I was eighteen when I first felt wanderlust, long before I knew there was a word designated to describe the feelings I had after coming home. I had just spent a month in Greece with my best friend’s family. During this trip I ate sweets in cafes in Athens, roamed the streets of small Greek towns, jumped off of boats into the sea and even attended a huge engagement party (yes, there was lots of broken glass and LOTS of dancing). I came home feeling changed, feeling disconnected to my life as it had looked before the adventure. Discovering things for the first time was like being a child again. It was freedom. I had been bitten by the travel bug.
Six years on, I would say that my love for adventure has just increased. My travels have taken me all across the United States, all over Canada, to the Caribbean, various destinations in Europe, and across the world to Australia and New Zealand. But the adventures have changed. When I traveled to Greece I had no idea what was in store for me. Every new destination was a surprise.

An area I found through a combination of someone’s Instagram picture & then exploring to find this exact spot
With the rise of social media, and especially Instagram, travel looks very different. With so many places becoming popular through word-of-image, it is hard to find somewhere you feel as though you discovered. When you travel to a location you have already seen in pictures, there are expectations set. And sometimes that can lead to disappointment. It either does not look as great as it did in those fancy Instagram pictures, or there are so many people are you that it is not enjoyable.
After many of these experiences I was able to find my way back to the unknown, with a little bit of patience and a whole lot of adventurous spirit. I learned to travel “off the beaten path” and find areas of a location that others had not thought to explore. This renewed my sense of adventure and soon I was back to making my own discoveries. As I found beaches that were completely empty, located spaces that were not easy to find, and became good at exploring I started to face a moral dilemma. Should I share these places with others or keep them my little secret?

Our favorite beach in Oregon, that we stumbled upon during a road trip
Read more about our West Coast Road Trip for more beautiful beaches and outdoor views
After experimenting with many different ideas, here are my thoughts that I hope will guide you on your adventuring in the age of Instagram!
Truthful Travel Adventuring Thought #1: It is okay to love some places, and make sure to keep them wild
“Love her but leave her wild.”
Atticus
Picture this: After hiking in the blistering heat of Nevada on a hot Summer day, you spot a clearing in the trees. Through it is the most transparent water, and sand that sparkles like gold in the sunlight. With only a handful of other people there, you spend the day floating in a watermelon and watching your dog happily swim in circles.

Our secret location in Lake Tahoe
Would you believe that this happened in Lake Tahoe, a place that hosts about three million tourists a year? I scoured the Internet through forums and blogs to find somewhere that other people did not know about.
I am protective of these finds. Although I like to share vague locations to encourage other explorers, this also gives me a chance to deter those that want a quick fix of beauty. Sure, other parts of Lake Tahoe are also beautiful. But in my experiences throughout life, the most beautiful things require a bit more effort.
Because of this newfound sense of adventure, my eyes are open to finding new places more than they ever were before. I am constantly discovering places to add to my list of secret locations. This is simply because I am open to taking the narrow dirt roads and exiting the highway for something beautiful.
I think in the age of Instagram, it is alright to keep some of your favorite finds to yourself. That beach at Lake Tahoe would not be the same beach if there was no room to swim. It would not be as beautiful if there was garbage strewn in the sand. That picture from the bridge in Washington of the small town would not be as quaint if there were ten other people also looking to capture the same shot. In the crazy, fast-paced world we live in, I find peace in these places.
View this post on Instagram
It is okay to love some places, and make sure to keep them wild.
For some of my favorite wild places, visit my Oregon Coast post!
Truthful Travel Adventuring Thought #2: Allowing everyone to experience the Earth gives the planet the best fighting chance
“You have to love it before you are moved to save it.”
Sylvia Earle
Like with all things, there is another side. Instagram has opened up the world to people. Movements like REI’s #optoutside has been key in encouraging people to get outside to discover. With locations tagged on Instagram with hundreds of thousands of pictures, people who may not have wandered before now will. It is quite beautiful: utilizing technology to return to nature and the outdoors.

The best Summer swim I can remember was in this roadside river in Washington
Unfortunately people do not always respect these newfound popular areas. I have seen trash along trails, garbage floating at the shore and litter hidden in the crevices of beautiful monuments. Although this can be disheartening, it gives us an opportunity to educate one another. I believe that the more people get out and experience the beauty, the more interested they will become in preserving it. It will never be a perfect system, but it can increase the number of stewards of the planet.
So sometimes I feel compelled to share where I have been for no other reason than I believe it may strengthen someone’s relationship to the Earth. There are some locations that are almost unbelievable. Imagine a 68 mile highway 10,000 ft in the sky. It runs through mountains and small lakes, and you can throw snowballs in August. This places exists (maybe closer than you would think!)
Although it is open only a few months each Summer, the Beartooth Highway is a place like no other. It is a direct route into Yellowstone National Park, and was an accidental find a few years ago. You feel like you’re in a different world entirely when you’re up there. Experiencing the cold in the middle of Summer, experiencing viewpoints that go on for miles and miles and miles, experiencing the fragility of it all: it is the best way to make people care.
My post about Yellowstone National Park includes the Beartooth Highway as a “must-see”

Right before Beartooth Pass there is a hidden river that was cold but so so so clear
Allowing everyone to experience the Earth gives the planet the best fighting chance.
Interested in helping the environment when you travel? Check out my post on Ocean Conservation!
It is not an easy thing, keeping an adventurous spirit in the age of Instagram. Although the platform makes it easier and more appealing to develop that spirit, it can be tempting to overlook the value in making discoveries for yourself. As you make your own discoveries it might feel difficult to strike a balance. Should you keep them to yourself or share them with the world. In those moments remember that there is no correct solution to the issue. We are all just trying our best to protect our beloved spaces.
So get out there, explore, share the Earth’s beauty with others and keep a few beautiful discoveries to yourself!
Happy adventuring!
Until Next Time,
A Truthful Traveler
These are some pretty locations! I just got back from Mexico last week and I already have the itch to travel again.
xx,
Amanda || http://www.fortheloveofglitter.com
These are pretty locations! I just got back from Mexico last week & I already have the itch to travel again.
xx,
Amanda || http://www.fortheloveofglitter.com
Hope you have more plans to travel soon!
The travel bug is real for me too! I totally get the dilemma of wanting to savor hidden spots while traveling, especially so they don’t get too touristy!
xoxo
Annie
Thanks for reading! Touristy places can sometimes be the absolute worst!
Beautiful spots. I agree that you walk a line of not wanting too many people to disrupt a special spot, but still need others to feel the pull to respect, enjoy and protect.
It is a careful balance that I think we are all still learning!
This place looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your ideas and beautiful photos!
Thank you for reading!!
Omg! Amazing destinations! I didn’t know anything about this beautiful place !
I’m glad to have introduced you!
One of the things that I love about Instagram is the fact that it allows me to essentially travel all over the world without leaving my bed. I know I’ll never be able to see most of the world, but scrolling through pictures of South Africa and Greece and Australia, it really does make me feel like I am satisfying the wanderlust that I also have.
Wonderful post! x
Michelle
dressingwithstyle-s.com
This is so true! There are so many places I never even knew existed before seeing them on Instagram! It is awesome that we get to experience them even if not in real life. Thanks for stopping by!
You have great pictures! I love everything you say! Now you inspired me ?
Thank you so much! I am so honored to have inspired you, I hope you get out and find some special places to love!
Beautifully written and relatable. Those who travel often go through the same ‘Should I share these places with others or keep them my little secret?’ moment, upon discovering unheard of places.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I have found it is very true that a lot of people feel these sentiments, so I hope to have helped you!
I can definitely relate with this Samantha! Sometimes you find such a beautiful place that you want to share on Instagram because it’s so unique but at the same time you don’t really want to talk about it because you don’t want it to be swarmed over by tourists. Yeah, it’s a double sword! I’m currently in Central Asia, going fully off-the-beaten path and barely see other travelers here. It still feels like I’m a bit of an explorer and that’s the great thing about going on the path less traveled 🙂
It’s an AWESOME feeling to find your own spaces. I hope that reading this helped you sort out your feelings about sharing vs not! Have fun in Asia, I’ve heard it’s beautiful….from Instagram 😉
I know what you mean. There is always this dilemma about whether to let others know about some remote untouched place, or keep quiet and let it remain remote and untouched a little longer.
There is! It is a hard balance but I hope that my article helped you to figure out what that balance means for you!
What an interesting read. The power of social media has certainly changed the travel world. I had never really thought about this until now. I’m heading on an Eastern Europe trip this summer, this is something I probably wouldn’t be doing if it wasn’t for those fancy images I have seen plastered all around IG. Thanks for sharing this thought provoking article.
Eastern Europe is beautiful I have heard, and there is quite a bit of it that still hasn’t become popular enough to fill social media feeds. I hope you can find some spaces to call your own on your trip, thanks for stopping by and reading!
This is beautiful sammie!! I hope you can take me to visit that part of Tahoe it’s so amazing and I promise I’ll keep it a secret! Also I was with you guys at the river by bear tooth, I feel so special that I was part of your secret location!!!
Come back so we can explore more secret locations together!!!!