On Your Next Vacation, Challenge Yourself to Not Take a Single Photo
A picture is worth a thousand words. Or, you know, the ten minutes you spent waiting in line to pose in front of a mural, climb up a flight of stairs to get a better picture of a monument, or wander a park looking for "that tree." Imagine: If you weren't all about getting that snapshot for social media, might you have spent that time engaging with a local, reading the city's newspaper in a coffee shop, or soaking up nature more fully with your own two eyes instead of a viewfinder?
On the next trip you take, vow to make it a photo-free vacation and the results may amaze you. A recent article published on Condé Nast Traveler, documents writer Allie Jones' experience with taking a day-trip to a museum and not taking any photos. Not snapping any pics, it turns out, can be good for your soul, and social scientists have even found that your memories of museum exhibits may even be better if you don't take any pictures.
As you wander through a new city or even return to a beach town you know and love, you may be surprised to notice details you may have otherwise overlooked, hear snippets of fascinating conversations, or even make a new friend. Not to mention, with your phone in your pocket or purse, you're more likely to completely process your amazing surroundings.
WATCH: The Sneaky Way You're Ruining Vacation
If you think an entire vacation sans photos sounds a bit too extreme, consider challenging yourself to going a few days without taking pictures, or even taking an afternoon hike or going on a museum excursion without reaching for the camera app. (And one humble plea from my own concert-going experiences: You will never, ever, ever look at those 82 photos and videos you took mid-show, so please keep your phone away at all musical performances; home or away.)
What do you think of the idea of taking a photo-free vacation or designating part of your travels a No-Photo Zone? Would you enjoy the experience or feel like you are missing out?
