When people talk about traveling mindfully, they’re often referring to a state of being deeply present and immersed in your experiences (which I certainly advocate for). However, I’d like to take a moment to examen mindful travel as it relates to exploring the world with more compassion and awareness. The increasing accessibility of travel combined with the rise of social media has, on one hand, enriched many people with inspiration to savor the wide world.

On the other hand however… it has emboldened far too many people to get a bad case of “main character syndrome”; prioritizing their pleasure while disregarding others and their surroundings as simply a background to their experience. This can result in some very rude behavior that exacerbates Overtourism: which describes the negative effects of excessive numbers of tourists. By being a more mindful traveler, I believe you can still explore the world without contributing to harmful overtourism. Here, I lay out a few basic guidelines for traveling mindfully.

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Respect Your Surroundings

It’s easy to be excited and enamored by a beautiful new country. That doesn’t mean it’s simply an aesthetic backdrop for your adventures. Please be respectful of your surroundings: don’t obstruct traffic or endanger others (or yourself) for a photo-op. For example, the famous Shibuya crossing in Tokyo has been known to attract visitors who stand still or even sit down in the middle of the street to get a cool picture… forgetting that it’s an active traffic intersection!

Similarly, respect people’s private property. Keep a respectful distance when capturing images of homes and never block people’s doorways or driveways. In Seoul, South Korea’s famous Bukchon Hanok village (a small neighborhood of beautiful traditional homes), I would witness many tourists standing right on people’s doorsteps to take photos and groups talking way too loudly for a small residential environment. As a result of being overwhelmed by poorly behaving crowds, this neighborhood was recently closed off to tourists from 5:00pm – 10:00am.

Of course, one of the biggest harms of overtourism is pollution, so never litter or smoke in non smoking areas (remember that not all countries permit smoking just anywhere outdoors). Be especially mindful of your human impact on nature. Countless areas of natural beauty around the world have been absolutely decimated by throngs of tourists leaving behind trash or harming the wildlife.

Respect Other People

Even as an avid solo traveler, I know it’s a wonderful thing to meet people abroad. I also know that as a guest in someone else’s country, it’s polite to take the time to learn a little about their customs and social norms. While I don’t think even the most conservative country is going to expect a foreign visitor to know all the nuances of their culture, it’s always compassionate to avoid being rude if you can. It’s also a matter of personal safety to know what behavior is socially normal somewhere and what isn’t.

Respecting the people around you also means not treating them like props for your photos and/or social media content. It is never okay to share photos of someone’s face online or touch them without their consent. One of the most popular districts in Kyoto, Japan recently had to disallow tourists from certain streets, not just because of congestion, but rude behavior such as touching the kimonos of Geishas.

Respect the Native Language

Traveling to a foreign country often means being immersed in a different language. I’m not saying you need to be fluent in Vietnamese to visit Hanoi, but it really is a good idea to learn at least a little of the language of the country you’re going to. Even in tourist friendly areas, it’s a bit entitled to just assume that anyone can accommodate your language. I’ve unfortunately witnessed tourists be rude and angry with staff because they couldn’t speak English or provide an English menu. It’s not only respectful but can be a matter of your safety to know a few phrases in the local language. For example: you wouldn’t want to be caught in an emergency and not know how to ask where the hospital or police station is.

Respect Monuments and Sacred Places

From grand palaces to ancient temples, the world is rich with exciting historic sites. Part of being a mindful traveler is appreciating places for their significance to the local culture. Not just a cool looking place to check off an itinerary list. It has become far too common for tourists to, yet again… treat their surroundings like a backdrop for their thrills and social media content. I remember seeing a man walking around taking videos with a long selfie stick inside a famous Buddhist temple in South Korea during a prayer service despite clear signs posted in English not to do so. It was obviously very disruptive to the people there to pray and he continued taking videos despite being waved at to stop.

In a recent incident in Mexico, a woman illegally climbed to the top of an ancient pyramid, risking damage to the structure, seemingly unbothered as a crowd of onlookers loudly admonished her from below. Behavior like this cannot be attributed to an honest mistake. I highly doubt either of these tourists would treat a site of any significance from their country/culture like a theme park. If you are genuinely unsure if a behavior is appropriate or not, either ask someone who looks like an authority or patiently observe what the local people do.

Explore Lesser Known Places

The explosion of travel influencers on TikTok and Instagram has flooded our feeds with the hippest places to eat and shop. While I obviously have no problem with providing travel inspiration (this is a travel blog after all), those flooded feeds can result in floods of people to the same handful of trending places. Highly stylized (and often digitally enhanced) travel influencer content can also lend to an unrealistic, romanticized perception of a place. Overcrowding by tourists is not just caused by a large number of people in a particular country but rather everyone gravitating to the same small number of popular attractions.

I completely understand once-in-a-lifetime highlights that you want to incorporate into a trip but we can combat overtourism by being more flexible and creative with our itineraries. Try to schedule seeing the popular attractions at early hours, on weekdays, or travel outside of peak seasons if possible. For every TikTok viral cafe with a line of people stretched around the block, there are at least a handful of others nearby that are also amazing. They just haven’t received the same hype.

I found this quite true of Vietnam for example, which has surged in popularity in recent years. While I tried some of the widely advertised places that had amassed tens of thousands of reviews, I have to be honest that I found most of those kinds of places a little underwhelming (and incredibly overcrowded). I had much tastier meals and memorable experiences that I carefully researched and sought out myself.

You can try simply searching on Google Maps for some alternative places that have fewer reviews but still a high rating. Also… don’t be afraid to just explore and try things out! Let yourself get a little lost and you might be amazed at the hidden gems you find. Everything doesn’t have to be a perfectly curated “viral moment”. You’ll not only ease overcrowding but the local economy will surely appreciate you spreading your business to a wider variety of places!

A Kinder Mindset

Traveling mindfully is about shifting your mindset from centering your pleasure, consumption and ego to having a little more appreciation, curiosity and humility. Rude behavior from tourists is not merely irritating. It has real consequences to the environment, harms the local communities and encourages governments to (often rightfully) enforce strict regulations that hinder the experiences of future travelers. So, be inspired to see the world! By practicing a little more mindfulness, we can still have a great travel experience while being gracious guests wherever we visit.

Thank you for reading!