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I am archiving images and videos of my holiday this past summer. When I look at the perfect snaps I captured, I cannot help but laugh about how many of these Instagram-ready pictures are so far from reality.
In a favourite snap, my silver heels are the focal point of the image. I’m wearing a cocktail dress, looking all sophisticated sitting on a rooftop bar stool. A champagne bucket, with beads of condensation showing how cold the contents are, accessorises the picture.
What you do not see is that the seaside cocktail bar was empty and sad. We travelled out of peak times, so hotels and beaches were empty, lacking the buzz one also appreciates in a sunset-chasing outing.
In other instances, they may be the opposite of the truth – there is so much reality that does not make it on to Instagram.
I remember travelling to Australia on holiday. My travelling partner and I were on a diet of bananas and water to save money. We skipped pricey culinary experiences so we could use that cash for shopping. Of course, I did not bother to capture those challenging moments.
The cheap McDonald’s meals or the park lunches where we ate muffins and fruit from the hotel’s buffet breakfast were never captured for posterity. It was the seafood platters of that night of splurging that were shared.
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You won’t see snaps of that pondokkie three-star hotel that shocked you so much when you got to your international destination and realised the bedroom was no bigger than your bathroom back home.
When you arrive and walk into a hovel, you realise those tiny hotel rooms look nothing like the deceiving pictures that drew you in online.
What about that mean European Uber driver, who decided in the middle of your trip to double the fare by making you pay for the bags you were carrying? His video is not the stuff for Insta.
And those awkward airport moments when, due to the way you look, you are made to empty your bag at every control point so that they can check for lawd knows what! And watching those strange hands rummaging through your underwear for all to see ... no, that is definitely not Insta content.
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No one posts these embarrassing and humiliating scenes on their timeline. Despite these imperfect situations one experiences, I love travelling.
It is the best way to learn about human nature while having tons of fun in the process. I can’t wait for the next stamp on my passport and the adventure that awaits.
