Have You Tried Travelling Without a Map?
We say we love travelling, but do we really?
As I was wandering the streets around Dam Square by following the instruction of my apps, I couldn’t stop thinking that everything felt familiar.
Of course, most European cities have a « déjá vu » feeling but still. When was the last time I got lost, like totally lost and needed help? That’s when it hit me: I wasn’t exploring, I was executing a plan, following instructions and ticking boxes.
Talking to my sister, we came to the same conclusion: as a society, we are losing the art of getting lost as our lives become more and more controlled.
We love a checklist and most of us have similar routines:
We wake up and scroll.
We follow schedules.
We optimise productivity.
We measure steps.
We track calories.
We pre-book tables.
We curate travelling moments.
We don’t deviate and for the rare occasion when we do, our smartphones remind us the planned route. And when we travel, we bring that same obsession with control with us.
One of the reasons I enjoy travelling so much is that I can get out of that rhythm for a few days. For a short period, I can finally break away from that controlled system we all live in and let my nervous system adapt naturally.
Travelling made me realise that I am more instinctive in a less rigid environment.
In Amsterdam, at first I went to eat, drink and sleep in the popular restaurants, bars and hotels that tiktok shoved into my throat for the past couple of months. I barely spoke to any local, and have not learned a single word in Dutch.
But because I followed a schedule and not my instinct, I wasn’t able to fully grasp at first how incredible the city is. It was only when I dropped Google Maps and went off route that we found this African restaurant tucked away near Vondelpark that no algorithm had shown me.
Getting lost has benefits, it forces us to engage:
A stranger took our picture.
We got slightly lost
A local redirected us.
We mispronounced words.
We laughed.
We say social media enhances travel and sometimes it does but it also scripts it. That’s why all the travel blogs and vlogs sound and look the same. By heavily controlling our travel experience, we outsource our instinct to algorithms and we lose our curiosity in the process.
Getting lost forces humility.
Maybe we avoid getting lost because it reminds us that we are not in control.
But isn’t that the point of travelling? Not to prove we’ve seen it all but to admit we haven’t.
Maybe the next time we book a trip, the real challenge isn’t finding the best-rated restaurant.
Maybe it’s turning off the map and seeing who we are without it.
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