I didn’t think I would write about this so soon, but after noticing an airline specifically promoting a destination for “Instagram-seeking tourists” I couldn’t stop myself from putting together this blog immediately. It was also a moment of realization that there are handfuls of articles online contriving up lists of the most “Instagrammable” places out there. After I finished face palming myself, and reminding myself that many people will do a lot of things “for the ‘gram”, I managed to compose myself enough to start today’s travel rant.
Today I’m going to dive into what going to an Instagrammable place might entail, and what you can expect to gain out of it other than likes on your posts and photos. If you prefer to watch me talk about it check out this Youtube video!
What Makes a Place 'Instagrammable'?
If you aren’t already familiar with the ins and outs of social media, specifically Instagram, I’m going to summarize this as brief and accurate as possible. Basically, a specific landmark, or destination would be labelled as ‘Instagrammable’ depending on how the place can be visually represented in a picture on social media. This is purely superficial, and is based on how interesting or incredible the place looks.
Is there a specific point of view that makes that location look picturesque and makes you want to go there yourself? Then it’s Instagrammable. Will that specific view get lots of people to like your photo and convince them to look into travelling to that destination too? Then it’s Instagrammable.
Before I go on though. I want to take this opportunity to point out that after looking into Instagrammable destinations, you’ll often find the same specific shot is recycled by everyone. I have a few myself, like this picture of me at Machu Picchu.
We are oversaturated with that one point of view, with little knowledge of what may lie outside of that frame. Remember, so long as that specific view is visually pleasing, the surrounding area of that place will do little to impact the popularity of it on Instagram. Because all people are sharing is that one point of view, that’s all everyone following will see, until of course they see the place for themself.
Why Are People Travelling for Pictures?
For a number of reasons. Some more noble than others in my opinion. Obviously, there are people that do travel to take pictures for work purposes. Photographers, travel influencers (who definitely use these Instagrammable places), will definitely be travelling more exclusively to create stunning pictures, but what about the rest of us?
I think the most important question we should be asking ourselves before we go on any trip if we want to get more out of it than just superficial content is this:
If you went there without your phone or camera, would you still want to go?
Once you get there I would suggest the following question:
Am I choosing the next landmark or location based on a picture I want to take?
To some of us, maybe this sounds ridiculous, but to others this is a reality. And sadly, even if we don’t want to admit that social media is taking over our brains, it’s still something that you might have a hard time controlling.
For some people taking cool pictures and sharing them is their job, but for most of us, their inherent purpose is to have a memory of whatever place we visited. I say inherent purpose because that was the true purpose of inventing the photograph correct? Creating records of things visually, rather than depicting them in other ways (words, painting etc.). We want to have a picture so that we can look back on it, and be reminded of those experiences.
If you are constantly thinking about how you might portray your travel experience beautifully on Instagram or Facebook to your peers, what space is left in your mind to focus on your real life experiences?
Travel for Moments—Not Pictures
I know I already said it can be hard not to let your mind stray into constantly thinking about how somewhere might look within your social media feed, but I’m here to convince you otherwise. I have three main reasons why I believe remembering moments (and maybe having a mediocre picture as a memory of it) is far superior to collecting picturesque images for your feed.
1. Images on Instagram are usually greater than they appear.
I’d like to give an example which I may dive into more detail on a whole different blog but simply put, the pictures you see on Instagram are a very narrow viewpoint to what a location is like in real life. Let’s take some famous beaches in Thailand as an example. Does the white sand, turquoise water, and long tail boats look so beautiful that it hardly looks real? For sure. But what’s around that image that you’re looking at? If you’re at the more famous and popular spots that people might be posting on Instagram, then you’re probably going to see a beach full of other people with cameras and selfie sticks, boats lined up along the beach waiting to transport people around islands, and maybe some local Thai people selling trinkets. Do those things take away from the idyllic and isolated beach picture that you had in mind? Probably.
2. A fancy post brings only instantaneous gratification.
What do you gain from posting a cool photo on your page? Maybe some likes and comments. Maybe some joy in sharing the picture with close friends and family. But what about the long run? What about that post benefits you in the long run?
The real value behind a photograph is reminding you of a moment where you felt inspired, joyful or any other strong emotion. If your Instagram post does that, then great. But if it only reminds you of that moment you waited in a queue with of a bunch of other people taking the same photo of the same view, then I’m not sure how valuable that is to your travel experience.
3. Not all great moments can be represented in a photo.
Can a picture say a thousand words? Absolutely. Can a picture tell your experiences to the world? Not likely. At least for me, some of the most amazing moments I have experienced during my travels, I have only a mediocre picture to show for it, if anything at all.
To wrap up this section I’m going to share two different photos. One, from Railay beach in Thailand, which I believe definitely qualifies in being quite Instagrammable. The other, is from a foggy morning near the Sinharaja rainforest in Sri Lanka.
I admit latter is much less inspiring at first sight.
But what you don’t know from looking at that picture, is that in the distance is a temple, and from it I could hear the early morning chanting from the Buddhists inside. This together with the cool fog slowly rising to the treetops of the surrounding jungle area, is a moment I will never forget. I felt so calm and peaceful, and yet I’d say I did a poor job at communicating that feeling to those looking at the photo.
Regardless of the outcome of how visually pleasing to me the photo is, the real important part is the fact that I have the memory, and that every time I look at that picture, I can relive how I felt in that moment.
For me, the reason I travel is to collect magical moments like this, not to collect pictures of things that will impress my friends. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take cool pictures of cool things you see, but try not to let it takeover your reason for travel all together—you might miss out on the beauty of the moment around you.
What happens to a place after gaining Instagram fame?
Social media and specifically Instagram have a huge influence on where people might consider planning their next vacation, after seeing some super inspiring ‘Instagrammable’ place. The reality that goes in hand with that is a country or place can become a super popular travel destination, super quickly.
A place gaining instant and abundant fame gives way to two important ramifications (which I discuss in more detail in my memoir).
1. More tourists flock there in higher numbers, affecting your ability to experience it without risking one of your eyeballs to a selfie stick.
2. If that place is a natural wonder with little infrastructure established, then that natural wonder will be on the express route to being threatened.
Going to a famous Instagrammable destination could mean two things—you likely won’t be able to have the view to yourself, and you might be contributing to mother nature’s destruction. If we are striving to be responsible tourists, this is something we might want to keep in mind.
Take Home Message
Remember that the real opportunity that being abroad offers you is being able to connect and learn from foreign people who might be very different from you, and acquiring memories that fill you with joy and wonder. Try and learn a little, and enjoy yourself and the view. Pictures aren’t always necessary, so try not to get bunged up about how your trip will appear to other people.
I know that might be easier said than done, but awareness of your thoughts and influences is the first step. Follow your curiosity and interest, and that will get you closer to the path to living your experiences to the fullest.
Remember that happiness in life is all about living in a way that works for you and is meaningful for you, not for how you are perceived to the world around you.
I hope that after reading this you think a little differently when you see that too-cool-to-be-true picture of something online.
For more travel thoughts and philosophical ideas about what meaningful travel would look like, subscribe to my email list, YouTube and social media. You’ll notice that along with a few seemingly Instagrammable photos, you’ll also see some honest funny moments from my experiences that I hope everyone globetrotting values as well.
Thanks for reading and happy adventures!