If you spend any time in the travel sphere on social media, you know that a day doesn’t go by without seeing an inspirational travel quote superimposed on an equally inspirational image. Are there some that set your teeth on edge? Here are a few of my picks for the quotes that have just got to go.
Overused inspirational travel quotes
In my day job, I’m a communications/PR consultant. I do a lot of copywriting work, and one of the sacred rules in the copywriting world is to avoid clichés. Why? Because once you repeatedly hear a clever catchphrase it loses its effect. That’s why I spend a lot of time on behalf of my clients finding alternative ways to say “world-class,” “leading-edge,” and “thinking outside of the box.” Whoever coined that last one brilliantly captured the concept of looking beyond artificial constraints to find a solution to a problem. After hearing it a gazillion times, though, it makes me want to bang my head against said box.
So, in no particular order, here are the travel quotes I say we need to retire to a quiet spot on the Internet where they can’t annoy anyone anymore:
Overdone and Easy to Mock
Yeah, did I tell you about the time I was stuck in a packed plane on the tarmac at O’Hare for three hours? Talk about speechless! As with most overused quotes, the sentiment behind this one is relatable. Sadly, its overuse has wrung the goodness out of it.
Condescend much?
This one really sticks in my craw because of its arrogance. The majority of the world’s people do not have access to the privilege of travel. Also, speaking of books; I know voracious readers who have not travelled a lot who are more worldly than those who have. If you want to travel, fill your boots. If you’d rather explore other worlds via your game console or international Instagram feed, who am I to judge?
No, actually. That’s not true.
Really? How about books, giving to charity, buying stocks?
Be whatever you want!
Ugh – what does this one even mean? There is no one way to travel. I proudly say that I am both. Sometimes, I hop on the hop-on-hop-off bus, buy the cheesy fridge magnet, and purchase the overpriced cocktail to enjoy the view from the 30th floor. It’s OK.
Any other inspirational travel quotes you’d like to add to my pile? Leave it in the comments.
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Ha! I (of course) love this post. We’re full-time travellers so of course we like to travel…but all the inspirational, I’m holier than thou stuff is bullshit. I’m not even sure to be honest if travelling makes you a better person but that’s another post for another day.
And they’re all probably written by people with desk jobs who barely travel but like the idea of it…
So true!Thanks for the comment. Had to link to this on your blog given we wrote similarly themed posts. Down with inspirational quotes!
I so agree with you on this, especially the quotes about the world being a book and the tourist versus traveller. In my opinion, both are arrogant and don’t recognize the different circumstances and preferences of other people. I agree that many people who don’t or rarely travel can be more worldly than many frequent travellers. And they often have opportunities to give back and help others in ways people constantly on the move cannot.