Skip The Crowds & See These Less-Instagrammed Destinations Instead

Uproxx

“Doing it for the ‘gram” dominates huge swaths of the travel landscape these days. People are voyaging to far-flung (yet wildly popular) destinations more than ever — funneled to a prescribed set of spots by Instagram influencers. We’re throwing down the cash to get that sunrise shot at Petra or the Pyramids of Giza or above Machu Picchu, and that’s great. We’re traveling! But we’re also over-taxing some very delicate ecosystems, local populations, and old infrastructure.

The Uproxx crew is always on board for you to travel more. But in an age when huge populations are becoming wealthier (Russia, China, India) and traveling is cheaper and easier than ever, we have to travel more wisely and respectfully. Iconic beaches on well-worn Instagram trails are being shuttered due to over-tourism. The effect of this is threefold. Locals lose out on employment and the money that tourism reaps. The environment is f*cked by too many people trampling through for that “perfect” Instagram post. And, when places are ruined, we all lose out on experiencing something magical.

It’s time to start thinking about expanding your tourism (and Instagram) horizons and being a little more intrepid. The thing is, the earth is freakin’ massive. There are so, so many amazing places to see. With that in mind, we thought we’d list some of our favorite destinations on the planet — each one every bit as awesome as more touristed locales. We’d also like to point out the added benefit of blazing your own path and being a true original instead of following what literally everyone else is doing.

One quick caveat here. When we offer an alternative destination, we are not saying that the original destination is somehow lacking or not worth seeing. Over-touristed destinations are packed for a reason — they’re spectacular. We’re making this list to give those places a chance to breathe and recover from the millions who tax it daily. Please don’t stop going somewhere just because so many people already do. Just think about whether it’s right to go “right now.” Then maybe consider one of these spots instead.