Welcome to the era of detour destinations!
Forget Paris, Rome, and Mykonos! The trendiest travelers today are no longer chasing Instagram-famous spots. Instead, they pick lesser-known, almost forgotten places that aren’t packed with tourists, where luxury isn’t about five stars but authenticity and quiet.
Pop culture and social media have made our favorite destinations boring. Paris is just the city of croissants, Dubrovnik looks like a Pinterest board, and Santorini is passé. The internet made travel aspirations dull and predictable. So true hedonists turn left when everyone else goes right.
Milan? Too noisy. Try Bergamo. Dubrovnik? Too much “Game of Thrones.” Šibenik? Yes, please! Santorini? Come to Syros! Traveling is no longer just an escape from crowds but an escape from the expected. It’s the perfect quiet snobbery — choosing something different, refined, that most can’t understand.
Even celebrities play this game. Anne Hathaway skipped Cannes, Zendaya was spotted eating in an anonymous trattoria in Abruzzo, and Harry Styles reportedly rented a villa in Slovenia that no one knows the location of. It’s the new cool — being invisible, mysterious, collecting stories, not stars.
Imagine going to Arles instead of Marseille, Cuenca instead of Barcelona, Lake Iseo instead of Como. Places that still want tourists, but not those with cold stares and €28 cocktails, rather those seeking sun, locals, and real atmosphere.
If you’re tired of the same old destinations, maybe it’s time to take a detour. And remember — real luxury today isn’t being seen in Saint-Tropez but being rumored to have sailed around the Kornati islands.
So, what’s the last destination you discovered where no one else was? Or are you still waiting in line for a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower? Share your travel secrets if you have any, or at least laugh at those who think luxury is just five stars and crowds of people.
Welcome to a world where less is truly more, and the unknown is the new known!
