Travel used to be an adventure, now it's just a checklist of places to visit

I just got back from a quick trip to Rome and it felt like I was visiting disneyland.

We've gotten to the point where everything is so heavily commoditized and prepared for mass tourism that it all feels extra fake and meaningless.

Rome is probably a bad example, because it's always been touristy, but now it feels even more overcrowded, with queues everywhere and every tourist seems to be an influencer

Now you can never get lost, have mobile data 24/7 and even AI to tell you what to eat, visit and what to do next.

We removed all the friction and ended up removing what made travel fun in the first place

Even places like the middle east and southeast asia that used to feel so foreign, are now accessible and very easy to travel in. There's little risk, no adventure.

There's still hope though, and I think we just have to make an extra effort to increase that friction

Get on a random buses, don't buy eSIMs, spend more time in nature and make an effort to meet people. Travel is not supposed to feel like a tour package.