Alternative travel quotes for the modern world

There are many examples of the pithy travel quote that are often shared around online. These lines are usually written by famous authors from a time when travel was very different: when travel really was about the journey and when travelling off the beaten track was easy.

But how would these quotes look if written in 2010? Would Robert Louis Stevenson or Mark Twain make the same observations now as they did in their time?

I suspect that they would view the modern world very differently, and their timeless quotes would infact have a more modern feel to them. I’ve listed 10 suggested amendments to some of the best known travel quotes, to make them suitable for a 21st century audience.

1.  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a hastily uploaded picture of a plane at the departure gate”

2. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I tweeted my followers to ask which I should take”

3. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely gives us material with which to brag to our friends on Facebook”

4. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a tweet stating where you were last seen alive”

5. “The traveler sees what he sees.  The tourist sees what he has come to see. The blogger sees what will fit neatly onto his new WordPress template”

6. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home. Do not despair however; you can still call yourself a travel writer”

7. “It is not the arrival that matters, but how many new Facebook friends you add during your journey”

8. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect when turned into an impossibly euphoric blog post”

9. “A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. He just knows how far away he is from his next wi-fi fix.”

10. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. Either way, they’ll make good blogging material”

A nod to Brave New Traveller for their 50 most inspiring travel quotes of all time post, from which much of the above has been mangled together.

Author Information

Freelance travel writer

35 Responses to “Alternative travel quotes for the modern world”

  1. Wonderfully funny collection! Mainly because it’s (sadly) true lol

    July 20, 2010 at 2:24 pm
  2. Lol! Awesome collection! 😀

    July 20, 2010 at 3:07 pm
  3. Very funny. Just my style of humor (a little wry).

    July 20, 2010 at 3:37 pm
  4. So funny! I’m actually retweeting it now. Heehee.

    July 20, 2010 at 4:40 pm
  5. Thanks for the nice comments guys :-)

    July 20, 2010 at 9:47 pm
  6. Ah, so funny because it is so true! Great little list.

    July 20, 2010 at 10:46 pm
  7. LOL I`m literally having a big smile on my face and couldn`t stop laughing… This is a great collection and oh so true!

    July 20, 2010 at 11:10 pm
  8. Love it!! You totally made my day. :-)

    July 21, 2010 at 12:12 am
  9. Totally agree! I definitely have the plane at the gate photos all the time!

    July 21, 2010 at 1:26 pm
  10. Awesome and hilarious. Well done!

    July 23, 2010 at 5:56 pm
  11. Great stuff! As a fan of travel quotes, it is great to see this. Have a great weekend!

    July 23, 2010 at 7:49 pm
  12. pam #

    This made me laugh. And god help us, I hope we are not REALLY the people who say these things.

    July 24, 2010 at 4:07 pm
  13. Number ten is so true. Been there, done that!!

    July 26, 2010 at 1:09 pm
  14. Oh Andy, this is rich. I hate to say it but I kind of despise travel quotes (sorry Lao Tzu) but these are so personally relevant I actually lol’d at my desk!

    Thanks for sharing this. Made my day.

    July 27, 2010 at 7:43 pm
  15. Thanks again for the nice comments. Some posts are so much fun to write – this is obviously one of those :-)

    July 28, 2010 at 6:49 am
  16. Lol clever! Nice job on these.

    July 28, 2010 at 1:56 pm
  17. Very nice text! And so funny! Thx for these laughs!

    July 31, 2010 at 11:47 pm
  18. Great quotes!
    Made me laugh :) (especially #4)

    August 1, 2010 at 12:43 pm
  19. I think this quote is also apt, it is not a rework of an old travel quote but one from the 20th century which holds true today.
    “In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion.”
    Robert Runcie

    August 3, 2010 at 3:22 pm
  20. great posts! who thought about all those? i can relate to everything except no.6. yeah!!

    August 5, 2010 at 11:58 am
  21. JD #

    Great job! Very funny and creative! :)

    August 6, 2010 at 3:03 pm
  22. Funny stuff Andy, thanks.

    October 1, 2010 at 3:28 am
  23. Brilliant! and so so true

    October 17, 2010 at 2:47 pm
  24. OMG – I saw myself in too many of these. Still, pretty funny stuff.

    October 17, 2010 at 5:11 pm
  25. Love these truly QUIRKY quotes!

    October 17, 2010 at 6:50 pm
  26. Thanks again for the lovely comments on what was a really enjoyable post to write!

    October 17, 2010 at 10:43 pm
  27. Only just found this point, but haha, it’s hilarious! Love #6 especially!

    February 12, 2011 at 12:03 am
  28. Andy thanks for the laugh on this rather gloomy Tuesday. I often look at the 50 most inspiring travel quotes you mentioned at the end of the article but now this will be my go to for inspiration. #10 is my personal favorite. Much appreciated!

    April 19, 2011 at 7:07 pm
  29. Abi #

    Can’t believe I’ve missed these until now! Brilliant!

    May 20, 2011 at 3:20 pm
  30. Ha Ha Ha Ha..
    Awesome collection ! I am going to share them with my circle. :)

    Hope you keep adding in this collection. :)

    August 21, 2011 at 12:36 pm

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