Manarola, one of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre, a famous tourist destination along the Lugurian coast.
I had finally arrived to Cinque Terre. This was an iconic destination that truly deserved a visit, one of the landscapes I always imagined whenever I thought of Italy. When I arrived there, I was surprised to hear more English than Italian, mobs of people all with their cameras locked and loaded. I was used to more alternative styles of traveling, where maybe I’d be the only person on the trail that day, or went to destinations that mostly catered to domestic travellers; so being in one of the meccas of international tourism was a shock for me at first. But after an hour or so of adjusting, reframing and accepting, I had an enjoyable time hiking and swimming for the two nights I was there.
For those who like me don’t like to be in overly crowded spaces when travelling, who prefer to seek the “authentic” experiences, these tips should help you out. It’s inevitable that along our travels we will have to visit some epic sites, amazing vistas, in order to understand the culture and land where we are better, and due to their extreme beauty we will find ourselves amongst others who also make the journey.
These are my tips for when you find yourself in a Tourist Trap:
Know why you’re going. People will suggest that you there; travel guides will say this place “must be seen” before leaving that city. But why are you going? Do you enjoy that painter or style of work, or want to hike 4 hours and are willing to put up large crowds of people to see it? If you’re only 50% committed you’re only going to enjoy it 50% and you will focus more on the things that annoy you – that loud family complaining, that vendor trying to rip you off selling you a $4 water, etc. Just be sure that you want to go before committing to it.
Consider the alternatives. Is what you’re doing truly unique and authentic? Are there other experiences that fulfill the core of why you’re choosing to visit or do this activity? Or is where you’re going truly one of a kind?
Decide if a tour guide is worth it or not. Most of the time I prefer to not have a tour guide so that way I can traverse with ease and not being held back- more often than not Google has been just as helpful and free. But in other places, you may want a tour guide there to offer explanations of the sites.
You don’t need the perfect photos. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t take photos along the way, but what I’ve noticed is the more I try to photograph in destinations with a lot of tourists, the more frustrated I become, having to angle things perfectly making sure fellow tourists aren’t in the way, etc. So now I take pictures, but I do not let it occupy most of my time. If I get a great pictures, good, if not, there’s hundreds of pictures uploaded of the same building/landscape/exhibition daily, so I can easily relive the memories.
Find the places that haven’t been exhausted by tourism. Wherever you go, there’s always those hidden gems. Find them- that’s the adventure of it all. For me, in Cinque Terre it meant taking the higher trails passing through some other villages that weren’t apart of the traditional five. I also stayed in a smaller village on the outskirt- that let me see what small town life in Liguria actually was like.
Remember there’s a reason to why people fly from all over the world to be there. And that you are one of those people. So often, especially in the millenial, backpacking and long term travelling circles there’s this stigma about going to places that are highly traveled. And more often, there’s this expectation that this once in a lifetime experience has to happen in every place you see. I don’t think that’s the case. Focus more on the sites, less on the ego, and let them speak for themselves. At the end of the day, you have to decide whether you’ll be annoyed and frustrated or accepting where you are in the present moment; this might be the only time you’ll ever get to be there – so choose accordingly.
