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Wherever you go, there you are.

Do you have a friend on your Instagram or Facebook feed who always seems to be traveling? At some point, has their obsessive need to travel ever made you feel suspicious about whether they are doing it to enjoy themselves or just to make people envious on their social media feeds? Have you questioned why they feel the chronic need to get away?

Berg, a TikTok user in New York, has wondered the same thing. But instead of silently thinking it to himself while scrolling through Instagram, he posted about it on TikTok and received a big backlash. In a post from November 2024, he made a bold statement: People who travel too much probably hate their lives.

"I get annoyed by people who brag about traveling a ton," he said in the video, which has over 640,000 views. "Traveling is great, going on trips is great, everyone should explore, but if you are going on like five trips a year then maybe you just hate your life, maybe you just hate your hometown, maybe you just don't know how to have fun or feel important without going to places that other people deem interesting. I don't think there's anything cool about that.”

@cberg24

People who travel too much probably hate their life #travel #life

Berg then speculated that those who constantly travel should focus more on improving their lives at home. "If you can't spend a month in the place that you live without losing your mind, then maybe you shouldn't live there. If you can afford all these trips and you're literally doing it because you need a break from your hometown that often, then move," he said.

Many people in the comments accused Berg of being jealous because, for whatever reason, he isn't out there enjoying the good life.

"Projection will put a spotlight on your insecurities every time, bro. Go on, get a robinhood account, get better at saving, and plan a vacation," one commenter wrote.

"Or… there’s a whole world out there full of different cultures and history that they want to experience???" another added.

"Jealousy is jealousy," a commenter wrote.

Two women taking a selfie on vacationCould Berg be onto something or is he just bitter?via Canva/Photos

However, some people agree that Berg has a valid point. "People aren't getting it. It's escapism, it's avoidant. It's an addiction like any other," one of his most popular supporters wrote.

"They’re eating you up in the comments but I actually think there’s some truth to your point," another added.

"I agree with this! It’s escapism—they’re uncomfortable sitting in the familiar," a commenter affirmed.

Do younger people travel just to post photos online?

While it’s hard to know if people who travel a lot are happy, there is evidence that social media plays a big role in people’s travel decisions, especially with the younger generations. A study by Travel Pulse found that 21% of people aged 22 to 37 stated that their primary reason for travel was to get photos for their social media page. A whopping 61% said they would not travel to a destination if they could not take pictures and post them online. Another study published by PR Newswire found that 36% of millennial-aged travelers confessed to posting misleading information to make their travel look glamorous, and 65% said it was to make friends and family jealous.

Ultimately, people travel for a wide variety of reasons, so it’s wrong to paint them all with the same brush. However, one thing is clear: social media has changed why people travel. So, the next time your frequent flyer friend posts another snap of their latest trip, it’s fair to ask: Are they doing this out of a thirst for adventure or attention?

via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Travelling during the holiday season can be a hectic experience. Airports are busy, people tend to be bogged down by extra extra luggage filled with gifts, and the weather is terrible so flight delays are common.

People can be stuck for hours in a terminal waiting for their flights, many of them alone as they travel to see family or make an end-of-the-year-business trip.


So, being in the airport can be an isolating experience even though it's a great place to meet people you never would have otherwise.

One of the greatest joys of travelling is having a beer at the airport bar with someone from far away whose in the middle of an exciting journey. People tend to get a little extra liquored up in airport bars because they don't have to drive anytime soon and it makes it easier to sleep on the plane.

"Airports generally aren't the cosiest places on the planet. Which is strange, because they do have all the right ingredients: people, food, drink, lots of different cultures," KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' blog reads.

"But most people prefer to zone out at airports. The put on their headphones, focus on their phone or laptop, or read a book," the blog continued.

RELATED: An 11-year-old girl will make history as the first black lead in NYC ballet's 'The Nutcracker'

So three years ago, KLM came up with a genius way to get lonely travelers together during the holiday season.

The airport placed a dinner table with a full holiday dinner for 20 15 feet above the ground. Every time a person sat down in a stool the table lowered a foot or so closer to the floor.

Every time someone stood out of their stool, the table raised higher off the ground.

So those who were eager to sample the holiday meal were forced to find strangers to sit down at the table with them.

After twenty people from places far and wide finally sat down at the table it was at the perfect hiehght to dig in to a bountiful feast.

"They sang songs and raised their glasses to life," KLM's blog read. "The dinner was everything we hoped it would be and we sincerely hope we managed to convey the spirit of Christmas to everyone who joined us at the table."

via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines


via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Although KLM's human experiment was clearly done for marketing purposes it still makes a few beautiful truths.

Something magical happens when we all put down our phones and open up to those around us. Powerful things can hppen when we set aside our differences, set down our phones, and break bread with some strangers.

What would happen if your kids got to plan your next family getaway from start to finish?

Where would they want to go? What kind of kooky adventure would their young minds concoct?

They might be broke, but that just means they wouldn't be limited by a silly thing like a budget — only by their own imagination.


A new ad from JetBlue imagines just such a scenario.

In the commercial, kids enter a pint-sized travel agency and use a map to plan out their next family vacation.

One little boy books an excursion to Barbados to hunt for buried treasure. Another wants to take his parents to see Albany, N.Y. (Tough break.)

Another plans an epic (and perhaps physically impossible) road trip by pointing to random places on a map of the U.S.

In the end, the host asks the kids, "How much do you think this whole flight and hotel would cost?"

See how the charming and hilarious stunt ends in the video below:

Yes, it's a contrived scenario meant to sell flights, but the ad still holds an important message.

Family vacations are about a lot more than sun and sand.

Before the planning begins, the kids are asked why they think it's important to plan a family vacation. Their answers are extremely telling.

"[My parents] work a lot," says one. "When your dad or mom goes to work, you don't get to see them a lot," adds another.

And, indeed, research shows that parents and their kids often get way too bogged down in routine, with the majority of parents reporting that the thing they talk to their kids the most about is, well, the daily routine itself.

Time away from the grind is mega important toward the parent-child bond, according to science, and even though every parent knows that a vacation with kids can bring its own kind of stress, the emotional health benefits are massive for both parties.

It doesn't take a multi-thousand dollar blowout at Disney World to explore, play, and bond with your kids. A staycation could do the trick or even a trip to Albany.

If you can't come up with anything, ask the kids what they think. They just might have some pretty good ideas.