The Efficiency Trap: Are We Traveling to See More or Feel More?
As a travel blogger, constantly reading about new destinations, and obsessively researching places I may or may not visit, there’s one thing I keep noticing: the one word that keeps popping up, like an overenthusiastic tour guide waving a clipboard: efficiency.
Efficiency has become both the goal and the method of reaching that goal. We want to maximize time, stretch money, and cram in as many experiences as humanly possible. We hunger for new sights, new foods, and, let’s be honest, new photos to flood social media. But sometimes, in our quest to taste the world, we pile our plates so high that even the hungriest traveler can’t finish what’s in front of them.
Take my friends, for example—a couple who love traveling abroad. Their trips are intense. Being highly efficient people, they somehow manage to squeeze three or four countries into one trip. They rarely spend more than one night in the same hotel and, despite loving a place, never return because, how they put it: “there are still so many places we haven’t seen yet.”
And honestly? That approach is more common than you’d think. I once found myself in a crowded trattoria in Rome, sharing a conversation with an American couple at the next table. With no small amount of pride, they told me that Italy was their 30th country. “When we’re done with Italy, we’ll do Croatia next.” Out of curiosity, I asked how long it took them to do Italy. The answer? Ten days.
Now, I’m not here to judge anyone’s travel style. But that conversation lingered in my mind. It made me ask myself: What’s important to me? What’s my version of efficiency? Do I want to see more? Eat more? And the biggest question of all—do I actually get bored if I stay in one place too long?
The Fear of Slowing Down
Speaking of boredom—it seems to be a modern traveler’s worst nightmare. We’re terrified of stillness, of being alone with our thoughts. Whether in a long airport line or waiting for gelato, nearly everyone is glued to a screen, scrolling as if the fate of the universe depends on it. I’ve seen people sit at gorgeous restaurant terraces, with breathtaking views, only to spend the entire meal staring at their phones instead of the scenery.
And I wonder: Did they truly enjoy that meal? Or did they just consume it, tick the box, and post it on Instagram?
These thoughts keep circling in my head.
How efficient do I really want to be with my travels? More importantly, how efficient do I want to be with my life?
For me, travel isn’t just about checking places off a list—it’s about finding lost pieces of myself. Some of those pieces I misplaced long ago, and others I never even knew existed. I discover foods that become part of my cravings, imprint landscapes into my soul that return to me when I’m far away. I create stories—imagining what life would be like if I lived there, picturing a different version of me in a different place.
And sometimes, if I’m lucky, I find a place that just fits—like a puzzle piece clicking into place.
A Place That Felt Like Home
One of those rare puzzle pieces for me was Lake Garda in Northern Italy. It’s not the first mountain lake I’ve seen. But when I arrived in the small lakeside town of Torbole and caught my first glimpse of the water surrounded by mountains, something shifted. It was an almost eerie sense of coming home—not to a physical home, but to a place in my soul where everything was complete. A place where anxiety and uncertainty didn’t exist, where I didn’t care about the date or time.
I wandered slowly along the lake toward Riva del Garda, not rushing to get anywhere, simply breathing in the air—air that carried the kind of freedom most of us forget we’re allowed to feel. The small worries that normally clutter my mind? Gone.
It’s been a few months now since I was there, but when life feels overwhelming, I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and see Lake Garda with my inner eye. It gives me comfort, strength, a sense of clarity.
Will I go back?
Absolutely.
Yes, there are still so many places I haven’t seen. But who said we have to embrace the immensity?
That trip gave me far more than a stack of photographs. It gave me another missing piece of me.
And now, I want to ask you something.
What are you traveling for?
Have you ever encountered a place that felt like magic? A place that felt like home, even though you’d never been there before?
Put your phone away for a moment. Take some one-on-one time with yourself. Listen to your heart.
As simple as it sounds, it just might change your next trip—or your entire life.
Because isn’t that why we travel in the first place? To grow, to evolve, to find the pieces of ourselves we never knew we were missing?
