15 April

The unfixable destructive paradox of travel is that it forces somebody else’s home to change, to cater to you. No matter how low impact you want to be. Some European cities for example are fed up with the tourists who ‘go local’, pretending to be more respectful of the local culture by living with the locals. But it displaces everything about the delicate local social structures. Bali experiencing this at rapidly increasing speed. Byron is probably terminal. The answer? Make your own homes and cultures magical places, instead of being a parasite on others’ home-grown paradises, which they’ve cultivated for generations. We won’t do that, because we have no understanding now of presence, of being grounded where we live. Even the people who say they are are really just sightseeing, bushwalking and camping in their own landscapes like tourists, often uttering greeting card drivel about being one with nature. Finding it all so numinous etc. Like those who drape themselves over natural wonders for photos, it’s social media-driven narcissism. Most travel is a bit like that, it’s ‘look at me here, travelling’. Fodder for the social media feed, curating our public personalities.