The idea of seeing a travel destination primarily as a place to lay claim to on our Instagram profiles echoes the most important criticism that travel writing has faced over the years: that the genre perpetuates colonial tropes—or worse, that it creates new ones. Because even as social media has exploded the number and diversity of “travel writers” around the world, it has also prompted many of us to roam the globe looking for people and landscapes that we can exploit for our own personal gain.
We’ve All Become Travel Influencers. It’s Ruining the Planet (msn.com)
One thing is for sure – many travel writers are narcissists – and their travel writing begins with “I” and ends with “me”. Their photos feature endless pictures of themselves in exotic locations. It’s me, me, me – narcissism to the extreme.