Lately it seems that people go on vacation just for the pleasure of standing in line. What's going on? We blame social media and viral influencers who would have many uninformed tourists believe that there's only ONE place to get the "best" espresso, the "best" pizza, the "best" tiramisù, and they are more than willing to line up for hours need be to be able to say they've had the "best." But is it really the best? Is it even close? (More often than not, it isn't.) And in reality, in big cities like Paris, R...
Lately it seems that people go on vacation just for the pleasure of standing in line.
What's going on?
We blame social media and viral influencers who would have many uninformed tourists believe that there's only ONE place to get the "best" espresso, the "best" pizza, the "best" tiramisù, and they are more than willing to line up for hours need be to be able to say they've had the "best."
But is it really the best?
Is it even close? (More often than not, it isn't.)
And in reality, in big cities like Paris, Rome, or New York, is there ever really any "best" place?
What about the tourists who line up for hours just to get the perfect photo of themselves with an epic backdrop. What does it do to the travel experience when tourists can't just walk up to a view and take a photo, but are forced to line up so that they don't accidentally ruin someone else's shot? What happened to just accepting that other people are going to inevitably be in your photo?
And why have these photos become more important than seeing the sights with your own two eyes? Why has the profound experience of travel been reduced to the perfect Instagrammable shot? What has happened to travel?
This is a follow-up episode to Bittersweet Moment 245: The Best Travel Moments Are not on a Check-list. Be sure to listen to that mini-episode if you haven't already.
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