Why People Travel?

Traveling as a tourist used to be traditionally something to broaden one's horizon ... and exploring the world around them. It is a way of gaining new experience firsthand. They took pictures here and there ... and collected souvenirs. Some people travel as part of their education like on field trips ... and some travel because they want to relax, enjoy, and rest from the humdrum of their almost routine life.

Nowadays the relationship between tourists and traveling is metamorphosing. The netizen's access to social media made it so. 

Browsing Facebook entrees exposes the new reality. Tourists are flocking to Boracay for instance ... (or to other dramatic luxurious destinations) ... not only TO SEE ... but also TO BE SEEN. Haven't you noticed how influencers frequent and make Coron Palawan their playground for a luxury backdrop ... but also to flaunt their celebrity-styled fantasies?

Why do they troop to Siargao and be in their skimpiest bathing suits? Why do they have to pretend they know surfing as they painfully carry those heavy surfing boards that are multi-colored ... with eye-damaging hue combinations? Why jetski when they have thalassophia or fear of being in deep waters? It is obvious he just wants to show the whole world ... he did experience something in this Siargao escapade ... ordinary mortals can't have.

Ask yourself ... why do Filipinos flock to the Philippine Arena to watch the Coldplay concert and ignore the exorbitant ticket prices? The obvious reason is that they want to see and be seen ... my gosh ... it is as though they are a nobody ... or they are a lesser mortal if they don't troop the line and rub elbows with no less than the President of the Philippines who also can't contain his penchant to come up and be counted? It is the bling culture for crying out loud ... and high-end shopping to make their presence felt ... an addiction to enhance their fast-deflating self-esteem?.

Indeed, my gut feeling says some tourists nowadays go somewhere to be spotted – to be ogled with envy by others both on Facebook and other platforms and in person at these destinations.