Last Updated on February 26, 2021 by Natalie
The world is large. There are so many places to see and things to do. Searching for “things to do in” the city you’re about to visit is going to present you with so many search results and options of things YOU SHOULD NOT MISS during your possibly once in a lifetime trip. Travel FOMO (or fear of missing out) is a real thing and manifests in different ways.
What will happen if you don’t go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Or the Statue of Liberty in NYC? What if you don’t see Chichen Itza while visiting Cancun, Mexico?
What happens if you don’t see that destination’s famous landmark?
Nothing.
An incredulous person might later ask you why you went to Peru and didn’t visit Machu Picchu and maybe tell you that you’re crazy for not going, but does their opinion matter?
⇒ What is travel FOMO? It’s the fear of missing out. Travel FOMO is the fear of missing out while traveling. Alternatively, travel JOMO is the joy of missing out.
Oh and about the picture at the top of this article: It was taken at the Mayan Ruins of Tulum, a place very popular for Instagram selfies. That brown stuff is the sargassum seaweed, which has been plaguing most of the Riviera Maya coast for a year or two now. It’s still beautiful, but it might be a little different than as seen on Instagram.
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It’s okay to do what you want to do while traveling
It’s okay to not do things while you’re on vacation, even if it’s a destination that you are unlikely to visit again for a long time or ever.
Many of the amazing and most popular sites are overrun with tourists and can end up being underwhelming. It really can end up being more magical to see a less popular site that isn’t so crowded with people.
While I loved visiting Chichen Itza, we arrived there before the gates were open, so we could enter exactly at 8 am. It wasn’t crowded at all. It also wasn’t hot yet. When we arrived to the Mayan Ruins in Tulum, it was midday. It was hot and more crowded. When we arrived to Coba Ruins (around 45 minutes from Tulum), it was also early in morning, before it was hot or busy. Coba and Chichen Itza were my favorite (in that order, but just barely) with the Tulum ruins being a distant third.
Coba ruins, while growing in popularity, aren’t nearly as well known as the other two places. There aren’t as many tourists. Plus, you can still climb some of the structures, which is really exciting. I really, really want to visit it again.
However, I don’t believe a person must see any of these ruins to have a wonderful Mexico vacation (though all are wonderful sites).
This was taken at La Gruta Hot Springs in San Miguel de Allende. It’s close to where we currently live.
Occasionally, I don’t see any special landmarks while traveling
While we were in Playa del Carmen, we ended up not leaving the resort. We had such a wonderful, relaxing time that we opted to revel in it.
Okay, it’s a little different – we do live in Mexico and have now been twice to the Riviera Maya area. I didn’t feel a pressing need to see or do anything.
Who Cares if You Miss Out on the Must See Landmark: Bye Travel FOMO
However, my husband and I did something similar on our honeymoon to Jamaica. We did leave the resort once, but we were so burnt out from our work lives at the time, that we ended up not doing very many excursions. I do sometimes wish we’d done some of the more adventurous things since we didn’t have kids yet. However, that vacation was exactly what we needed to recharge from our work burn out.
It depends on you and with whom you travel
When I was a younger traveler, I did do more of the “things to do in X city” while traveling, in part because I was pushed by my travel partner. Now, I don’t always want to do all of the things. Sometimes, I’m just too tired. Usually, that’s due to celiac disease. I can’t always push through anymore. When we do try to do more activities, they are often centered around the kids. Sometimes, the kid fun activities overlap and are also fun for adults.
Fun for kids and adults overlapped when we saw El Arco in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We took the Yellow Submarine ride and our kids enjoyed it. Plus, we got to see the famous Arch. However, the kids and I all got sick on the last 2-3 days and we missed out on going to Lover’s Beach and some other places that I’d have liked to visit.
⇒ Check out the Cabo Yello Submarine ride prices and availability!
But do I have travel guilt for missing out on an adventure?
Nope.
My trips are planned around 3 other personalities plus mine. We try to do a healthy mix of things that are fun for everyone. If that means our entire trip is spent at the beach or in the pool, it’s okay. Playa del Carmen still ranks as our best family vacation because everyone had an amazing time.
We didn’t even leave the resort once.
Chichen Itza – thankfully, we did make it there!
Overtourism
The new buzzword is overtourism. Traveling is becoming more affordable, especially with mistake fares, travel deal sites, and different types of travel hacking coming into play. Some places are limiting the tourists that are allowed to visit each year. Some cities are making laws that target tourists and their bad behavior. Instead of visiting that “must see” place that is extremely crowded or is actually hurting from too much tourism, it’s worthwhile to go a little further and find something less well known.
Prior to moving to Mexico, we spent a few days in Vermilion, Ohio. This city is on Lake Erie and it’s a wonderful place to vacation during the summer. We spent our days at the beach and our nights at a cute little bed and breakfast.
If you really want to see a place, go!
On the other hand, if you really want to visit a beloved, busy landmark, by all means: go! I really want to see the Statue of Liberty in New York City. When I finally get there, that will be the one item I’ll make sure to do. Okay, I also want to see a Broadway show. I was a theatre major in college, so it is definitely a thing I’m very interested in doing.
Even though some areas are just plain old tourist traps, if I really want to see a specific landmark, I will still go.
If I feel less than excited about something, even something really famous, I just may skip it. Even if I am a travel blogger.
What greeted me at the entry of the hotel in Xilitla. My children loved the whimsy.
Travel in the way that suits you
Travel in the way you see fit. Go to the exotic place. Explore closer to home. If you skip a landmark that may not even care much about, you are losing bragging rights. Who cares? Most of the time, people don’t care about other people’s travels anyway. See what you want to see or don’t see anything much. Eat a lot of local cuisine or stick to what you know. It’s all okay. We all deal with being out of our comfort zones differently. Throw away the guilt of not seeing the “must see thing” at your destination.
Experience the travel joy of missing out (JOMO)
Vacationing doesn’t always mean ‘go to Paris.’ Yes, Paris is an amazing city. It’s worthwhile to visit there or other exotic locales. However, don’t discount cool places, just because they aren’t so in your face about their awesomeness. The USA has so many gems hidden away. Mexico has a lot of amazing places that aren’t Cancun or Chichen Itza, too.
Go forth, travel, and don’t feel guilty if you skip Machu Picchu!
What’s your favorite off-the-beaten-path travel experience? Have you had a disappointing experience at a well known landmark?
8 comments
I love this message! Especially in this day and age it seems there is so much pressure to do the things you’re ‘supposed’ to do when you travel. F that!
Exactly. Sometimes, I want to relax or I just don’t want to face the crowds at a popular place. Thanks!
I love that you coined a phrase: JOMO! I have such FOMO sometimes, but you bring up a lot of really good points here. Had fun reading this!
As much as I’d love to take credit, JOMO was coined by someone else! Thanks so much 🙂
I absolutely agree with this, I’ve just written a post about staying in Rome where we chose to spend our budget in bars and cafes rather than queuing for the Colosseum. We had a great time experiencing Roman culture and we didn’t pay to go in a single site, but found interesting places by just wandering. It’s up to you how you do stuff and I’m not into a tick box experience!
That sounds lovely! It sounds like a great trip. Thank you!
Really good article. Most of my favourite places I’ve been to are ones I never knew existed before I arrived in the country. It might be because I don’t plan so much, but I have an idea of some things I’d like to see but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t get there. Chances are I’ll have done something else instead that was equally memorable if not more so.
That’s a fantastic attitude, Stuart. While I’m glad that I’ve seen the things I’ve seen in various destinations, I’m also find with missing out if I’m feeling too tired or overwhelmed to visit a crowded place.