09.04.2016

A tour around the world on Instagram? OK, but why?

09.04.2016

A tour around the world on Instagram? OK, but why?

Traveling around the world comes down to a choice, a desire that takes hold of you. Ever since my childhood, I have yearned to discover the beautiful places of this world, immerse myself in the cultures, and lose myself in the beautiful landscapes nature has to offer.

I was finally able to undertake this project at the age of 34 and so I took off on a tour around the world. Like anyone heading out on an adventure out of the ordinary world of common mortal man, I wanted to be able to share it.

Here are the experiences that enabled me to reflect on the nature of my travels and the fact of sharing them in pictures on Instagram.

When you are steeped in nature

From the very first steps of this great 12 month voyage, exoticism captivated me and carried me away! I started my trip around the world in Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile. I spent two weeks in urban travel, with dancing, street art, encounters with the locals, and lots of passion.

The subjects I shared on Instagram were truly inspiring, and they touched me, heart and soul. But it was nothing compared to what came next, when Nature began to open her doors to me.

street-art-valparaiso

It was in San Pedro de Atacama and Sud Lipez in Bolivia that things changed. It was striking! I was struck like never before. Can such beauty, power, and wondrousness be real? I can say honestly today that I jumped in without really paying attention to it. Nature grabs you, takes you by the hand, and won’t let go. It drags you into what’s REAL. The other reality of your existence, everything that is artificial, no longer has any importance. Like the sirens calling to attract Ulysses, the voice of Nature captures you, and it does so for your own good.

Picture n°1 Instagram
Discover this photo on Instagram by clicking here.

When you experience this type of moment, and all of these emotions, it would be almost painful to not be able to share them. So you take out your camera and your smartphone and click frenetically! You want to be able to wonder at these amazing visions too to be able to remember every instant, every emotion, so that the magic will endure.

When emotions become more intense

I continue to track my route on the pathways of the world I have chosen. Lac Titicaca, Machu Picchu, Paracas, Lima, Galapagos, Amazonia, Patagonia, the Pacific, and then Asia, with Bali, Myanmar, Siam and old French Indochina, China. My voyage will end in the snowy Polar landscapes of Scandinavia.

Along the way, different emotions come forth. Their variety surprises you. In France, I just didn’t have as many. I’m not being presumptuous, it is really true: the world brings you something that is really essential, a larger vision of everything that truly exists. So different from the image you see at home on a cold screen, you’ll get a warm image of what you’ve really experienced all around you and within you. You are within the image. And by capturing it, you encapsulate it.

waterfall-chapada-diamantina-brazil

I’m not a professional photographer or even an informed amateur, but I know because I have lived it myself, photography – which is so important to show, to remember, to share – is only a narrow window onto the magic of the world. And I have great admiration for those who are able to use photography to share their spirit despite the limitations of the genre. What an exercise to become the prism, the medium for what one sees with such depth and grandeur!

Picture n°2 Instagram

Discover this photo on Instagram by clicking here.

On #TraceLeMonde, I only shared a few of my photos as compared to all the places I have seen and discovered. So why is that?

The journey itself is more important than sharing it

Over the weeks and months, I realized that I was spending too much time taking pictures. More than anything, I started to question whether it was worthwhile taking a picture of everything I liked.

I realized that my emotions, the present moment, observation, and contemplation had become essential to my well-being. So why interrupt those moments by the desire to capture them on my equipment? Why not just let myself go without interrupting what causes such pleasure and does me so much good?

iguana-beach-galapagos

I didn’t succeed totally given the number of photos I still took, but I let a lot more time pass between shots to ensure for myself that what I was taking I really felt and was a true experience.
Besides, what is a like on Instagram or on Facebook? What it’s worth except as a way to flatter your ego?

You’ll say to me though, “if you constantly stop to put everything in perspective, you’ll never have a moment of peace.” And then, you’ll never get anything done. Of course, that’s really true. But to do so from time to time, take a moment, stop what you’re doing, reflect on your actions and the reasons behind them will nevertheless let you center yourself and focus on what’s important. The answers you find will be your own. As for me, I know that living in the present moment and feeling it intensely is the answer.

boat-lake-inle-burma

So then why even use Instagram and have a travel blog? With distance, I sincerely believe that the travel blogger or instagrammer should share very judiciously, at least to be sure that documenting the trip doesn’t eclipse your well-being or the meaning of the travel itself. Channel your ego, learn how to share in such a way that you get others to dream, and not just to flatter yourself, that’s the essential thing. That will keep you from taking off on travels for the sole purpose of stroking your ego unreasonably.

Best of all, you’ll derive maximum benefit from every moment of the beautiful life you’ve chosen for yourself.

phu-kradeng-thailand

Trystan

A traveler for the long haul, I share my adventures on Trace Ta Route, whether as part of my tour around the world or my other travels. I like to use Instagram to show the beauty of the world and stir in others the desire to take off on an adventure too.
Web: Trace Ta Route www.trace-ta-route.com travel blog

Tour around the world on www.trace-ta-route.com/tristan-autour-du-monde/

FB: LikeTaRoute https://www.facebook.com/LikeTaRoute/
IG: @InstaRoute https://www.instagram.com/instaroute/

IG bis: https://www.instagram.com/trystantrest/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TweetTaRoute

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