I recently went to a coffee shop to work and overheard two girls’ conversation at the next table. One of them apparently recently took a trip to Spain, and it seemed to me that her main motivation to do so was to improve the looks of her Instagram account. I don’t mean to shame anyone for their travel reasons, but I think the topic of the conversation is very interesting and it really got me thinking. Many of us use Instagram (or other social media platforms) regularly. Most of us use it to share our experiences, talk to friends and simply be creative in taking and sharing pictures. There is nothing wrong with putting a lot of effort and work into making your profile pretty and inspiring. But we all know that Instagram shows a more glamorized and edited life and lifestyle rather than the real life. I understand that it sometimes can be frustrating to have nothing to post. But we should not base our happiness on the online version and looks of our life, but the real life itself.

The same goes for travelling: Impressing others should never be the reason for travelling. What matters most is that you are enjoying what you are doing and where you go. Your experiences should make you happy, not others’ online reactions and comments to these experiences. Allow new places, people and cultures to impress you. Because that’s what matters when you are travelling. You are the one making these experiences, talking to these people and learning so, so much about different cultures, the world around you and also yourself. Sharing what you experienced is great – we all frequently do it, be it on a blog, a social media platform or when talking to friends. And it’s important to express and share what you love doing. But it should always be about you wanting to share those experiences because they made you happy. Travel to learn and grow. Don’t travel just because you want to impress others or to make your online version of your life more interesting. I bet your real life is very interesting anyway, so make your travels about yourself, rather than anyone else.
So my advice is: Travel to impress.. yourself!

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you ever felt pressure to travel, just so you could share something exciting with your followers online? Or have you made any other similar experiences? I’d love to hear about your opinions and talk about this in the comments. Love, Stefanie