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Yes, I agree with you about the whole Instagram-ification issue. Not to mention, it's hard to break through the noise of so many influencers churning out mindless content at a million miles per hour. I'm at a creative crossroads and feel I need to change, but change to what? My desire to be in front of the camera is almost non-existent and turning my joy of travel into work is weighing on my soul. Not to mention, am I even adding anything to this conversation? Am I pushing the art form forwards? Or just regurgitating what's been done before? I used to travel for fun and not even take photos. The times have changed.

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Same, same. I just went to a cafe where phones and pictures weren't allowed. I think I will be writing about it soon, but it the whole experience was shocking. Shocking how it easily conversation and community were encouraged. I like thinking about the days of traveling without photos...but yeah, I don't know the answer. Except that I'm attracted to places where there is less of all this. But those are getting less plentiful.

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I'm leaning towards focusing my writing and videos about my home of Louisville, Kentucky and perhaps the surrounding region as it is frequently ignored by travel media. I want to be a good ambassador for my home, and maybe keep most of my international travels just for me. Who knows?

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Fascinating stuff Erin! Ah, the joys of Film Festivals, even if your cleaning bill was high. ; ) In this and your other posts you really capture the joy and tribulations of what I call 'Un(t)raveling' (bad word pun there) - peeling the onion on a place, trying to feel what it's like to actually BE there, and not just be, yes, an ugly American. Thanks for your unique perspective always.

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Lol, yes. My first film festival experience was a doozy. There's much more to *that* story. 'Un(t)raveling' is always what I'm trying to get at, and I like your name, puns and all! It's what people think they want when they say they want to "travel like a local" but I don't think it's what they usually get. I'm currently working on the follow up piece to this one, and it's more on all this... will be curious to hear your thoughts!

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Sorry about the losses in your family. That's really tough. You did accurately portray the loneliness of travel. It's one of those things that's supposed to be "inspiring" (I hate when people use that word for travel), yet it's often filled with emotional lows and long stretches of boredom. And sometimes you just want a pizza, not the local cuisine. Thanks for sharing 🙂👍.

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Thank you, on all accounts. Real travel is so many things, and yes, I forgot boredom! That's always a major player in my travels. Thanks for the reminder. And I'm totally with you on "inspiring" and the general Instagram-ification of travel. I find all of that gross, but it's really encouraged a lot of change on my end. Curious if you feel the same?

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I feel like I lived through all these first trips abroad with you Erin (I suppose in some ways I did!)… thanks for walking me toward nostalgic memories of the Cannes Film Festival and my extended travels in our teens and twenties.

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