We all love travel. In fact, many of us truly believe that travel can teach us some of life’s most beautiful lessons — and it does. There was a time when our travel dreams were shaped by movies, magazines, and newspaper advertisements. If you’ve watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, chances are you’ve dreamt of Spain — scuba diving with colourful fish, running through La Tomatina, and living a carefree life abroad.
Fast forward to today. Our travel inspiration no longer comes from cinema screens but from endless Instagram reels. We mindlessly follow hundreds of travel influencers, each trying to sell us what our “perfect” itinerary should look like. But how often do we see influencers talking about the reality of travel?
All we see is a feed filled with aesthetically pleasing views, flowy dresses, luxury villas, and picture-perfect sunsets. What we don’t see are the struggles behind those photographs. Take the famous Bali swing, for instance. While the pictures show elegance and serenity, the reality includes long queues, shared dresses worn by dozens of tourists, hidden costs for rentals and professional photography, and prices that are often nothing short of a rip-off.
This raises an important question: why do travel influencers constantly promote “cheap” travel options and lure followers to these destinations?
The answer is simple — marketing.
Most of this content is driven by tour companies and brands. If a newly launched travel company wants visibility, they collaborate with influencers through paid promotions, complimentary trips, or heavily discounted packages. Influencers are then taken on curated itineraries designed to look flawless on camera, encouraging followers to book the same experience.
That’s not to say all influencers are misleading. There are a few who genuinely travel for passion, promote lesser-known places responsibly, and speak honestly about costs, fatigue, and expectations. However, they are rare.
Travel has undeniably increased in recent years, and social media deserves a large share of the credit. Watch one Maasai Mara wildlife safari reel, and suddenly your feed is flooded with similar tours and promotions. What most reels don’t show is the reality — waking up at 3 or 4 a.m., maintaining silence for hours, following strict discipline, sitting in the middle of nowhere, and still facing the possibility of seeing nothing at all because wildlife sightings depend on timing, weather, and sheer luck.
Another reality often ignored is that travel influencing is not a vacation — it’s a job. Just as locals work daily, influencers are expected to constantly create content. Long hours of shooting photos and videos, writing captions, reshooting “candid” moments, missing planned activities, eating cold food, and barely getting time to rest are common. Sponsored trips often involve hectic itineraries packed into two or three days, leaving influencers mentally and physically exhausted. Walking for hours, constant travel between locations, and lack of proper rest take a toll on the body.
Many influencers are also under pressure to portray an unrealistic version of travel. Some have admitted to taking serious risks — standing dangerously close to cliffs, roads, or rooftops — just to get the perfect shot. What appears spontaneous is often carefully staged. As a result, almost every destination today feels “overdone.” There are hardly any hidden gems left because social media has made every place viral, leading to overcrowding and loss of authenticity.
A troubling shift is also visible in how travel has changed socially. What was once considered a luxury has now become accessible — which is not inherently bad — but it has also led to irresponsible tourism. A recent video from Himachal Pradesh showed drunk tourists causing public nuisance and damaging a serene environment. In many ways, influencers and social media play a role in this by promoting “cheap travel,” glorifying reckless behaviour, and making sponsored trips look effortless and flawless.
Why does no one talk about the less glamorous side of travel? Missed flights, long delays, overpriced tourist attractions, pickpockets, stolen passports, hidden charges, scams, and exhaustion are all part of the journey. An influencer promoting a villa for ₹2,000 a night often doesn’t mention additional taxes, service fees, cleaning charges, or location disadvantages that inflate the final cost.
The reality is that travel often looks very different once you arrive. A dreamy Eiffel Tower view in Paris may come with trash, aggressive vendors, pickpockets, and overcrowded streets. Across Europe and other tourist hotspots, scams are common — from “free” gifts that demand money later to taxi drivers taking longer routes to overcharge tourists.
None of this means travel isn’t worth it. It absolutely is. But it’s important to understand that what we see online is a highlight reel, not the full story. Travel influencers show us inspiration, not reality. As travellers, the responsibility lies with us to research, manage expectations, travel responsibly, and remember that real experiences are often messy, tiring, and imperfect — and that’s what makes them real.
