Be honest, you’ve got a few embarrassing travel selfies tucked away on social media, right?
There’s that drunken night out in Stockholm when you decided a traffic cone would make a truly fabulous wizard’s hat.
There’s the time you decided bear hugging a bronze statue of one of Peru’s founding fathers was the best way to honour his contributions to society.
Yes, we’ve all been there.
But what you – hopefully – managed to achieve was limiting weary eye-brow raises to members of your own social circle and not the world’s media.
These travellers? Less so.
1. Chernobyl no no
Yes, it’s very in right now with the recent release of its very own HBO mini-series. But let’s keep in mind that this was a bona fide tragedy. Perhaps stripping off for an ‘artistic’ glamour shot is not the most sensitive way of remembering the thousands of victims of the world’s worse nuclear catastrophe.
INFLUENCERS
This is the most stupid, unsensitive, human-of-late-capitalism, ridiculous, etc, etc, etc you can imagine a person could do.#Chernobyl #pripyat #influencer pic.twitter.com/DBOd4Jdvfb— Kidmograph (@KidMograph) June 12, 2019
2. Yolocaust?
Berlin-based artist Shahak Shapira grew so frustrated with seeing tourists taking grinning selfies (as well as performing yoga poses) on the city’s holocaust memorial, he decided to take matters into his own hands. His project Yolocaust superimposed those same selfies on top of harrowing images from Nazi-era concentration camps. Lesson learned.
If you take a selfie at the Holocaust Memorial, you might get shamed in this art project https://t.co/QrDDZabZFh pic.twitter.com/Oni9yy5f8i
— The Outline (@outline) January 22, 2017
3. Covering up
Sure, you like to express your spiritual side sometimes. And what better way to convey that to the world than an artfully composed pic of you pretending to meditate while on holiday? But if you wouldn’t wear it to Sunday lunch with your grandma, perhaps it’s not appropriate attire for a 12th century religious building.
#BadTourist. At first glance, perhaps this looks like a woman in #prayer at #AngkorWat. Nope. Her friend is taking a #fashion shot of her and she keeps slipping her scarf down to show more shoulder and cleavage. It is #disrespectful to show this much skin at a Buddhist templ… pic.twitter.com/8xsShLKQaD
— 🇨🇦 ✍🏽 Johanna Read (@TravelEater) February 3, 2018
4. Yet more nudity
Speaking of covering up, the phenomenon of stripping off at sights of historical interest is as perplexing as it is widespread. Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, the Pyramids of Giza – it seems nowhere is safe from the urge to go au natural while perched on ancient stones.
Nude behavior may bring pleasure to some but it causes discomfort &anger to others.Where do u stand on #nakedtourism? pic.twitter.com/qEf11r8HEg
— Bill Beckham (@ShareanewsBill) June 14, 2015
5. Spatial awareness
Even well-meaning tourists can cause a incident when they’re not paying attention. This 18th century Portuguese statue – yet another blameless victim of our incessant selfie culture.
Museums embracing 'selfie culture' take note. When selfies go wrong: Tourist smashes an 18th Century statue. https://t.co/yTXGOORcRY pic.twitter.com/EB1mtQAMAZ
— Steven Moore (@MrStevenMoore) November 15, 2016
6. They’re fighting back
The terrified look says it all. These Balinese monkeys – most notable so far for their ‘endearing’ habit of stripping tourists of their snacks – have had enough of social media fame. Repent while there’s still time, people.
Selfie goes horribly wrong as monkey pulls on Bali tourist's hair http://t.co/sg19LycSgk pic.twitter.com/2eliq3eh9m
— MailOnline Travel (@travelmail) December 15, 2014
For more insights into traveller mishaps and successes, follow battleface on Instagram here.
