In defence of travel clichés

The other day, I went to an exhibition at the Tate Britain. When I finished, the weather was still great, and with nothing waiting for me, I decided to go for a walk by the river, passing by the Houses of Parliament, the Big Ben. Looked up in wonder – no matter how many years I’ve been living in this city, every single time I see Big Ben, I gasp. And then I walked to St. James’s Park – crowded with tourists of course, but for good reason. Such a beautiful park, one of my favourites in London, full of life. And then, as the sun was about to set, I decided I wanted to see it in Hyde Park. Because it’s simply wondrous. and yes, I know all of this is cliché.

The word cliché comes from the French verb “clicher” meaning “to stereotype” – words that were created as the printing industry started to exist. Nowadays, cliché and stereotypes have very different meanings in any dictionary – and both have a negative connotation. We know how stereotypes impact people, and communities, often being a reason for discrimination, whether this is racial, gendered, sexual, religious or ethical. Stereotypes are used to classify, label, and judge people. Clichés though are meant to characterise objects, experiences, and destinations. And when it comes to travel, you’ll find lots of them.

I’ve found different definitions online of the word. According to Cambridge Dictionary, cliché is “a phrase, remark, or opinion that has very often been said or expressed before and is therefore not original and not interesting”. Collins defines it as “an idea or phrase which has been used so much that it is no longer interesting or effective or no longer has much meaning”. Finally, Merriam Websters states simply “something that has become overly familiar or commonplace”.

Interestingly to see that the first definitions refer to words and ideas. But the last one is more up-to-date with what I personally believe the cliché means nowadays – something that is commonplace. In fact, what we have been seeing, is that it’s so commonplace that it has lost its value. Often, it s even frowned upon. And when talking about travelling, it seems specifically frowned upon by those who consider themselves real travellers, not tourists. Not those who do the obvious, the cliché stuff, they may whisper, n a snobbish manner, an air of superiority.

I’m coming here in defence of the cliché. Because I think anyone who tries to devalue someone’s experience by pushing it aside as a cliché, is simply depriving someone of a moment of joy. And I’ve seen this a lot lately, as I’ve been reading and researching for a potential long-term trip I may be doing – and I noticed a very interesting trend. People want you to go off the beaten path. They advise you people to skip landmarks because these are so busy, so crowded, so obvious. So cliché. Almost preaching how important it is to go to more remote areas to actually understand how the locals live, and to get in touch with the authentic part of the country or region. Making all of those who actually really want to explore what is considered the most touristy part of the place seem like they are doing something wrong. We are not travelling the right way. Doing everything wrong.

And whilst I agree that sometimes is nice to get off the beaten path and explore areas that may be out of the touristy spots )which is pretyt much a cliché in itself), I do think that if something is a cliché, it’s usually for a good reason. I say usually – because I’d argue social media created clichés that are often causing damage to local communities, to the environment and even to people’s wallets, but that is a post for another time.

Would you go to Paris and skip the Eiffel Tower? Would you go to Rome and not see the Coliseum? Would you go to Pisa, and not try to take that fun picture of holding the leaning tower? Would you go to Andalucia and not see a Flamenco show? Would you really skip seeing the Mona Lisa if you were at the Louvre and well… you just have to see what’s that all about? Would you be in London, and not see the Big Ben? And what is wrong with going to see a show on Broadway, or in London’s West End? Do you love Les Miserables, and the Phantom of the Opera? So do I, and have no shame in admitting it, because those shows are just absolutely brilliant. And whilst Fish & Chips may not be the best thing for you to eat… would you come to the UK and not at least try it out? Would you go to New York and don’t see the Statue of Liberty?

If you are avoiding these things because of it being a cliché – I’m sorry, but you’d be missing out. Of course, you don’t have to climb up the Eiffel Tower, or the Statue of the Liberty. You don’t want to go see a show if that’s just not your thing or a famous gallery if you’re not into art. But… don’t skip something afraid of being judged by those who see themselves as knowing better – and it goes the other way around. Don’t force yourself to do something just because it’s what’s your supposed to do. But, most importantly, don’t judge others just because they follow what for you is “the obvious”. It is such a privilege to travel, and we all should be able to travel our own way – as long as we do it responsibly.

I am not going to say that you won’t be disappointed. Sometimes you will. I know I have been!

I went to Venice and didn’t go on a gondola. I would have, but it’s expensive and I was travelling solo. I didn’t go up the Empire State Building, only because I decided to go up the Rock and get a view of the Empire State Building from it.

I’d love it if you could change the negative meaning of a cliché to something more positive. I keep thinking about an interview Taylor Swift gave a few years back, and she said “The worst kind of person is someone who asks someone to feel bad, dumb or stupid for being excited about something. You should never have to apologise for your excitement. Just because something´s cliché doesn’t mean it’s not something that’s awesome”.

What do you think about it?