HEY, YOU! This post is extremely image-driven… but the images are currently dead. If the numbers start racking up on this post, I’ll come and fix it. Until then; sorry about this.
A few years ago my social media feeds were endless photos of friends hanging out and doing stuff they love. As everyone grew up, they began hanging out less. Now I see nothing but holiday snaps and travel pics. These used to be people I knew in the real world, who then became interesting internet personalities, and are now just names accompanying occasional photos from Bali or Kiev. They visit amazing places, but their photos are nothing more than a slight pause on my daily scroll. None of it encourages interaction.
This year I’m revitalising my travels and trying to engage my followers by letting Instagram users pick the country I visit and what I do there — every single month. Last month we ended up in Italy and it was wonderful, this month did not go so well. In fact, it went terribly.
Day 1:
Results: 52% vs 48%
Results: 60% vs 40%
Results: 70% vs 30%
Results: 47% vs 53%
So far everything seems okay. Starting simple landed me in Ireland (never been before) and I was safe. I had no idea what to do in Ireland, so day 2 would be in the hands of the audience…
Day 2:
Results: 32% vs 68%
Results: 24% vs 76%
Results: 24% vs 76%
Now another reason for working whilst I had that Guiness at the end of the day was snow. It was cold and there was a little dusting, but I thought nothing more of it. I was due to fly home the next night, so day 3 was going to be the one I really let Instagram have some fun…
Day 3:
Unfortunately this pre-breakfast walk was my day. The snow here is pleasant, but an hour later it was horrendous. Roads were closed and I was trapped in the hostel doing work until my flight home. Then I got the text; my first ever cancelled flight. Tomorrow I’d have to let Instagram into the hostel….
Day 4:
Results: 12% vs 88%
Results: 48% vs 52%
Results: 84% vs 16%
“WHERE WAS THE RIOT!?” has been in my messages a lot. I want to say it was because I watched a guy get kicked out of the hostel into the cold stormy night mere minutes before (truth), but in all honesty I was never going to riot. Everyone had been quite responsible with the votes, so I decided to see how well that held up when chaos was an option. It’s also worth noting the Paramore — RIOT! photo was a bit of a lie. As many people know, I have only listened to Kanye West for 14 months now.
Day 5:
This trip was meant to last 2 nights. I was in a foul mood and every step resulted in either slipping over or getting a shoe full of cold dirty water.
Day 6:
Results: 18% vs 82%
Results: 50% vs 50%
Okay so there were no real choices here. The buses weren’t running and I had squeezed onto a one-off flight. Getting home was the priority. This could have been a great adventure if it weren’t for The Beast From The East. To get involved with the next one, follow me on Instagram. Once the weather clears up a bit (April/May?) I intend to venture to more exciting destinations. At the moment each month is an experiment, so North Korea can wait until we’re in the swing of things!
