No dispute, it’s one of the most beautiful Instagram picture perfect places. But Santorini has another picture many exclude in their social media posts, the circus-like, out of control mass Tourism hysteria. Something that was happening and harming many major Tourist Destinations around the World, until a virus placed Tourism on a 2-year time out.
There is always a story behind every picture, and it’s not always as stunning or perfect as the picture’s exterior. It doesn’t have to be deleted or hidden.
Being true doesn’t have to be embarrassing or scary. Worrying of other people’s opinion and judgement shouldn’t be important. Social Media should make us feel good and inspired, not the opposite.
Likes versus Experience. Beauty versus Heart.
4 hours to experience Santorini is not a relaxing getaway, but a stressful race to cram it all.
3 hours wasted getting to and getting back. More experience lining up than experiencing what’s special. More teasing than indulgence. More brisk walking than stopping to just relax and enjoy.
There were more Selfies happening with the view as mere background rather than the view as the main Star of one’s attention. More instant gratification than new cultural exploration and immersion.
It was repetitive rush, rush, rush, then wait, wait, wait that I lost my cool and enthusiasm halfway the supposedly dream bucket list. I was expecting a combo of Zen and fun, but experienced discomfort and irritability instead.
I turned into a Hulk and sabotage my own vacay. If only snapping out of it was as instantaneous as my mood change. I had to walk it off to simmer down the steam.
My experience was far from the pristine bluest of blue Mediterranean Sea. It was more of rough, temperamental Seas on a very hot Summer day.
I wasn’t amazed nor amused even if millions have posted “hashtag amazing.” Can’t lie on what I really felt.
But yes, Santorini was very photogenic in every angle that all cameras loves it. My phone camera was so love struck that it was only seeing beauty and perfection. It didn’t see the flaws and the craziness. It didn’t feel unpleasantness. The love spell became its blessing.
So today, let me share what Romeo saw in Juliet. Let me describe what he felt in such a very short gift of magic and enchantment. Let me relive the fireworks and euphoria in the short hours he was given. Let me celebrate inside and out his Summer like no other.
I am envious of what my camera phone has seen and experienced. I wish I was able to see what it saw, feel what it felt, experience what it experienced.
Months after our trip, I saw a picture on a magazine cover that looks exactly as the place I took time to discover up close when I was separated from my travel group. I remember walking alone, but not lonely. I remember being lost, but found calm, gladness and solitude.
Looking back, I did get to have moments where I followed my own adventures and was not rushed nor pressured to enjoy them. I did have moments where I can honestly say, “I was there to experience the beautiful and the amazing pieces of Santorini.” That hashtags amazing are true.
I may not have another chance to walk the streets of Santorini and watch its incredible beauty and Sunrises, but perhaps imagining the phone camera is me will do the trick whether real or imagined. More heart, less aesthetic superficiality.
This Man's Journey 
I was in Venice in about 1997. Beautiful, wonderful and all that I had expected. Then I went again in 2014. The change was truly abhorrent. Huge vessels arriving at the same time each carrying in excess of 2,000 travellers, crowds everywhere and I pitied the locals who had to live with this I am still waiting for Santorini, but fear your experience will be mine.
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Never the less dear friend, you were able to point your phone camera towards the incredible beauty of Santorini and that still speaks to you.
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I hope you can make it back one day and have the amazing experience you are looking for. I went here in 2017 with my family before all the madness of the perfect instagram picture and tik Tok, and this trip opened my eyes to travel and really changed my life.
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Santorini looks breathtaking and your pictures are stunning. Dealing with the crowds and waiting in line can be a stressful experience and feel like a waste of time sometimes. It can definitely take away from the whole experience.
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Oh my friend. It’s so tough when you’re surrounded by beauty but in a terrible mood. I find that happens to me often in the heat, especially when I’m dehydrated. I hope your heart gets to experience what your camera experiences in future. And I hope you get a 2 day trip to Santorini on a sunny day in winter 🙂 Hugs.
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Since its inception, tourism has been considered a benign activity. This is hardly surprising; the holiday industry’s USP is leisure, enjoyment, and a break from all responsibility. It has brought wealth to forgotten rural communities, cushioned the blow of financial crashes, conserved critically endangered species and restored crumbling historic cities. Tourism’s potential benefits are clear. However, the mistake is to think that it can only bring good. Many of us do not believe this myth and have been speaking out against it for decades.
I was very happy when finally, in the summer of 2017, the media and the travel industry began to turn their gaze to the negative impacts of the holiday industry. It’s appalling to see such things as rent prices pushing out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals or when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles or when wildlife is scared away and when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the dense crowds. Not to mention when fragile environments become degraded. Thanks for sharing your experience and have a good day. I hope all is well with you and your family 🙂 Aiva xx
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I am sorry that your dream vacation hasn’t turned out the way you wanted.
More people can afford travel, and most of those picturesque places are very, very crowded. And often not so pretty just outside the tourist area. It is great that more people can enjoy those beautiful places, but it comes with the price.
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We took a cruise in the Caribbean once. It was wonderful and we had a beautiful time. But I did not like feeling rushed at the stops. Although, what I felt wasn’t like what you are describing above. It just felt rushed, and we had to watch our time. I love to explore. So, we went back to one of our favorite stops and stayed for several days. It was wonderful. I so agree with you, having to rush and not miss something steels some of the joy. However, you do have unbelievable photos, and I hope they bring back the goodness of your trip. Leave the craziness behind in your mind and focus on these amazing sites! … I for one appreciate your sharing! 😊
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That’s too bad what happened with your time at Santorini. I’ve seen photos of the crowds, mad with taking selfies, that you often don’t see on social media – and yes, it’s a chaotic circus zoo and I would’ve felt very irritated too.
But your photos are lovely and beautiful and hopefully they show you that you did see something beautiful, even if the memory doesn’t match it. I’m glad you did get some moments of peace and enjoyment outside of the zoo.
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It appears that traveling with a tour group is not the way to go in truly enjoying and experiencing the beauty and culture of one’s destination. Judging from your photos, Santorini is, indeed, a place of dreams. Yet, the emptiness of the pristine mountainside/seaside dwellings gives me an impression of an external beauty with no soul or heart.
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I’m sorry that the experience didn’t match the beauty coming through the camera lens, but it sounds like you came away with something more valuable: perspective. What a great lesson. Thanks so much for sharing.
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