Instagram Isn't Real

 I don’t know about you, but I love me some instagram. Thanks to my little brother, I was introduced to the photo-based social media outlet only last winter (I know, I’m a late bloomer) and let me tell you, it’s magical. You can follow everyone from your closest family and friends to the Presidents of entire countries. More than that, you can travel anywhere in an instant. In a moment, you are invited into the most beautiful, significant, and lovable moments of people’s lives. You can travel to different continents, oceans, cities,  bookshops,  and homes. I really love Instagram. Really.

Photo cred: Stephanie the little sis. P.S. We're in Germany right now.

But I have a secret to tell you: it’s fake. Pretty much baloney.  And believe me, you needed to be warned.

Let me tell you why: it doesn’t tell you the whole truth. It hides things from you. It only give you the very best of everything. Which is great, but it isn’t honest and I think it’s important that you know. Especially if you happen to be like me and follow a bazillion travel and adventure blogs (I don’t have to mention all those artsy-fartsy coffee-woodsy ones, do I?).

One more secret for you: despite the travel agencies successful campaigns and your coolest friend’s Instagram adventures they leave out some really important details.

Details like about how you’re going to be exhausted at least 70-80% of your trip. Especially if you’re young and broke and “sleeping” at hostels. Details like how money will constantly be on your mind (“If I buy this crossaint now, will I have enough money for breakfast tomorrow? I mean, who eats breakfast nowadays anyway?”). Details like how no matter how close you are to your travel buddy they will, at one point or another, drive you absolutely insane.  Details about how basic human rights like sleep, food, and safety (not to mention personal space) are compromised almost constantly.

Instagram takes you to that one moment, after all those horrible ones, that is absolutely awesome. Breathtaking. The views from the top of the mountain without even glancing at the monstrous blisters on coating the heels. With Instagram, you’re only getting the very last part of the story, the climax and the resolution, the dessert and the coffee.

But I have one last secret for you: you’re really missing out.

Despite how messy and human-rights-depriving travel can be, Instagram can never do it full justice. Instagram can never show how sweet getting to that viewpoint or monument really is after a day of navigation through crowds and pickpockets and foreign languages and piles of trash. Instagram can never show the true beauty of successfully finding that beautiful plate of food after walking an extra five miles on sore feet just to find the perfect Italian Bistro to eat at.  Try as they might, even the most savvy Instagramer can never share with you the perfection of the tiny details; the soft evening breezes and the secret smiles and the way the air smells in the morning. They can never give you the same rush of adrenaline that comes from jumping into the unknown or the worst headache in the world you get when you're trying (and failing) to learn a new language. 

So I’ve done my duty. I’ve warned you. Instagram is not real. It leaves everything out—the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. But, as it turns out, you CAN have your cake and eat it too. And you'll never know unless you try.