Overtourism is Out, Second City Travel is In!

The new decade brings new ideas on traveling and preserving some well-known destinations.

Second city travel might not be as thrilling as going to Venice or Machu Picchu, but it will provide you with knowledge while enjoying exploring the lesser-known cities near you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot go across the border, but the new traveling trends are more about getting to know your area than anything else.

Overtourism has caused damaging effects that tourists cannot see, like driving away locals, putting pressure on infrastructure, and threatening a city’s history and heritage. Particular destinations will always be popular, but we reached a point in the past decade where cities begged tourists not to visit. A tiny village in Austria which (most likely) inspired the fictional town of Arendelle in Disney’s Frozen has been flooded by thousands of tourists desperate to take a selfie. The town’s mayor decided to stop the hysteria and even went to talk to The Times. There are significant structural damages in Machu Picchu, while other places suffer due to a lack of tourists. To create balance and preserve certain spots, it’s time to act locally.

Second city travel is visiting a country’s not so famous destinations to reduce overtourism and help preserve the environment. According to Booking.com, 51 %of travelers would trade their initial destination for a similar one if it meant making less of an impact on the environment. If you don’t find this idea exciting, you may want to explore other countries from a different perspective.

For example, Porto is just as beautiful as Lisbon, but not as overcrowded. Osaka, Kyoto, and Hakone are prime examples of Japanese architecture and traditions, so skipping Tokyo might not be such a bad idea. There’s more to each country than one city, and there’s more to each place on Earth than just what we see on Instagram.

Going to lesser-known places can be a more relaxing, calming experience. It gives you a better chance to understand and appreciate the culture, traditions, cuisines, and the locals will be more welcoming. Having adventures all over the world is different from enjoying what your country has to offer. It’s easy to combine the two and get the most out of all the time and money you invest in traveling.