Not to pigeon hole myself either way, but the type of tick-box traveller I’m thinking of usually has a bucket lists of countries to visit, and some sort of list of things to tick off on a trip, a list that’s often similar to most other people’s lists based on what they’ve seen and heard from other travellers, social media and mass media or guide books.
Aren’t we all a bit ‘tick-box’ at times? More so on some trips and less so on others.
It all depends…..some places seem to have so many things we all want to see and do that we can’t help wanting to tick similar boxes.
As long as it feels like you’re doing those things because you really want to, and not just because ‘everyone else seems to do them’ or to hit some sort of competitive target then what’s the harm, you haven’t wasted your time or money.
“You should travel more, not to tick countries off a list, but to truly live each place, experience different cultures, taste flavors you didn’t even know existed, and listen to stories that don’t sound like yours.” Source: Worldpackers, Instagram
Unless the trip is intentionally unplanned with the aim of meandering through it aimlessly and going with the flow we (if you’re a planner like me) usually need some way of collating what we want to ‘do’ on a trip, and places we want to go if there’s more than one place, but not necessarily to the extent of some travellers and PR we see across social media or from people we know offline who reel off a sort of universally promoted ‘absolute must do’ list of destinations or things to do in a particular place.
If you go to Paris and skip the Eiffel Tower, or visit New York and don’t take a picture of a yellow cab like millions before you have done – so what! I love hearing about unique travel experiences with personal stories and reflections that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but are your own pleasant memories to treasure.
I remember being on a trip last year and we were at a very popular tourist spot – everyone was taking selfies at the entrance against the signage for the venue. I didn’t, didn’t feel the need and a concerned fellow traveller quickly offered to take the picture for me but I said no thanks because I really wasn’t bothered – she said “well how are you going to show that you were here?” 😂
The world’s gone mad.
We don’t need to provide evidence to others of every little thing we experience, that’s crazy – who am I living for? Me or others I need to prove things to??
Social media has a lot to answer for 🧐
Anyway, this notion of tik-box travel came to mind recently. I was thinking about some of the places I’d been and places being heavily pushed and promoted for travel these days. There always seems to be a wave of PR to one or two places for a while then it shifts to somewhere else….’influencers’ and those influenced by influencers jump on the bandwagon – all going to the latest hot spot, ticking off a list of heavily promoted ‘must do’ things while they’re there.
“You don’t travel to tick boxes.
You travel for what lingers.
For places that feel calm the moment you arrive.
For details that don’t ask for attention.
For time that unfolds slowly.”Source: Instagram ama_selections, Greece
Am I one of those who likes to have ticked off the listicals of “top 5 or 10 things to do in blah blah”? These days, no. Those lists might help with initial research when brainstorming what there is to consider, but you can still take and leave what you want from them.
I pick and choose and feel no guilt about skipping things that everyone does if it doesn’t appeal to me and happily indulge in less popular things that I’d rather do. Plus, sometimes less is more….more time to relax, to be deeper in the moment and enjoy unique memories rather than a list of things ticked off amidst crowds of other tourists all jostling to do exactly the same things and then feeling exhausted by the end of it lol. Bit crazy when you think about it.
By the time I’ve seen a few videos of people going to the same place, eating in the same restaraunts, taking the same selfies…..I feel like I’ve already been there and done it myself, so no point wasting time doing it all again just so I can tick the ‘done it’ box, unless I feel a strong pull.
“If a destination is popular, there is probably some reason for it.
Therefore, if I were in the area, I might go and check it out.
Sometimes, you don’t realize why it’s popular until you actually go there.” Source: Reddit
True….and sometimes you realise it wasn’t that big of a deal, just another tick-box.
Unwittingly, I caught myself taking a ‘tick-box’ approach to a trip I’d been draft-planning for a few months and then eventually found myself questioning why I was trying to cram so much into a very busy itinerary. Honest truth, is the things I was adding were all popular tick boxes that most other travellers tend to tick off- so the trip seemed incomplete without them – even though deep down I didn’t really think I’d find them that interesting. Needless to say that trip/itinerary ended up being scrapped, it had no soul.
“I wouldn’t go to any place “just to tick it off” no matter what it was.
But I have been sceptical of some major tourist things but was convinced to go there and had a blast. So I don’t negatively judge things just because they are popular.” Source: Reddit
This is true – there is no way of knowing whether you might end up enjoying something you didn’t think you would, until you do it. Decisions decisions.
Some people enjoy going back to the same places again and again with no desire to tick off a long list of destinations or experiences and that’s a great underrated example of travelling for ‘you’, finding joy in less and not trying to meet any expectations, prove anything or follow the crowd, so to speak. Just doing you.
Over the years I think I’ve become more intentional about the places I choose and the reasons why. I’m rarely interested in going to the popular ‘hyped up’ places of the day ‘just because’, I’ve veered away from those, with the odd exception.
“I wouldn’t go just to tick it off some list that I didn’t even make. But I’ve also been surprised at places I’ve come to like. Thailand wasn’t anywhere on my radar until I had to go there for work a couple years ago. Now I love it!
Spend your money and time on what appeals to you.” Source: Reddit
I still enjoy other people’s content and stories about their travels to popular spots though, which probably helps me feel less bothered about actually going to them myself.
“There are some places when I’m in a country where I feel like I have to see them just because everybody goes there and I normally end up feeling underwhelmed so I much prefer off the beaten track sites.
Dubai is a very popular tourist place but I’d literally rather spend 2 weeks with an expensive dinner in my house if you gave me the money to go to Dubai.” Source: Reddit
I love watching/reading about travels to lesser well known destinations or less popular spots in a popular destination.
Sometimes it seems bonkers to me how so many people all want to flock to where they’ve seen countless other people go, to take the same pictures, see the same sights, find the same restaurants, buy the same souvenirs, try the same drinks, stay in the same hotels etc and then feel like its ‘mission accomplished’ before starting the whole cycle again with another destination.
But….if you truly enjoyed it and thought it was value for your time and money then what’s the harm – and maybe it was more about the people you were with and the memories you shared with them than the actual place, or just getting away (didn’t really matter where to or what you did there); no right or wrong as long as it meant something to you.
Also, some destinations might be too good an opportunity, maybe once in a lifetime to miss out on ticking off all the tick boxes while you have the chance, assuming you’re interested.
Sometimes things make no sense and a lot of sense at the same time – it’s a personal thing.
“In my lifetime I will likely not see the majority of the world, so I want to be as intentional as possible about the finite amount of places I will get to visit.” Source: Reddit
I haven’t got a bucket list – the world is full of interesting and beautiful places yet sometimes I feel like there’s nowhere in particular I want to go, and that’s okay. We don’t need to feel like we should always rushing around like road runner, going somewhere or planning a trip if the inspiration to do so isn’t there. Just wait. It will probably spark when you least expect it, then suddenly there’s a new and growing curiosity and excitement for a place you probably hadn’t given a second thought to before, but if not, that’s fine too – leaves more time for other interests.
It’s a privilege to be able to visit new places just for the fun of it, but what would we do if suddenly there was no more access to overseas travel, a ban on holidays abroad or you were simply unable to travel again for other reasons?
It’s worth trying to make sure you’re doing what you really want to do, wherever possible.
Some people never leave the country they’re in – still happy and content though!!
“why we are suddenly so obsessed with tracking how many countries we have visited and the desire to “tick them off”.
Travelling has never been about this for me. This is not Pokemon, where the aim is to catch them all, it should be an exercise in expanding your horizons, experiencing different cultures, stepping out of your comfort zone and seeing how life is led around the world.
In my eyes, to lower it to an exercise in ticking boxes is to devalue what makes travelling so fun in the first place.” Source: Tom Stevenson Medium
Conclusion 🤔
Done my fair share of tick boxing, sometimes it worked well for a particular trip because the point of going there was to do and see those popular things. I love doing lots of destination research and all the trip planning, but for those who don’t enjoy all that or haven’t got the time, a pre-prepared tick-box of top things not to be missed in “wherever” might be helpful I guess!!
I have no bucket list, honestly, most destinations I’ve visited in recent years has grown organically over time from a small curious interest into a fully fledged intentional trip, not simply the next one on the list, since there is no list.
Popular ‘must visits’ might get a lot of hype, but when you drill down to exactly what you’ll be seeing, doing and experiencing when you get there the initial appeal can quickly wear off – leaving you with nothing more than the desire to tick the box. Is that wrong??
Its personal choice – there’s a lot to see in the world, but also a lot more than the same things/places we see being pushed all the time.
As long as you’re willing to go against the grain and do exactly as you please without feeling like you’ve missed out because you didn’t “go and see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey when you were in London” type scenario, you’ll probably have captured more memorable moments elsewhere that you’ll always remember in the future because there’s always more than the tick boxes.
Not feeling the need to tick all the boxes is underrated.
Tick boxer or not, doesn’t really matter as long as you’re happy with what you’re getting out of it and it feels like good value and time well spent for you!
Happy travels ✨
Great post. I used to be the type of person that needs to plan every single minute of every single day when traveling but I’ve become a lot less like that. Yes, I do still make some plans but I’m more lenient and try to enjoy the experience instead of rushing myself.
Great points Cherryl. When we travel we tend to have ideas of what we want to see, but they don’t often match the current trends. We’ve found that sometimes those popular places are popular for a reason and are worth seeing. But more often, they’re a big disappointment, and most people miss out on the real gems found in a place because of these must-see lists. Maggie
Hi Maggie, I can imagine that’s more true than we think/realise…missing out on real gems ✨ I bet by the time all the boxes have been ticked, some of us probably run out of time for anything else, trip over 🧐
What a fabulous post Cherryl and one I can completely relate to. I’ve never been one to want to tick places off a bucket list, even when I was younger. I did a Contiki tour when I was 22 and I think we did about 15 countries in 30 days. It gave me a good taste for travel but it was a bit crazy! Now I’m older (and hopefully wiser) and I’m much more intentional. Ticking places off a list is way, way down on my list of priorities. Better to travel simply for the experience and the joy of it!
Thank you Miriam 🤗x
15 countries in 30 days,wow!! That must have been been exciting and a good test of your stamina 😜
To travelling for the joy of it!! 🥂
Absolutely!
But I sure couldn’t do it now! xx
— not whether there’s a list, but whether you actually want the thing on it. Travelling with kids sorted that out for us fast, because the day gets short and you end up choosing between the famous view and the playground by the river, and the playground wins more often than I’d have predicted. Still ticked plenty of boxes, just fewer of them.
Yes, travelling with children can put a whole other spin on things for sure, family focused holidays always lean more toward keeping little ones happy and rightly so 💛
No!
A very valid post. Personally, I have no problem travelling with a number of destinations in mind, but I tend to look for destinations which will resonate with me when I am there rather than being ‘must do’ items to tick off. For example, when in China a few years ago, we went to the Great Wall outside Beijing, but to our guide’s discomfort, we spent over an hour walking from one end of the restored section to the other (and I even ducked past the barrier to see what an unrestored section looked like). Overall, taking the time to be present and really soak in the experience was far more important than ticking off items on a bucket list. It is the same when I am travelling at home in new Zealand. We travel slowly and soak up the experience, not just tick off a way-point.
Love that!!✨ Slowing down to enjoy the moments you choose makes all the difference. Getting a look at an unrestored section of the Great Wall sounds pretty unique, must have been nice to see the contrast and appreciate how much effort goes into the restoration ✨
It was interesting. The main structure was still intact but largely covered in bushes. The ‘touristy’ bit was in good condition but still looked old, not like a movie set or theme park.
it is odd..the older I get, the less travel appeals to me…..I seem to just want to create the where I’d like to be to where I am……like my hero Elmer Fudd said, I yam what I yam?
I don’t think it’s odd, I suspect it might be more common than not, I see this in quite a few older people I know who travelled a lot when they were younger, but less bothered in their later years (even though they’re still fit and healthy)…I know its a generalisation but maybe as we get older some of us might have satisfied a lot of that earlier excitement and curiosity maybe, and we’re more content with what we know we like and happily stick with it 😊