Traveling is a privilege, but it seems that many people are traveling more and more. So, when I heard about the new trend in which some people are basically stopping traveling altogether, I found it difficult to believe.
All I see on Instagram are pictures and videos of people in Bali, London and Morocco, but some people are rebelling against traveling. No summer holidays at a paradisiac beach in the Caribbean, no winter holidays in snowy destinations.
Although it’s a small trend for now, more people are starting to realize that the type of tourism we are engaging in isn’t sustainable.
The truth is, if you look at any big European city, you will notice locals are done with tourists, and mostly, rightfully so. More specifically, they are done with not being able to move in their own city because their streets and buses are packed, with having to share resources such as water in times of scarcity, with not being able to find affordable housing because entire buildings become Airbnb’s and so on.
Of course, not all cities receive the same type of tourists: the drunk, loud, ignorant, disrespectful middle-aged man who visits Lisbon in the summer just for the sake of cheap partying is not the same as the tourist who visits Porto during spring to walk the streets, appreciate the city in a respectful way and buy some pastries from the locals.
However, in times of peak tourism, or as we now call it “overtourism,“ locals can’t be bothered to tell the difference, and in the middle of their desperation, they just want all tourists out.
How some European cities are tackling ‘overtourism’
Different cities are approaching the problem in different ways. For example, there have been several anti-tourist protests in Barcelona; there’s a fee of five euros if you only want to visit Venice for a day; some restaurants in Lisbon offer a “secret menu” to the locals with lower prices; Amsterdam has limited the number of days per year that properties can be rented out through platforms like Airbnb; and The Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, have implemented a “sustainable tourism tax” on visitors staying in hotels and other touristic accommodations.
Tourism has even become an annoyance for other tourists. Think about it: do you really need to spend four hours of your holiday queuing in the rain to get into the Louvre to barely access an overcrowded room to snap a quick shot of a 30 x 21-inch painting called “The Mona Lisa” (“La Gioconda”) that wasn’t even painted by a French artist while a security guard keeps yelling, “KEEP WALKING!” ?
I don’t think so.
We need to start vacationing in a more mindful way, not only for our wellbeing but also for others’.
However, I agree that this non-travel trend is a bit extreme. While there are some people who had the privilege to start traveling from a young age and see many places with their families. There are other people who are only able to travel now as adults because their own income allows them to do so. It would be unfair to tell everyone to stop traveling. If it’s a decision you want to take, that’s fine, but I don’t believe it should be imposed on others.
I think a big part of the problem is we travel to show off where we went and not because we genuinely wanted to visit this place. Maybe this used to be a problem in the past, but I’m sure social media has made it even worse. Of course, it is nice to post your pictures on Instagram to show you spent your one-week holidays in Paris, Rome, London and Copenhagen, but was it really a fulfilling experience if you could only afford (money and time-wise) to spend less than 48 hours in each destination?
Silent tourism: A travel trend everyone should join
I believe we can keep traveling, and there are some less extreme travel trends you could join if you are concerned about the way most people are traveling nowadays. One of them is the silent tourism trend, in which people get away from the hustle and bustle of big cities and, instead, seek out peaceful and quiet places and experiences where they can engage consciously with nature but also with themselves.
Some destinations that offer this experience include the forests of Scandinavia, national parks in southern Europe and retreats in Asia. Furthermore, people who engage in this trend choose to go for activities such as birdwatching, hiking, nature photography and meditation.
Slow travel
Another popular trend that has been growing in the last couple years has been slow travel, which focuses on generating deeper connections with local cultures and communities. For this, people choose to stay longer in one place and take part in local experiences.
Also, there is no rush to see all the main attractions; instead, the goal is to explore the narrow, hidden streets or secret paths in that place. This trend includes the choice of slower means of transportation such as trains, ferries and motorhomes instead of planes.
Regenerative tourism
Finally, another interesting trend is regenerative tourism, which goes beyond trying to reduce our environmental footprint when we vacation and adds the element of restoring and improving ecosystems that have been harmed.
The whole goal is to leave your destination better than it was when you arrived.
In this trend, travelers might engage in regenerative practices such as organic farming, community development, beach cleaning and tree planting. Destinations include places that have made a commitment to sustainability
But the truth is there is no need to take an eight-hour flight when you can easily engage in this type of tourism without even leaving your own country and traveling to neighboring towns.
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Read more about travel here in Dispatches’ archives.
Mónica da Silva is half-Venezuelan, half Portuguese and has lived in Venezuela, Portugal, Spain and Germany. She has studied linguistics and has a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies. Besides contributing to Dispatches, she works remotely as an English teacher, which allows her to be on the move as often as she wants.
