photos and disrespecting the locals.
YESSSS!!!!! This perfectly explains what I hated about Dubai. It wasn’t until I left the tourists areas that I gained an appreciation for Dubai. Thank you for exploring this topic.
Yes! The desert was my favorite part!
Omg! The Bali shot was so hilarious! Way more crowded than you’d think.
Instagram is where advertising photography went when it died. I am so glad to see the pushback starting against influencer type of travel. Take your own pictures for your own memories and don't be a predator just using places. I am so glad people called out the idiot stalking the geisha.
Someone got killed by a train because she was taking an Instagram photo. She walked onto the train track. That happened the other day. I can't remember where it was.
Omg
I love traveling and being out in nature. I’ve stopped wanting to go to national parks in the U.S. because they are often so overcrowded. People will crowd up overlooks and even get into fights over parking spots at trail heads. I’ve had some of my favorite moments at state parks, regional parks, and at hidden gems.
Yes yes yes! I just got back from California and I want to stop getting dressed up and wearing makeup on vacation. I don’t care if it didn’t photograph well because I had an amazing time. I was happy and saw beautiful things that my phone totally failed to capture.
i don’t understand why some people are complaining how crowded some places are… like you are there too, chill
The irony...
No, there are different types of travelers. I was just in New York City and some girl thought it was her own private photo shoot at the stock exchange. She asked another traveler to move out of her photo.
I'm from the Netherlands and it's an issue in Amsterdam too where people go to one specific stroopwafel shop or whatever because it went viral on Tiktok. It creates a huge line of people waiting in front of the shop blocking people going in an out of other shops. So they loose customers. Also other shop owners get annoyed and pissed off because everyone seems to go to that viral stroopwafel shop while their stroopwafels are really good too but they all go to the other one they saw on Tiktok because that has be better. Of course there always have been very popular shops and stuff many people go to because they heard it's great but now it's gotten why out of hand. Same with photo's. I'm not in Amsterdam often, I only go there for a concert usually, but now there is even more people blocking roads and sidewalks because they want to recreate that one picture they saw on tiktok or make a picture of something because they saw it on tiktok. Even in my own city I see more tiktokkers and vloggers and I hate it, because I don't want to end up in a vlog or tiktok etc.
I went to Amsterdam with a list of instagram food spots to visit. I wanted this famous french fries on Damrak and when I got there, it had a long line. As I stood in line I noticed next door was another french fry spot with no line so I went there. As a foreigner, I couldn't have know there would be a bunch of shops selling the same thing.
@@annan.3283you can buy french fries everywhere, and stroopwafels are sold in the supermarket. It is such a waist of time to wait in line
Its annoying as the fresh stroopwafels from the market are much better and cheaper. Its all a scam.
And those queue are so annoying. I get road rage on my bike when i need to get past those people 😂
@@annan.3283 actually you can, just by walking around. Avond the tourist places. Go where the local people are because they know whats good in the area
@@tuttuttut7758 but I don't know any local people lol, so I do my research on instagram before I go
As someone who travels for work, I feel the pressure to squeeze in visiting beautiful places so I can share them on scial media, when sometimes, the reality is that I'm so tired that I just want to sit in the bathtub in my hotel room and order room service or sushi. I'm getting better at recognizing these signals for myself and it makes the trips more enjoyable this way. :)
I'm happy to say I traveled quite a bit before the whole social media thing blew up. I do love photography, so I take photos on my dslr while travelling, but I also put it away most of the time and just enjoy the moment. What I love is finding those wonderful little places that the insta-tourists don't bother with because it's not on their bucket list of flex photos. Like finding a tea house in Kyoto that is sunk down a bit so the incredible traditional garden outside is at, or just below, your eye level. I sat there for three hours, watching the snow fall and drinking tea. No pics.
Watching this reminded me of the brass markers I saw at the Grand Canyon for people who fell to their death because they were posing for photos...before you brought up the deaths later in the video.
When we did tours in Ephesus and Pompeii, it was incredible, don’t get me wrong, but THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AND THE HEAT!!!!! Definitely NOT what you see online, and I was cracking up when you brought up the “tour signs”. It was so packed I couldn’t even find our tour guide half the time & started getting panicky 🤣
I was in Pompeji in the 90s: alone!
Omg yes the panic when you lose your group and you get left behind ahhhh 😂 can relate
I just finally visited the Grand Canyon, on a solo trip. It was so crowded and irritating, and that was on a Wednesday, while kids are still in school. I didn't stay long, and I didn't post a single photo.
So sorry you had a rough experience. GCNP can be really busy - but go just a little down any trail, and crowds thin considerably. I hope you have more amazing adventures!
same. i was there in march and it was awful! i go to a lot of national parks and i’ve never seen one as crowded as the grand canyon. people were driving like maniacs there too!
Just about a minute in and I can't believe you've mentioned Vienna, my hometown! I live in Paris now because even here, tourism is managed better than it is in Vienna. I've seen so many places ruined by overtourism - there is hardly any spot left for the locals.
This has always been a thing it’s just been ramped up by a 1000. When I was younger I traveled a lot and so often I see pictures or videos of places I’ve been that present an unrealistic view that it’s so glamorous to visit the Eiffel Tower. Not showing the fences, police with guns and lines. Even back in 2008 when I visited Notre Dame, they were actually having Mass but the tourists were behind ropes circling the sanctuary looking at all the art, during Mass! I would never want to be one of those parishioners. As a tourist I felt so uncomfortable being there during their service. I used to live in the tourist area of Chicago, Lincoln Park/ Michigan Ave. it was a lot then but it wasn’t non stop 24/7 tourists. Today there is no way I’d ever live there. The crowds, the constant lines, everyone stopping and taking videos and pictures. It’s obnoxious when it’s your everyday. Plus, because there are just so many people it’s just so much dirtier and unsafe. I have no problem with these communities limiting the number of people or requiring an entrance fee etc. So many of these places are being ruined and we need to take care of them.
I live in Vienna and every other sunday I visit the inner city with the eyes of a tourist (without a cellphone) and marvel at the beautiful buildings and hidden little streets.
There is always something new to find.
One advice for the visit of the louvre … Don‘t look for the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is a fantastic museum, and aside from the one room where this painting is presented, it‘s even quite quiet in peak season.
I swear you are the best thing that happened to UA-cam in a long time.
*screams in displaced Hawaiian*
I'm feeling a WEIRD kind of "OG vibe" to the very roots of my family tree listening to all this, tbh. I feel like Hawaii is one of the post children for this and it truly does warp the lives of the people involved forever if it goes unchecked.
To skip over a lot of the usual fluff about visiting Hawaii, etc. etc. --> Yes, there is almost nothing that can be exported but tourism at this stage on any scale that would keep up even a TINY bit with the cost of living. No, that does not mean that "tourism" helps the people living on the islands to the degree that serious overhaul of the laws, regulations, tax distrubution, voting district lines, and guest and visitor's self-reflection isn't needed.
My family - the side who have my heart, who have shaped me - are native Hawaiian and at this point only one old Auntie and Uncle are able to live in their increasingly falling apart house around Hilo. I think I have a cousin clinging for dear life with her family of six to working three jobs in Honolulu, but last I checked in she was trying to figure out how to get a night shift at McDonalds and Taco Bell to patch up the bills on a two-bedroom apartment *with six people living in it.* And she works full time during the day in hospitality management!!
To cut through a ton of it again: Where money goes, where a feeling of indulgence and exclusitivity go, where a real community and their land and their culture are turned into backdrops for someone's main character mood and movie... a lot of problems follow. The problems in Hawaii go so, so much deeper than people realize because of the way the land was taken (my great-grandfather, for instance, worked for the military his whole life but wasn't allowed to be a citizen, had to PAY a company that "acquired" the land that his family had lived on for over six generations for the right to own his home, then was given exactly $1USD and forced to sign a contract thrust in his face by personal with guns in less than five minutes that signed over the rights to his property so it could be bulldozed for the sole highway that now loops Big Island and since he was not a citizen had no legal recourse or money to fight it) all the way to how the laws are written and *where the money is actually going* today. IT IS NOT STAYING ON THE ISLAND FOR THE PEOPLE THERE.
Phew. Okay. Bottom line, imho: Travel is life changing. It always has been, it always will be. The challenges we face, the experiences we discover, the people we bump into far from home who make us realize things about ourselves or humanity as a whole are beyond priceless.
Where it becomes this toxic is where our work being human - at proving how beautiful humanity can be, starting with our own actions - is given to us. Can we answer - are we truly being respectful of the place we are visiting? Of the land? Of the people there, now? Did we stop for just a second before we took a step onto that beach and check in and ask, "Okay - it is beautiful here, but am I adding to the pressure and stress that makes life worse for everyone through how I choose to be here?" Did we choose the cheaper option we could learn in a one minute Google search just cut their employee's healthcare? Were we patient with the people who are expected to be acting like vacation-perfect NPCs while in their own grocery store? Did we ignore litter on a street we snap that awesome pic to share on, so we could exploit someone else's home and the land itself without even a two-second geasture of gratitude?
I think the reason people end up ignoring all this is because... we're so freaking tired by the time we get on vacation. Usually we've pushed ourselves, we're fried, we're done, and there is some increasingly frantic voice in the back of our minds that pins our hopes on the pressure easing up "once we are there and relax." Dealing with the tangled, nuanced realities that life is messy for the people there, too, just feels like way too much.
But it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It can look like taking just a *moment* to really stop and question your motives. What does respect really look like here? Are you really getting the opportunity this place offers to you, in a fair exchange for what it costs the people living there?
Back home - are you really paying attention to the local laws? Putting in even the amount of time someone might scroll on TikTok during bathroom breaks for the week to check if the things that make up your community - housing prices, public access to healthy places, truly transparent and fair distribution of taxes, the real root behind the parent company of the parent company?
And at the very, very least... exhausted, tired, just wanting to believe there is somewhere good in the world you can go and see cool things, eat fun things, and maybe have enough novelty to wash away the fatigue for a bit? Perhaps we can all at the very least aim for the same rule we are supposed to aspire to while camping: Leave no traces. Don't distrub the wildlife. Don't carve your names into trees. Admire and don't pick the wildflowers. Leave where you came from in a state of the beauty that you, too, hoped you'd find.
thank you for this. going to Hawaii for the first time in a few weeks, with deep reverence and respect for the indigenous all over this planet. will do my best to shop only local, support artisan and small business, no chain hotels etc. and tipping
Beautifully said! I'm from a Caribbean island, so I 100% get you! Tourists can be so entitled and expect that people where they go dance for them and treat them like royalty with no respect for the culture, but thankfully there are also people that do take interest in learning about how the locals truly live and go with a more open mind to learn about the culture, but yes, those are more rare!
Thankyou for this so many thought provoking things to ponder ❤️
Thanks for writing this out. Really big insights here for an outsider like me
Sooo true! I used to be obsessed with travel photos and used to get into so many arguments with my partner because he just couldn’t match the shot I had in my mind.
I didn’t like who I was becoming.
Now I have an iPhone full of hundreds of amazing photos, including a photoshoot in Egypt, but can’t be bothered to post them on IG.
It was so exhausting making sure my feed ‘looked perfect’, and it always all matched.
I put so much pressure on myself and spent so much time on it, and for what? I’m not even an influencer and never made any money or anything from it. I got to the point where I stopped enjoying it. Haven’t posted in months.
Thank you for making this video.
Instagram has certainly ruined some places. However, it is the growing number of people being able to afford traveling. European capitals as Rome or Paris have always been popular but the masses of tourists have grown significantly over the last 30 years. Instagram made it even worse. I feel bad for those attention seeking people needing to take instagram photos of hotspots. In today's world its sadly more about showing off then really experiencing the place. I love wondering around and taking photos of little treasures on the side, not only the attractions. On the other hand I am happy everybody is going to Santorini, so we have the beautiful places to ourselves.😙 Greece is a beautiful country and has way better places to offer than Mykonos and Santorini.
Apparently the hoteliers on Santorini are annoyed that so many tourists are from cruises that means hardly anyone actually stays there anymore
Great video. For myself I think there are a couple of different things I do (or will do more in the future): first off, just don't feel like intercontinental travel is necessary or "a right" and instead look for destinations closer to me, that don't require flying or at least not intercontinental flying. This has the upside of reducing the huge environmental impact AND it makes it more likely that you'll see smaller places that aren't on everyone's itinerary. A hiking or cycling trip in my own area is usually MUCH nicer than flying into a hot crowded city. Secondly, not feeling any FOMO about skipping the "must see" things. Especially in peak season (and sadly my job doesn't allow me to travel in the off season), the experience just won't be good no matter how pretty the place is, so it's really ok to just NOT go there and follow my nose into lesser known places, churches, restaurants etc. It can feel weird to go to Rome and not visit the Colosseum but there are a ton of much smaller Roman ruins that are also super interesting to visit and that aren't choked to the gills with people. So just changing that mindset that it's possible and fine to skip the things that are considered "must see".
I also just never had IG and that helps. I'm not good at taking photos, and I also don't enjoy it, so usually have only maybe 10 pics of a two week vacation. It helps to not behave obnoxiously to just "get that pic" and actually engage with the environment and people in it in a more respectful manner, as the guest that in the end you are as a tourist. You gotta go to a new place with respect, flexibility and curiosity.
I think instagram made it way more accessible to plan a vacation but to vacation it’s work … planning waiting standing around moving through crowds walking a lot has always been a part of it … to do it for one single picture is wild to me 😅
I think the key is to visit the not so popular travel destinations, there is an absolute abundance of beautiful places on this planet. I’ve seen all of the popular places in millions of pictures, I’d rather go somewhere different to everyone else. Or, if it’s something I really want to see, I’m happy to go off peak, if it’s cold, I can just put more clothing on. And yes to travelling on a train, I love trains. I’m also the person who is so immersed in the moment, that I don’t even think to take pictures of the scenery, let alone wasting time worrying about getting myself in a shot.
Makes me feel that I've not really missed anything. The crowds would ruin it for me.
I have been traveling a lot for years, way before social media. I remember my first trip to Paris with my classmates, and I purchased 2 of those Kodak disposable cameras. So many pictures ruined where it would be blurred, etc. I was taking pictures of everything!Lol! Now Paris has definitely changed, but I feel tourism has been consistent. People have more money to travel. I feel those touristic places have always been busy, it is just that we are being more aware of it now! I am travelling to unknown destinations, staying in resorts as I have a baby and can't be adventurous. We are also planning trips in the countryside. I am tired of long queues to get to a landmark under the summer heat. I have been to Paris for my babymoon, and it was great! Everything planned to the detail, since we have visited the city so many times. Now we are going more to small towns and small countries, before mass tourism reaches those places as well!
no, influencers are not responsible, we are. the moment we stop consuming narcisstic content, thats when they stop
I think it’s too far gone 😞
Yes, traveling just to take pretty pictures is so different to traveling to immerse oneself at the destination.
my parents went to Japan a few years ago and they used a tour. all they did was going here and there by bus, take a few photos of travel hot spots, then having a meal, then take a rest at hotels. all felt rushed and they felt little enjoyment.
a few years before that me and my wife traveled to Tokyo and stayed there for 2 weeks. we had a relaxed schedule, only visited 2-3 destinations a day and then free-stroll. this way we found so many unexpected good stores and cafes, and even unplanned restaurant visit impressed me with a excellently-cooked tonkatsu.
Never been this early,btw Hi Caitlyn you're doing a great work❤
Yay! Thank you! 🥰
This is some of your best work. I don't spend much time on TikTok so I hadn't noticed this trend. My 77 y/o Mom wants to go to Italy, I wonder when the best time to take her is OFF season.
Aw Thankyou so much!