Read one travel influencer, and you’ve basically read them all.
How do I know?
Because we’re all apparently pulling quotes from the same AI-generated LinkedIn post titled:
“101 Ways to Sound Deep Without Saying Anything.”
It’s always the same ingredients:
✨ Nestled in the heart of…
✨ A city that effortlessly blends old and new…
✨ Tucked away gem that stole my heart…
✨ The locals were so kind. (Translation: they didn’t throw a rock at me.)
And don’t get me started on the phrase “off the beaten path.”
Sis, if it has a Starbucks and a luggage locker, it’s on the damn path.
You know what would be truly authentic?
Writing about the moment your flip-flop disintegrated in a temple toilet.
Or how you got chased by a rooster in rural Vietnam and ended up with rice in your bra.
Now that’s real. That’s useful. That’s unforgettable.
But no.
We get “cultural melting pot,” “rich history,” and “Instagrammable corners” instead.
Final Thought
Am I guilty of it?
Hell yeah—I’ve clung to a cliché like it owed me rent.
We all start somewhere. Sometimes it’s clumsy. Sometimes it reads like cardboard dipped in soy sauce. But at least it’s yours.
That’s the thing:
You only find your voice by using it.
Writing badly, awkwardly, emotionally, sharply—it’s all part of learning.
But copy-paste doesn’t teach you anything.
It just dulls your edge.
And honestly? The world already has enough “tucked-away gems” gathering digital dust.
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