People say this all the time:
“I want to see everything.”
“I don’t want to miss a thing.”
And it makes sense, you’ve spent time and money getting here. You want the trip to count.
But let’s be honest. Seeing everything is exhausting.
You end up running from one place to the next, barely remembering half of it. You’re on your phone constantly. You’re checking maps, double-checking times, re-checking reviews.
At some point, you stop noticing how you feel.
You’re just managing the plan.
And here’s the twist: most people don’t even enjoy that kind of trip. They just feel like they should do it. Because it’s what other travelers seem to do. Because no one wants to feel like they wasted the opportunity.
But here’s something I’ve noticed — and I’ve done this myself: the things I actually remember from trips? They’re never the fifth museum or the perfect viewpoint. It’s small things. The street I stumbled onto by mistake. An awkward joke from someone local. A really long breakfast I didn’t plan to have.
So maybe the goal isn’t to “see it all.” Maybe it’s just to be somewhere, and let something real happen.
That’s harder to do when you’re following a packed schedule.
And unfortunately, most travel platforms make this worse. They give you lists, top 10s, 3-day routes. Everything is built around optimization. Not around you.