Travelling the world used to be an exclusive privilege for the rich and famous, with long haul trips and exotic locations reachable only via the pristine pages of glossy magazines and glamorously filmed TV programs.
Nowadays, however, there’s rarely a dinner party conversation that doesn’t lead to an exchange of globetrotting tales and adventures. Finding out which spectacular world locations your table companions have been lucky enough to see is the new ‘Who are you wearing?’.
Since the introduction of social media and the popular bragging tool that is Instagram, the travel industry has forever been changed. Long gone are the days of gift giving and receiving for birthdays and anniversaries, diamonds are a thing of the past when you can post a picture online of a private helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef.
So with society dictating wealth by air miles, is there any truth behind the words ‘The best money spent is that on travelling’ – Well, for those who have the financial means, there’s never been a better time to make the world your oyster!
From restaurants built underneath the Indian Ocean, where you can sip champagne whilst Black Tip reef sharks swim by, to an infinity pool over the caldera cliff of Santorini, if you can put a price on it, chances are it’s out there!
So whether it’s that gold leaf cocktail in the sunset or a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, we are no longer just scouring Instagram and Pinterest in search of our next clothing or accessory purchase, we are now window shopping for our next escape.
With this rise of social media wanderlust, there are now destinations that follow a trend just as if our yearly travel calendar has it’s own Fashion Week schedule. The travel industry is fast creating seasonal trends – last summer anyone who was anyone was seen in the picturesque Greek party town of Mykonos; it was the Gucci Dionysus of holiday destinations with its sister island of Santorini coming in close second as the place to be seen and snapped.
This year the place to explore is the Philippines. Those pristine untouched beaches and stunning scenery daydreams have been added to our radar thanks to the glamourous inspirational feeds of social media.
If you haven’t yet succumbed to the flow of heavenly pictures and breathtaking photographs of the world’s most incredible places, you’re a little late to the party. However, here are my top travel inspo accounts when it comes to seeing the world via Instagram: Jack Morris @doyoutravel, Lauren Bullen @gypsea_lust, Christian LeBlanc @lostleblanc, @Travelawesome & @bestvacations
Sabrina Chakici is a TV Host, Travel Expert and blogger at www.clutchandcarryon.com
