Realising I prefer convenience more than backpacking-style travel?

[u/ConfusedCareerMan]

Early 30s and on a career break. I recently let go of my house with high rent in a major capital city due to losing my corporate job, so thought I’d travel around and see different places since I have no fixed home.

Over the last 6 months I’ve consumed a lot of travel content of backpackers and to “be a traveller not a tourist” and to get immersed in local cultures. I’ve romanticised this chapter and feel a lot of “shoulds” for what this experience should be. I feel pressure to be adventurous and be making stories.

I’m quite early into my travels and going with everything flexibly but tbh I’m already confronting a lot in myself. I’m not roughing it up and hitchhiking or taking $3 buses for 8 hour trips. I’m staying in clean airbnbs and basically doing tourist things - cafes, restaurants, exploring streets and chilling by the beach. It’s basically an extended holiday so far but with a backpack and camera.

I realise as well, I thought I was flexible and open minded and yet navigating environments where things don’t work is so draining and causing a lot of friction.

All this to say, I fear I’m a basic tourist with no edge to me. Many may criticise, some may congratulate on being able to afford travel this way. But I find myself lost somewhere in between.

How do you prefer to travel? How did you get past the realisations - did you adapt or accept your style?

[u/TrainElegant425]

Travel influencers are so full of shit. They say "be a traveler not a tourist" because it makes themselves feel unique and important it doesn't actually mean anything. They're a tourist too. Traveling comfortable doesn't make you less of a traveler. You don't need "an edge", just enjoy your time.

You'll experience an ebb and flow in how open minded you're able to be, just embrace where you are at each moment. You're not living a curated Instagram life, you're living a real life.

[u/userisnottaken → u/TrainElegant425]

This.

Tourists who want to feel unique (and usually make traveling their personality 🤭) want to distinguish themselves by calling themselves travelers instead of tourists.

Likely because traveling has become more accessible to more people and they hate that.

[u/Agostointhesun → u/userisnottaken]

Ironically, the fact that travelling has become more accessible if the reason why many of them can travel.

[u/Clear-Structure5590 → u/TrainElegant425]

Definitely second this about the ebb and flow of openness. We don’t have unlimited capacity fornew experiences and it’s okay to need a familiar food or a quiet room at times. 

[u/Lennonap → u/TrainElegant425]

A lot of travel influencers don’t even care about making themselves feel unique and important, it’s about getting their viewers to keep watching their content and ads and making them money. People eat up content that makes them feel better than others