Sometimes the only way to beat FOMO is to wander
Social media can give us a never ending sense that we're missing while traveling. Wandering gives us a chance to really discover a place beyond it being "Instaworthy"
On the flight to Korea I still didn't know what I was going to spend the next two weeks doing. Planning for two weeks and three destinations and five very different people (who happened to be family) was a bit overwhelming.
We, of course, had an outline of the main sites to see, cobbled together using various online sources, but to me, everything still felt a little bit disjointed. It didn't have the typical flow of my shorter trips, an itinerary full of places to eat and little shops to see as well as the big things. Spending so much time in Korea meant that I wanted to get into the essence of it, the places that truly gave insights into the way that people live and experience the country day to day.
Usually I have a pretty good (I'd say) way to go about travel research. I am a big fan of travel blogs to get more details into the itineraries and discover useful tips from a first person perspective. Blogs help me figure out things like the best way to get from the airport, transport, and other smaller details. I often use bloggers like Nomadic Matt, Packs Light and The Traveling Child to get insights into key sites and places to stay. Then I usually check out tiktoks, IG and sometimes Youtube for other suggestions. I've always been more of a fan of written content than video just because of the way I process information, but particularly on this trip, researching on social media was making me feel a bit frantic.
Social media is a never ending feed of insta-worthy cafes, delicious looking restaurants and cute places to shop. There was so much to do and see and every video promised that this was the "ultimate/best/perfect" day in whatever neighborhood. Instead of inspiration, all that I was getting from these videos was that I was bound to miss something. Determined not to, my notes became a jumbled mess of random tiktok suggestions. It was too much. Beyond that a problem with planning from social media is that these videos often didn't dive into the context of a place. I felt that even with a long list that I was missing the importance and the why beyond it being a place my sparse Instagram followers might enjoy.
Travel to me, should have meaning beyond documentation and showing off for others. I want to get something other than a cute pic from the places to go. With socials, everything is optimized, but in a real place, in real life, it's not and it shouldn't be.
Some of the best memories come from the unoptimized, random, almost got lost, parts of travel. Seeing peoples highlight and social media optimized travel itineraries filled me with a sense of fear of missing out. But, by spending time wandering, with no specific place in mind, with just randomly picking places with my siblings and following strangers to new restaurants I've learned that wherever you go is the only place that you’re supposed to be. In the unoptimized is where the beauty of travel and coincidence collide.
Wanting to learn more and really understand the landscape of the city, before I left I went to Barnes and Nobles and got a good, old-fashioned, Lonely Planet Travel Guide to Korea. I loved it. I spent the first four hour flight reading through it, learning about the neighborhoods, the historical sites and adding context to the whole place. I annotated, took notes and was able to sit with my thoughts enough to really plan and get excited about how I would spend the next two weeks.
We had a plan, a good one, but a lot of the beauty of travel happens in the in-between places and plans. Travel requires a bit of fluidity, which can be especially hard when traveling with a large (opinionated) group.
After a few days of exploring together my family decided that we would divide and conquer our interests for a day. My brother went on a sunrise hike, my mom and sister went to a Korean Spa, and my other sister slept in and ate to her heart's content.
Me? I wandered. I took an uber to Hongdae, a neighborhood known for its youthful feel, vibrant entertainment and abundant shopping. We had stopped by the neighborhood one of the previous days, but I hadn't had enough time to look around everything I wanted to. This time I took my time walking around the shops, giving myself time to double back and be indecisive. I saw the East and West collide in shopping and food. I saw Korea's young and fashionable with friends, on dates, and doing anything in between.
And best of all I randomly discovered this Hottek (a sweet Korean pancake) and soft serve ice cream that was so good I made my siblings double back when we were in the neighborhood again. It wasn't a lot but I loved it. The freedom and the unspecificity of it all. It gave me a chance to connect with myself by doing things at my own pace.
So for your next trips I recommend A) go buy an actual, real life, in print travel guide and b) take a day, pick a neighborhood and ignore tf out of that guide and just wander.
love this! changed my whole itinerary to be neighbourhoof based