Is ‘Tiny Tourism’ the new way to go?

Our world is covered in jaw-dropping UNESCO World Heritage Sites and tourist attractions. From young people embarking on gap years, to retired couples making the most of their silver years, millions of people visit these big landmarks and once-in-a-lifetime experiences every year. Whether it’s Disneyland or the Pyramids of Giza, do we really want to be spending our holidays standing in queues, with the desperate need for the toilet being the only thought occupying our brains? Personally, I would rather spend hours in a small, family-run restaurant. 

When I asked my mum why we had never been to see the pyramids after our fourth visit to Egypt, she simply stated: “They’re overrated”

Having grown up in a family of travellers, I am no stranger to navigating the bustling streets of foreign towns. Although this might suggest to you I have a completed checklist of World Heritage Sites up my sleeve, this could not be more wrong. Like many other people, I have experienced a fair few TUI and Jet 2 Holidays day trips in my time. However, most of my travelling for the past 20 years has consisted of sunbeds, handstands in the pool, and gyros in the stifling summer heat, with the addition of an early-evening cocktail (or three) more recently. 

Given my parents’ attitudes, the fact I feel this way is not surprising. After one too many glasses of wine the other day, my dad started telling me about his year travelling with his friends – 10 months, really. Instead of fixating on visiting the endless ‘must-sees’, they simply saw the ‘basics’: Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Uluru Rock, and so on. This is not new information; I have lost count of how many times my dad has told me about drinking in bars with the locals, plum-picking in Australia, and getting lost in South Africa in the year Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Similarly, when I asked my mum why we had never been to see the pyramids after our fourth visit to Egypt, she simply stated: “They’re overrated”. 

In 2025, just over 4 million people visited Pompeii, whilst 14.7 million people venture to the Pyramids of Giza every year

This begs the question: can you get the full tourist experience if you don’t follow the crowds?

No matter your answer, millions of people will continue to visit the world’s infamous tourist attractions. In 2025, just over 4 million people visited Pompeii, whilst 14.7 million people venture to the Pyramids of Giza every year. Similarly, the Acropolis of Athens, a citadel built for the Greek goddess Athena, has an average of between 3 and 3.5 million tourists annually. Barcelona’s Park Güell, designed by Antoni Guadi, offers 4.5 million tickets every year (however, the city has approved the reduction of this number to 4 million by 2027).

This poses another question, particularly in regards to the perception of mass tourism.

Five years ago, I was embarrassingly unaware of the archaeological and historical importance of the countries I was visiting. Aged 12, I went to Kos and found myself hiring a car with my uncle; we went to the ancient ruins of the Asclepieion. Prior to studying Classical Civilisation at A-Level, I did not understand what I was looking at. Now, I only recall the queue, staring at an unquantifiable number of steps, and the much-needed homemade lemonade afterwards. 

I will always remember visiting the archaeological remains of Troy in Hisarlik, and absorbing the spirituality of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque

Until my college trip to Athens and Istanbul in 2024, I was a die-hard advocate of a beach holiday. You could convince me to go on a boat-trip, but that was about it. While the trip was dominated by tourist attractions and exhausting coach journeys, the memories we made were irreplaceable. I will always remember visiting the archaeological remains of Troy in Hisarlik, and absorbing the spirituality of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Nevertheless, I might not have the same recollection if I had deprived myself of a beer and a Greek salad at a taverna, or embraced Happy Hour at a questionable Irish bar in Istanbul’s district of Beyoğlu.

When travelling to Barcelona last Christmas, I convinced my parents to embrace this mentality. While the Sant Jaume square at Christmas will always be beautiful, nothing can compare with stumbling across an opera singer busking on the outskirts of the Plaça Nova Square at 10pm on Christmas Eve. 

Travelling does not have to mean proving that you have seen every landmark and new theme park. The memories we make abroad aren’t the ones handed to us on a silver platter, but the ones made when we get lost, sit in a local café, and get chatting to the locals. It is about balancing the typical tourist experience with simply relaxing in the unique atmospheres of the places we visit.