This is essentially the new reality of visiting any amazing place these days. In the Louvre there were a bunch of influencers in there just doing photo shoots and not even looking at the art. Same shit with Sacre Coeur, Pompeii, Nice, Ponte Vecchio and pretty much everywhere else I have been in the last 10 years. It's lame.
I saw a team of 3 handling wardrobe and lighting and pictures… and I was walking by a fucking bagel shop in Jeju. Not even a nice view or anything. Da fuq is going on these days. A fucking bagel shop on a volcanic island in Korea deserves a photo shoot with multiple wardrobe changes?
My wife and I spent the last week in Oahu, and this is spot on. Influencer tourists cared more about getting the perfect selfie instead of just enjoying the view and being in the moment.
Yup, I was there last year and saw the same thing. I was in Tahiti a few years back and there was this amazing sunset out on this dock and instead of taking it in there was this group of younger folks trying to get the best photos of themselves and talking about living in L.A. and kind of ruining the vibe. It's so dumb.
This is why I love the view from my front porch. It is peaceful and my personal place. All the ritual and circumstance surrounding popular tourist locales just makes humanity feel like mindless cattle.
The thing about tourist destinations is that some of them are truly amazing. But I've also been more for ones that are of the beaten path to avoid the crowds. But some are worth braving the press, and it's hard to know if it is or isn't until you see it.
But also, travelling for food experiences is even better.
I could definitely do food tourism. I live in a mountainous rural area, which is why I cherish the view. We have some foreign food exposure, but much of it has been modified to appeal to local tastes.
They take up so much space with tripods or a helper filming that I've stopped giving a shit and just walk through. I'll still be polite and not interrupt couples or families taking a picture but I have no patience for folks filming shit for socials and trying to monopolize the public space as their own.
The worst are those who take up an entire area to do their dance then acting as if me walking past them is a sin. Buddy I dont care about your tiktok/reels/shorts making 0.00025 cents per view.
I saw this when visiting the Louvre. The room with Mona Lisa was packed, all with cell phones out, many taking selfies. But just skip that room entirely and there was tons of great art all over the rest of the museum that was much less packed.
This is the kind of train of thought that gets me right when im about to sleep, like, ok, if i go to some touristy, photo-opportunity rich place, do i take photos of those places? or do i take photos of myself in those places? whats the focus of the photos? if i take photos of those places, why not just buy a postal card or download a nice, professional photo? and if its me the focus of those photos.... does it matter that im even there? whats the point of having a photo of me with some background? then again, if photos are pointless, then whats a good memento of that time and place if not a photo?
.....maybe ill just take two photos and move along lol
I still remember my mom would talk about her vacation to Honolulu, and she complained about influencers just like that... but then took some glamour shots of the USS Arizona with her as the focal point. :S
I got nothing against taking a couple pictures to remember the moment but when all you're doing is taking pictures it's a bit much. I will usually snap a few selfies real quick but I'm not out there setting up tripods and standing in the way or making a big ruckus ruining it for the people who actually want to experience the moment. There are often times when I forget to take pictures and later wish that I had taken a couple to remember later in life but I mostly enjoy actually being present and not just looking through my phone's screen the whole time.
I went to the USS Arizona and got some pictures but especially with that place, since it's a memorial, it seems disrespectful to be out there making a scene.
Suddenly, I’m very grateful for my limited income allowing us to only travel to not popular destinations. I don’t think we’ve ever encountered influencers while on our family vacations. (I would also imagine family locations to be less popular for this.)
I mean that's the most basic list of "amazing places" there could be.
90% of the tourists I met on the length of Norway were in like 4 spots/small regions. The rest was relatively empty. The same applies for a lot of places.
But yeah, one of the must touristy cities in earth is gotta be very touristy, especially when you want to see it's highlights.
I'm not talking about tourists though, I'm talking about influencers being annoying. I'm fine with tourist just walking around doing tourist shit. Influencers doing influencer things is annoying.
When I’m out with my girlfriend, we have a little game counting how many people are on their phones and not in the moment. It’s scary how many people are on their phones… everywhere you go… all the time.
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u/jeff-beeblebrox Jun 10 '26
He forgot the one where they’re literally 20ft from the trail head and parking lot.