You've seen it on the beautifully curated teal blue feeds of travel influencers, or maybe on the back of someone's Subaru. The immortal words of J.R.R. Tolkien from his literary classic, The Fellowship of the Ring. "Not all those who wander are lost"
It's a rallying cry to the nomad souls who believe that life is a journey, not a destination. Purpose and direction do not always look conventional. And yet...there is that quote again, pasted over and over in the most conventional ways. I know that many who use this quote just got it from a listicle at some point in time, or from another influencer. Why? Because it is missing the line that comes just before it in the poem; "All that is gold does not glitter"
Appearances can be deceiving. And yet, that is all the travel influencer space seems to want to sell. Authenticity has flown out the door and "clients" have become synonymous with "followers". Luxury vacations are sold because they provide the biggest commissions. Massive corporations incentivize specific destinations through offering discounts, promo codes or a free trip to the top seller.
I tried to play by their rules. I joined hundreds of Facebook "Buy/Sell" groups only to post daily spam and "Deal of the Day" bullshit to the masses. I joined groups in places I have never lived, including 'Mommy' groups to sell family vacations to struggling parents. I churned out endless content powered by AI.
Yeah, I wrote that blog about what to wear for your trip to Paris full of affiliate links copy/pasted from the blog about what to wear for your trip to New York City but with a cheeky little "BONJOUR" and a baguette emoji to go along with it. I was told to respond to client emails in the voice of my most "basic bitch". I made the money and attended conferences that turned into nothing more than content mills. I withered inside feeling embarrassed by an industry I love where I felt like authenticity was the last thing that anyone wanted. Only lies, spam and followers.
So what now? I had to stop and ask myself - why am I selling travel in this world, right now? Is it because I want discounts, followers and big commissions? Sure, that's nice. But I think back on the journeys I have crafted in the past and the ones I'm truly proud of aren't the $15,000 trip to Venice that I know could have been just as enjoyable for $2,000.
I've booked thousands of trips and the ones that stand out to me the most are the ones that were born from someone following a passion of theirs, not checking off a list or because they wanted to recreate someone else's Instagram feed. Collecting destinations like Infinity Stones does not bring anything but hollow overtourism and the proliferation of comparison culture. It doesn't help anyone connect with themselves or the humans around them.
I want community, not followers. I want to be a facilitator of dreams, not a salesperson of illusion. So as I continue along this unexpected journey, I would like to declare myself as more of a Gandalf figure rather than a Saruman to my dear readers - remember that here at Shirokuro Travel we are not trying to rob you, we're trying to help you.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
