Travel Photography Ruins the Journey | Generated by AI
Question: What is the main point of this Chinese text when explained in natural English?
Answer:
The text is a thoughtful criticism of why many people take photos during travel — and why constantly photographing everything actually ruins the whole point of traveling.
In short: Most people travel to beautiful places not to truly experience them, but to take pictures, post them on social media (like WeChat Moments or Facebook), and get likes, envy, or attention — sometimes even to impress potential romantic partners. In the author says this is a bad deal (“得不偿失” = the loss outweighs the gain).
Here’s the reasoning broken down:
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Nobody actually cares about your travel photos
No matter how beautiful the scenery is, the internet is already flooded with professional-level photos of the same places (or better). Your amateur shots don’t stand out. Most people (including the author) just scroll past travel photos without looking. Even you yourself almost never go back and look at the hundreds of photos you took. If you don’t care about them later, why would anyone else? -
If the goal is just to show off, it’s still pointless
If people don’t find you attractive or interesting as a person, a pretty background won’t save the photo — it might even make you look try-hard. And honestly, if the only goal is proof you were there, just Photoshop yourself into any photo (even one taken on the moon or the top of Mount Everest). Nobody checks, and many people will still believe it and give you the likes you want. The author once P-ed himself onto Everest and people fell for it. -
The real and biggest loss is the experience itself
The worst part isn’t what others think — it’s that you destroy your own “live experience.” A photo can never replace actually being there. When you’re busy framing the perfect shot, your eyes are looking through a tiny screen or viewfinder instead of directly at the real world. You miss the sound of a fighter jet roaring overhead, the cool mist from a waterfall on your skin, the silly behavior of a wild animal right in front of you — all the things that can only be felt in the moment with your own senses.The more “perfect moments” you capture with your camera, the more real moments you personally miss.
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The true purpose of travel is ruined
Travel should let the grandeur of nature sink into you and make you a slightly bigger, calmer, better person. Instead, by obsessing over photos for virtual “friends” and their likes, you ignore the actual “friends” standing in front of you — the mountains, trees, and animals. You choose pixels and thumbs-up emojis over real connection.
The closing line is powerful:
“The moment you press the shutter, you lose your best friends.”
So stop frantically taking photos. Put the phone away and just be there — feel the moment while you still can.