Chasing the Gram -REEL VS Real
By: Smriti Mamgain
There was a time when travel wasn’t about capturing moments—but feeling them. As a teen in Thailand, I stood barefoot in soft sand, the ocean stretching endlessly, honeymooners lost in their own love stories. For years, I held onto that image—Thailand as a fairytale, a place where my own story would unfold.
Years later, I found love and returned, hoping to relive that magic. But travel had changed. The beaches were packed, the water murky, and the honeymooners were more entranced by their screens than each other.
These days, travel feels less like exploring and more like curating. Are we truly present or just producing content?
We once chose destinations through word-of-mouth, books, or a craving for a certain cuisine. Now, social media dictates where we go. That’s why Maldivian beaches are packed tourism jumped 15.6% in 2023, primarily driven by influencers. When I visited, I saw people capturing moments, but behind their cameras, exhaustion was evident.
Don’t get me wrong—social media helps us discover new places. But are we traveling for the experience or the engagement? And once we’re there, do we actually take it in?
At Bali’s Uluwatu Temple, I longed to lose myself in its grandeur. Instead, my guide rushed me along—snap a pic, move on. Everywhere I turned, people were photographing themselves. Once they got the shot, they left, not just because of tight itineraries but because a line of others waited to do the same.
A huge part of travel is the people around us—their energy and their interactions. Yet, at dinner tables, couples barely speak, too busy reliving their trip through their screens while missing it in real-time. And food? It’s often cold by the time we finish perfecting the shot.
Yes, we’re traveling more and, in some ways, better. But we’re also traveling in a template. Lately, most people I meet have been planning a trip to Japan, just coming back from Japan, or desperately wanting to go there. And their itineraries? Nearly identical—cherry blossoms, torii gates, a deep-fried cream sandwich—all inspired by the same few reels.
No wonder travelers feel underwhelmed when reality doesn’t match the hyper-filtered version they saw online.
On that same Bali trip, I skipped the famous “Gates of Heaven” after learning its stunning reflection isn’t water—it’s a camera trick using a handheld mirror. Visitors wait hours for a single staged shot. More often than not, these viral spots are overcrowded, chaotic, and stripped of authenticity.
There’s a term for this: #InstagramVsReality.
So, are we still explorers? Or just Instagram tourists?
Maybe the answer isn’t to stop sharing our travels but to be more intentional about how we experience them. To find balance—put the phone down, savor a moment before capturing it, and seek experiences that don’t need a filter.
Because the most unforgettable journeys aren’t the ones we post.
They’re the ones we truly live.
