Your camera roll might be full of these travel clichés.
In the age of social media, the photos we take on vacation have become a key part of the travel experience itself. They are a way to share our adventures and to create a beautiful record of our memories. There are certain types of vacation photos, however, that have become so cliché and overdone that they can have the opposite of the intended effect.
Instead of making you look like a sophisticated world traveler, they can make you look unoriginal, and in some cases, a little bit cheap and tacky.
1. The “holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa” shot.
This is the original, and still the most famous, cheesy tourist photo. The gaggle of tourists all standing on the lawn in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, with their arms outstretched in the exact same forced-perspective pose, is a sight to behold. It is the definition of a travel cliché, a photo that has been taken millions of times and has lost all of its novelty, as stated by The Independent.
While it may seem like a fun and obligatory thing to do, it is a photo that immediately signals that you are following the most well-worn tourist script in the book.
2. The “hot dogs or legs” photo from the beach.
You have seen this photo a thousand times. The picture is taken from the perspective of a person who is lounging on a beach chair, looking out over their own two legs, which are glistening in the sun, with the ocean and the sand in the background. The “hot dogs or legs” photo has become the universal, low-effort symbol of being on vacation, as shared by Export Vagabond.
It is a photo that is less about the beauty of the destination and more about making a lazy announcement that you are not at work. It has become so cliché that it is now more of a joke than a genuine vacation photo.
3. The obligatory airplane winglet picture.
This is the photo that you post the moment you get to your seat on the plane. It is a picture of the view from your window, with the curved winglet of the airplane in the foreground and the clouds or the tarmac in the background. It is usually accompanied by a generic caption like “And we’re off!” or “Let the adventure begin!”
While it’s a fine way to announce your trip, it is one of the most unoriginal and low-effort travel photos you can take. It is a visual cliché that has been posted by millions of people, as per Hilton Grand Vacation.
4. The photo of your feet in the sand.
This is the close cousin of the “hot dogs or legs” photo. It is a picture taken from above, looking down at your own two bare feet in the sand, with the gentle waves of the ocean lapping at your toes. It is meant to convey a sense of ultimate relaxation and escape. It is also one of the most overdone and generic beach photos in existence.
It is a photo that could have been taken on any beach, anywhere in the world. It says very little about the unique character of the place you are visiting and a lot about the travel photo clichés you have absorbed.
5. Kissing the Great Sphinx of Giza.
This is another classic of the “forced perspective” genre. The tourist will stand at a specific angle and position their head so that it looks like they are kissing the giant, stone face of the Great Sphinx. Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa photo, it is a gag that has been done to death and is a favorite of large tour groups.
While it may seem like a fun and harmless photo, it is a classic sign of a tourist who is more interested in a silly gimmick than in appreciating the incredible, ancient wonder that is in front of them.
6. Posing with a heavily sedated tiger.
This is not just a cheap-looking photo; it is an actively unethical one. The infamous “tiger temples” and attractions, particularly in Southeast Asia, that allow you to get a close-up photo with a tiger are built on a foundation of animal cruelty. The tigers are often heavily sedated or have their claws removed to make them docile enough to pose with tourists.
Posting a photo like this does not make you look like a brave adventurer; it makes you look like an ignorant tourist who is supporting a cruel and abusive industry. It is a photo that will get you justifiably called out.
7. A selfie with a costumed character in a tourist trap.
A selfie with one of the knock-off Elmo or Mickey Mouse characters in a major tourist trap like Times Square or Hollywood Boulevard is a classic sign of a tourist who has fallen for a scam. These characters will aggressively pose for a photo with you and then will demand a “tip,” often in a very intimidating way.
The photo itself is a record of you being scammed. It is a low-quality picture with a person in a dirty, off-brand costume that just screams “I am a tourist who does not know what they are doing.”
8. The buffet plate piled a mile high.
A common photo from an all-inclusive resort or a cruise ship is the picture of the buffet plate that is loaded up with a comical and often bizarre combination of foods. It is meant to be a celebration of the abundance and the indulgence of the vacation. More often than not, however, it just looks a bit gluttonous and unsophisticated.
It can give the impression that the most memorable part of your trip was the sheer quantity of the food you could get for free, rather than the culture or the beauty of the destination you are visiting.