Do we need to photograph everything? Tips for enjoying travel

Taking photos is part of the experience of any trip. However, some people have no limit and cannot enjoy the moment because they are too focused on recording everything with their camera.

The German psychologist Christina Miro, who specializes in “travel therapy”, that is, in a therapy that consists of taking advantage of travel psychologically, recommends taking things slow. “You remember well the most emotional moments of a trip, you don't need to photograph them,” he says.

In other words: the best moments are recorded in the memory without the need for a camera.

The psychologist says that, of course, there is nothing wrong with taking photos during the holidays to record certain moments. “If this gives joy and is photographed with enthusiasm, there is nothing wrong with it,” says Miro.

However, the expert says that if you want to narrow down the photograph a little while traveling, you can try to reflect a little before taking out the camera.

In your opinion, some of these questions may be helpful: do I need this photo? how important is this to me? Is it a special moment that I want to record? Is it a photo that I will post on social media, send to someone or send to print?

According to the specialist, setting such priorities can be helpful. However, he is clear that it is often easier to say all this than to implement it. If you have the feeling all the time that if you don't photograph something you are missing it, the truth is that these questions will be of little help because the answer will always be “yes”.

According to Miro, another way to end the urge to photograph everything is to limit the resources to do so, by placing, for example, a smaller storage memory in the digital camera or by replacing the digital camera with an analog one.

The psychologist points out that if this is not enough and you really want to be able to concentrate on the experience, there is still a more radical option: leave your smartphone or camera in the hotel room.

dpa