Overrun

On travel guilt and the uncomfortable truth about the places we love to visit

I came back from Granada carrying a strange sense of guilt. I had been naive enough to travel there during a holiday, along with thousands of others. It turned out there was a local festivity, a national bank holiday, and one of the world’s most famous monuments, the Alhambra, drawing in the usual international crowd. It was chaos.

We had booked what we thought would be a great location, but ended up right in the eye of the storm.

You dodged one large tour group only to run into another, led by someone holding a closed umbrella in the air. Waiters were visibly stressed. Spaniards, known for their warmth, were curt and burnt out, pulling espresso shots faster than a Starbucks.

We didn’t like what we saw. This wasn’t the Granada we remembered. It felt overwhelming, and I felt naive for having made such a rookie mistake. In the Albaycín, we noticed the now-familiar posters that have begun appearing in cities across Europe: “Albaycín against mass tourism”.

Poster in el Albayzin

Even when Kevin and I first visited in 2017, during the high season in August, I recall how peaceful it felt. We’d sit by the mirador at night, eating ice cream, with an unimpeded view of the Alhambra. None of this over-saturated energy, where all you could focus on was the next step in front of you.

Lately, I’ve been having these thoughts more frequently, trying to understand my role in all of this, especially since I write about travel on the internet and am aware of its potential harm. I’m someone who needs to fit things into a grid of reason and logic, and writing about travel on Substack led me to a silent existential crisis last month.

In this post, I explore the guilt that arises from witnessing inequality and its environmental impact firsthand. I keep asking myself: Am I part of the problem? And the short answer is yes. But the honest answer is more complex, and it has not been easy to digest.

The Curse of Virality

I started a travel blog in 2019, after years of dreaming about sharing my travel experiences online. But by then, the landscape was already saturated, and I could see that many travel blogs and influencers were doing more harm than good. They were uncovering hidden gems, overwhelming local communities, and contributing to the frenzy in cities already stretched to their limits.

I’ve returned to the drawing board multiple times. Even though I’ve always wanted to write about off-the-beaten-path travel, I’ve realised that broadcasting these places can become harmful, especially if they go viral.

A clear example is the little village of Hallstatt, which I visited in 2014. At the time, I couldn’t find many places to eat or even a single open restaurant for dinner. As for tourists, I remember only seeing a small group of Chinese visitors, likely drawn by the full-scale replica of Hallstatt that exists in China.

Back then, it was quiet, quaint, and peaceful. I stayed in a bed and breakfast overlooking the lake, never imagining the curse of virality that was on the horizon.

I haven’t been back since, but recent news reports say the town now receives up to 10,000 visitors a day, a shocking number considering it has only around 700 inhabitants.

What Does “Overtourism” Really Mean?

Overtourism refers to a place that has exhausted its available space, not just physical space, but also its cultural and environmental limits. There aren’t enough resources to go around: not for the locals, not for the infrastructure, not for the ecosystems.

This tends to happen in places we’re told are beautiful and desirable. But that doesn’t make a lot of sense because the world is vast. There are endless places to explore in Africa, South America, North America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Oceania that many people are unaware of—and dare I say, scared of?

In overrun destinations, people look tired, hot, and cranky. They are clutching their bags like lifelines, shuffling through crowds, waiting in endless queues, often exposing themselves to petty theft. Always tension in the air.

This is the result of the checklist mentality, the belief that travel is about ticking off famous destinations rather than experiencing them.

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The Privilege of Travel

Ultimately, travel is a self-serving act. That means every trip, no matter how small, carries an element of privilege. The irony is, 80% of us are choosing to visit the same 10% of the world.

This begins by letting mainstream media, such as Hollywood movies, magazines, TV shows, and best-selling books, shape our desires for us.

We’ve been taught to prioritise our wants and consume without considering the impact of our footprint and waste. The fact is, travel was never intended for plebs like us; it was a privilege reserved for the elite. However, once it became democratised through the cheapening of airfare and accommodations, it was quickly commodified. And like anything that becomes a product for the masses, it eventually starts to harm both the people and the environment.

Tourists vs Travellers

Travel is driven by curiosity, and for some of us, like me, that curiosity is insatiable. For those who have caught the travel bug, it’s about realising that there must be a different way of living, outside the borders of our countries, outside the status quo we were raised in.

For a while, I thought of travellers as “outcasts”: people who rejected the checklist mentality. Those who put travel first because they believed there was more to life than a prefabricated path—people who chose humble stays and genuine cultural interactions over the fake smiles at resorts.

The romanticisation of travel, especially in cities like Paris, Barcelona, or Rome, hides how uncomfortable travel can really be. Real travellers know it’s about confronting the biases of our minds. For those who lean into it, that discomfort is more than worth it, because it brings with it experiences, stories, and lessons you’d never find in the comforts of familiar places.

I used to think of tourists as those who went to popular destinations, not because they wanted to, but because they felt they had to.

But I’m giving up on that distinction. In today’s globalised and interconnected world, the lines are blurring.

There are full-time travellers, such as influencers with massive followings who act irresponsibly, inspiring thousands to do the same. There are also thoughtful and educated tourists who choose eco-lodges and travel with care.

Ultimately, we’re all travelling, and we all leave a mark.

The Lack of Education and Travel Etiquette

There is a lot of ingenuity and naivety in travel. Because we venture into the unknown, we don’t always know what we’re participating in.

For example, I know someone who took an elephant tour in Thailand, then read about the cruelty behind it and felt horrified, swearing she would never do it again. You feel cheated. If it’s so harmful to the animals, then why are they offering it to tourists?

More often than not, the answer comes down to money. Tourism is, after all, an industry, and like many others focused on growth, it doesn’t always prioritise ethics.

In order to commodify the desires of the masses, the system has created luxury resorts in countries still recovering from colonialism, cruise ships that continue to damage fragile ecosystems, and cheap airfare that enables endless flights across continents, pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

There’s a growing disconnect between what we know and how we act—a cognitive dissonance that has deepened as we’ve become increasingly desensitised to the consequences of environmental degradation in our pursuit of happiness and status.

That’s why I believe travel and cultural awareness should be a required subject in school. We need to learn how to interact with different cultures and how to be responsible travellers.

A simple travel etiquette guide outlining the basics of cultural respect, sustainability, and behaviour should come with every boarding pass.

I remember billboards in Chiang Mai reminding visitors that the Buddha is not a decoration or a “cool tattoo.” I appreciated that bold initiative. However, I later learned it came from a non-profit organisation, and not from the government.

Urgency: Cultural and Environmental Erosion

I understand that not everyone wants to travel to unfamiliar places or dedicate their time to thinking about how their presence affects someone else’s home.

Engaging in some of these harmful practices doesn’t immediately turn us into bad people. Many are unaware of alternative methods; they may have grown up observing one model of travel and assume that’s the norm.

I know that some people, whether by choice or unconsciously, are addicted to money and status and will never act on these changes if it involves sacrificing the unethical commodities that have been manufactured to climb the ladder faster.

However, the consequences are becoming difficult to ignore. What’s at stake here is culture, the reason we travel in the first place.

I see it happening in my city, Madrid, as well as in cities all over the world. Cultures that took centuries to build are being eroded by short-term profit, social media status, and our consumption habits.

Local restaurants are being replaced with fast food chains and brunch spots. Yet another multinational store replaces a hundred-year-old cinema. Entire apartment buildings are bought out and turned into trendy holiday rentals, forcing long-time residents, often the elderly, out of their homes.

More and more artificial cultural experiences, curated exclusively for tourists, are emerging… These are real-life experiences that are happening every day.

Uniqlo store located at Gran Via 37, formerly Cines Avenida and Sala de Fiestas Pasapoga. Picture by Martin Mendez via AD

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Let’s Be The Change

To be clear: I’m not standing on a moral high horse. I’m just as caught up in it as anyone else. I’m both a victim and a participant in the cycle; however, I cannot sit in silence around injustice and hypocrisy. That’s just not who I am.

A few years ago, I came to the realisation that I want to advocate, educate, and raise awareness about the issues I encounter while travelling. After reflecting on the direction of my Substack and whether it makes sense to write about travel online, I’ve come to realise that activism and environmentalism need to play a larger role in my life, ideally through my creativity and photography.

I won’t always get it right, but this time I refuse to hide or show only the parts that go right. I will inevitably get it wrong sometimes and not be able to practice what I preach. I will probably stay in a resort in the future if they cater to exhausted parents away from home. However, I believe that with awareness and a willingness to learn, I can do better. We all can.

Change doesn't happen overnight, and I understand that changing our behaviour and habits is even harder. There’s trial and error, and sometimes embarrassment and shame.

What I’ve learned on my journey toward a more eco-conscious life is that it must be taken one step at a time. Perfectionism will try to convince you that if you can’t change everything, you might as well do nothing.

And for those of us with the privilege to travel, it’s essential to give back. Give back to the places you visit. Give back to your community by sharing what you’ve learned, not just what you’ve consumed. Travel can be one of the most valuable forms of free education.

In this increasingly globalised world, the word "traveller" simply means someone who travels. As travellers, we carry a significant responsibility for the places we visit and how we experience them. Let’s become conscious and aware of our footprint before the damage is done.

And as for overrunning cities, let’s start getting creative with new and more purpose-driven reasons for travel. After all, it’s in the unknown where the magic happens.

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Substacks that echo these thoughts

Cultural Immersion as the antidote to “hit and run” tourism by

Kayla Doris

The Comfortable Life is Killing You by Eric Rittenberry via

Poetic Outlaws

To restore our vitality, we must let go of the craving for absolute certainty and dare to enter the unknown, where life’s true energy and renewal await. In the words of Joseph Campbell, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

When we venture beyond the familiar, something stirs within us—a renewed sense of aliveness, a spark of possibility. Fear begins to loosen its grip as we embrace uncertainty, finding in it the thrill of growth and discovery. This willingness to risk comfort for transformation sharpens our minds and strengthens our spirits, turning life from a routine into a living adventure.

Recommended Podcast: Going Places with Alex Reynolds

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If you're new here, hello and welcome! You can start by reading my welcome post and what I’m about here. I aim to post one article per week, either on Wednesdays or Fridays (and here I am, posting on a Monday!). Sometimes I write an exciting travel plan, and at other times, a more extended essay on travel, culture or creativity.

My last newsletter was my April Dispatch, a monthly recap of last month's posts, notable Substack reads and a preview of what’s coming in May.

The previous Travel Plans edition was about what to do when you are tired and have to entertain a toddler in NYC.

Let’s connect on Instagram for Substack updates and travel photography. You’ll find me at @anansuetravel.

Take care of yourself and see you in the next one!

Ana.

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