I liked travel better in the early 2000s

That’s what we miss. We are nostalgic for the way moments once existed without being endlessly recorded, catalogued, or shared.

In many ways, the ‘90s weren’t better. But I think we’re longing to move through the world without being endlessly mirrored back to ourselves. We want things shared from one person to another, not processed through a screen.

This came with some inconvenience, for sure. Being unreachable can be annoying. Not having information was frustrating. But there was freedom in it too, and the quality of the experience was richer.

You could arrive quietly. There was no pressure to convert your experience into proof for someone else. You didn’t have to optimize your time in a place, check off a list of must-dos, compress Bangkok into a 30-second reel detailing the perfect itinerary.

Perfect sucks.