I love travelling and I love talking about travel with other people who are just as enthusiastic and passionate, but what I have come to realise is that there is an aspect to travel which is sad and unfortunate and that is the issue of travel shaming both online and in person.

From what I have experienced and heard from others travel shaming comes in two forms:

1. We are made to feel guilty for travelling more than others and comments are often used to make us question our life choices and priorities.
2. We are made to feel as though we are travelling wrongly and that we need to change where, how and why we travel.

The Issue With Travel Shaming

We all travel for our own reasons, we all have our own travel styles, we all want to visit different places, do different things, try different food, it therefore makes no sense to make each other feel bad or even guilty for travelling the way we want to.

Read my post: Finding Your Own Travel Style

I have been blogging about travel for over two years, I speak to other travellers and bloggers on a daily basis (via social media) and I’ve attended blogger events, but I have never met anyone who travels (or wants to) in the exact same way as I do. I love this, I love hearing about other people’s adventures and even if I don’t want to visit the same places or have the same experiences I would hope that I wouldn’t be insulting or offensive about their experiences… and I would expect the same in return.

I’ve received comments online and in person about wasting my money on travel, questions about how much I spend, which to be honest is nobody else’s business. I work, I earn my own money, I save money and I’ll spend it on whatever I like. Just as one person may enjoy buying new handbags or eating out at fine restaurants, I like to plan and book trips.

I’ve even been insulted for travelling solo, for not sharing my life and experiences with other people. I’m thirty-three and single but have been asked on numerous occasions why my parents would let me travel by myself. As if I need someone’s permission.

Read my post: Why Everyone Should Travel Solo

Then there is the matter of travellers judging and shaming other travellers using the notorious and quite frankly ridiculous argument of traveller vs tourist. Whether you use a suitcase or backpack, stay in hostels or hotels, visit attractions or random remote locations, someone will always tell you that you’re doing it wrong.

Why Travel Shaming is Wrong

Over the decades it has become easier and cheaper to travel and the use of social media means that we can share our experiences and photos within seconds of them occurring so I can understand that this can feel unattainable for people who don’t have disposable funds, or they have additional responsibilities that make it difficult for them to take extended trips, but there is no reason to make anyone feel bad for how they choose to spend their time and money. The truth is that travel is about the experiences you have, not how much money you spent, so whether you spend £10 a night or £1000 a night it is your choice, nobody else’s and you shouldn’t be made to feel guilty or ashamed. 

I have mentioned in previous posts that I don’t believe there is a difference between being a tourist or a traveller – if you visit a foreign country, regardless of the time frame or what you do whilst you are there – you are a tourist. It doesn’t even matter whether you go somewhere to capture a specific photo for Instagram, it is your choice, and even though I may not travel in the same way or like that this was your only reason for visiting it is not my place to judge you for it.

Read my post: Tourist or Traveller

The important thing to remember is that it isn’t about how you travel, where you stay, what luggage you carry, travel is about leaving your house, going somewhere new and having an incredible experience. 

The only time you should ever show your disapproval for someone’s travel experience is when they have been involved with unethical activities such as elephant riding, visiting tiger temples or circuses with performing animals or illegally using airbnb in cities such as New York, Paris or Barcelona.