This is not an article about Liechtenstein, this is an article about changing perspectives. From push-pins on a world map and travel tracking apps, to Instagram posts, it seems like society encourages us to keep a close tab on our travels. My question is, who are we doing this for? It’s not a rhetorical question. Seriously, who has an interest in how many countries we’ve visited? Think about it.
Why not make our travels about quality vs quantity, about experiences vs pictures? Quality is defined differently by everyone. What does quality travel mean to you? What are your fondest travel memories? Is it that time you broke a shoe in Barcelona and met a handsome and helpful Vicente who helped you find a shoe repair shop or the time you had your family wait in line for an hour to access the perfect spot for the perfect selfie? (The BBC reports nearly 300 deaths associated with taking selfies, none attributed to broken shoes!)
Elizabeth Gilbert’s best seller Eat, Pray, Love would not have had an impact on so many people had it been called: Pose, Tag, Post. Let's be present in the moment. You know after a long meeting how sometimes you tell yourself that this entire meeting could have been an email? Make sure that you don’t come back for your holidays saying that the entire trip could have been replaced by a Google search or YouTube binge. Let’s seek experiences. Let’s get off our smart phones and enjoy Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein deserves more than just a stamp in a passport or check on a bucket list and so do we.