5 Reasons Why Traveling Looks Way More Glamourous On Instagram

Everyone wants to go backpacking, they see all their friends on social media do it, and see all the potential for so much adventure and fun. As much fun as traveling is, it is no walk in the park. People take photos to ensure their friends online only see the best. It hides all the little imperfections that you end up putting up with on a day-to-day basis. These are 5 of the realities behind the Instagram filters. Instagram is where you post only your most picturesque photos taken from your trip and leave out the messy details in the middle.

1. POV shots

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Photos can be very misleading to the true story behind the photo. Although this is a beautiful shot, I bet you can believe that it took hours of grueling hiking in the cold to find this spot on the water, plus the wind chills were high that day. The view from the tent is beautiful, but we did not have enough blankets to stay warm that night.

2. What You're Eating

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Traveling can be a hard life, it is easy to take a photo of a nice view that may have taken you hours to arrive at, or getting lost in a national park with no maps or service to find your way; but it can look quite luxurious when you blow your whole day's food budget just for the one photo-op.

3. Beautiful Views

Sunsets can be one of the easiest photos to capture, creating a sense of relaxation and calmness. Misinterpretations of photos can be common. I took this photo after climbing over a massive sand dune just to arrive on the other side for this photo. My friend and I were covered in sand and dust by the end of the night but it was all worth it for the photo.

4. Cool Animals

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Animal cruelty can play a significant role in this, it looks high-class and special to be able to hold a baby tiger, ride elephants or play with some kangaroos but if you do not do your homework on these institutions on how these animals are kept or are being treated, then it can become a whole different issue if/when you arrive and find out.

5. Lavish Restaurants

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Budgeting is a huge part about traveling, especially when you’re gone for an extended period of time. It is nice once and a while to go out to a nice dinner in the beautiful city you’re exploring but in no means does it happen every night. To make up for this delicious dinner of mine we ate instant noodles for the week.

Remember: photos do not stand alone in time

This means that people forget what is going on behind the scenes of some of the photos or other elements that could have affected the day, but only see one snippet of the moment