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Who owns a trip?
Who owns a trip? Who owns a place?
You book a vacation, take a selfie, post it online. It feels personal, but who controls the experience? OTAs package it, price it, and sell it back to you. The place is now a product, repackaged and resold, but do you own the memory? The moment?
Philosophers argue that ownership is more than possession, it’s about connection. But in tourism, connection is replaced by clicks, and memories become commodities. Does the traveler own the journey, or is it just another item in the OTA's catalog?
The question is, in this age of digital convenience and commodified experiences, can anyone truly claim to own a trip or a place, or are we all just participants in a shared, fleeting experience?
Images, texts, and memories are often subject to copyright, but who owns the rights when the experience is commodified and distributed by third parties like OTAs?
In a world where AI suggests trips and algorithms curate experiences, we need to ask: who’s really in control of the journey? The answer might be simpler than you think. It’s whoever controls access. And right now, that’s not you.
Why I never buy carbon offset.
Before you start reading, here's the content summarized in two sentences:
It is well documented that it doesn't work, and in many cases, it leads to more emissions. Trying to buy oneself out of the problem also diverts focus from what really matters: actually cutting emissions.
How can travel contribute to achieving UN’s sustainability goals?
Do we really need tourism? This is a question being raised by more and more people worldwide, as concerns about climate, biodiversity, and the well-being of local communities continue to grow. It's a complex issue without a simple answer.
This article doesn’t aim to give definitive answers but rather to encourage reflection and inspire more sustainable practices. It may also offer some perspectives on the broader role tourism plays around the world.