Are we Instagramming because we travel, or do we travel so we can Instagram?

I was struck by this question in the opening of a recent Robb Report article, titled: Instagram is Changing the Way We Travel (and Not Necessarily for the Better). While I won’t give you a full summary of the article (read it if you want!) I will tell you how I’d answer this question.

As much as I enjoy sharing my adventures on IG, that’s not why I travel. Not for likes and follows. Not to become Instafamous. Nope. I travel for me. To understand the world beyond myself. To go and see and do and grow and learn. Because there’s no point in creating a bucket list just to stare at it. I want to LIVE it.

Instagram gives me plenty of inspiration for my bucket list. But no photo will ever substitute for the in-person experience. Not for me, anyway. And that’s why I Instagram.

The photos and captions I share are me living my life. Going and seeing and doing and growing and learning. With enthusiasm! I share these photos to inspire you to do the same. Maybe not in the same ways or in the same places—but to live YOUR life in passionate pursuit of YOUR dreams. Don’t just stare at your bucket list or a two-dimensional snapshot on Instagram and wish it could be real. Make it real. The power is in your hands.

Sure, likes and follows are uplifting and encouraging. I won’t deny that. But if only one person is inspired by something I post, I’ll consider it worthwhile. And, if nothing else, my IG account has become a capsule of memories for my own benefit. A diary of sorts, to record my progress and keep me moving forward. Ever onward in this arrow life of mine.

So yes. I Instagram because I travel. Not the other way around. I aim to be as real as possible—so what you see is an ordinary, adventure-loving girl, choosing each day to maximize the time God has gifted to me. A choice that anyone can make. And I sincerely hope that you do.