The Art of Travel
Barbarians don’t travel. They simply
go to destinations or conduct raids
(Olga Tokuraczuk)
In a survey conducted in 2019 by WeSwap amongst 18 – 35 olds (i.e. millennials), 37% of respondents said their choice of holiday destination was influenced by social media, with 31% stating that posting holiday snaps online was just as important as the holiday itself. Clearly, the way we travel has undergone a massive transformation. Capturing a moment on camera is certainly not new, but the way we share our travelling life with others has reached an extent that was hitherto unimaginable. The 21st century equivalent of a picture postcard (or the infamous slide shows to which people were subjected to not that long ago) represents an incredibly convenient way of letting others know about your exploits.
But not everyone has come on board. Villanelle, the protagonist in the BBC’s pre-pandemic spy thriller ‘Killing Eve’ offered a dry comment about social media. She was sitting outside a small café in Amsterdam overlooking a canal, wearing one of her customary garish outfits. A young tourist approached her and commented on how cute she looked and whether Villanelle would mind if the tourist could take a photo for her Instagram feed. ‘Absolutely not. Get a life’, was her acid response.
food for thought:
Olga Tokarczuk. Flights
The notion of Instagram as a source of ridicule has become widespread. One notable instance involved a couple standing amidst a 35,000-strong crowd of Borussia Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’ in the South stand of the famous Westfalenstadion. With minutes to play in the semi-final of the 2017 German cup competition, and the score tied, Dortmund was awarded a penalty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped up, but footage shared on social media showed the couple turning their backs to the action. Instead, they raised their selfie stick so that their camera phone was able to snap their two smiling faces with Aubameyang scoring in the background. The clip went viral with several Borussia fans calling for the couple to be banned for life from entering the football ground. What is so poignant about this story, is the attempt to capture a moment, which only resulted in the couple in fact never experiencing the moment. Posting their image proved to the social media world that they were amongst a fanatic crowd. But their behaviour of course falls well short of actually being part of the place. They were there, but not really.
more food for thought
Emily Thomas. The Meaning of Travel
Cynics might point to the occasional Darwinian process of survival of the fittest (or the reverse: the demise of the not-so-fit). There is the story of two travel bloggers on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California who moved about with their cameras to capture the best light and angle. Eventually, they fell 3,000 feet to their deaths.
Whether you shake your head in disbelief at such stories is a moot point. Travellers have always collected mementos of their journeys, whether souvenirs, photos, or live-action films. That has not changed in the digital age, it is just that everyone is doing it now and at colossal volumes. And yes, some travellers give in to an unfortunate narcistic streak, and the joy of travel all too often becomes a banal exercise in self-promotion.
further food for thought.
Byong-Chul Han. Hyperculture
Barbarians don’t travel. They simply go to destinations or conduct raids
Olga Tokuraczuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2018 and this is arguably the most famous quote from her novel ‘Flights’. Anyone visiting European tourist hotspots might be reminded of Olga’s observation: Hordes of sightseers moving from one photogenic location to the next, ticking off boxes on some ‘top-things-to-see-and-do ‘list, whilst capturing well-practised poses in front of some attraction, before releasing the image onto social media, where very similar versions of those images can already be found. The scourge of modern life is FOMA: the fear of missing out on a list of much-see and must-do experiences, aided by a tourist industry that is promoting ‘instagramable’ photo ops to which everyone seems to flock to. And so the hordes march on, like crowds in a theme park mvoing from one attraction to the next: Me in front of the Barcelona Cathedral; riding a tram through Lisbon; walking down the Spanish steps in Rome. Tick. Tick. Tick. Working through such a list is great fun to many tourists. But does it really get us any closer to a meaningful travel experience?
final food for thought.
Martha Honey & Kelsey Frenkiel.
Overtourism
So what is the essence of travel? Crowds tend to flock to places that are deemed unmissable. That’s just the way it is. But FOMA and the conspicuous list of tourist attractions promoted by travel influencers undermine other definitions of the essence of travel. How about interaction with locals? How about the immersion into a different culture? How about learning new skills? How about broadening cultural, social, and political horizons? And above all, how about stepping out of the day-to-day routine of life for once, and relish the intoxicating process of acquiring a new identity as a traveller; someone who journeys from place to place, soaking up social interactions and cultural exchanges along the way without following a social media-defined narrative? FOMA and coasting along tourist spots whilst constantly bumping into people of similar backgrounds might find it difficult to fit into such an understanding of travelling. And such experiences are not what this travel blog is about.
Following crowds from one tourist hotspot to the next might not be everyone's preferred thing. Under the section ‘a quieter place’ I have included suggestions that encompass lesser-known destinations, which might not be frequented by as many travellers. Sometimes it might just be a visit during off season (to Hvar Island for instance) which puts the place in a completely different light, which should make the process of immersing yourself in a local culture just that little bit easier, simply because the local culture is still there and not suffocated by turbo tourism.
Jetting around the world to land in some destination, only to return home from the same spot a fortnight later is also not top of my list. It works for many people, who just want to flop on a beach, and relax. But I am a great advocate of the journey itself (and not just the arrival) as the main attraction of travelling. As such, in the section ‘road trips' I have put together journeys that could keep you occupied for many months.
As to city tourism, there is very little additional information and knowledge that I could bring to the table. There are thousands of travel bloggers, guidebooks and travel companies that are specialising in this area. Adding to this plethora seems to me to be a pointless exercise. But I do have a special soft spot for hikes. It is a cheap and very accessible way of travel, it brings occasionally much needed funds to areas whose economic viability might not be as straightforward, and of course it is good for your mental and physical wellbeing. Have a look in the imaginatively labelled section ‘hikes’, and if you are up for a more enduring challenge, ‘long distance trails’ might be just what you are looking for.
I hope the posts listed on this site might inspire you to get on the road (or train, or boat, or bike) and to soak up what Europe has to offer. And be sure to engage in JOMA: the joy of missing out!