‘Reverse vacation?’ Content creator urges people to ‘go somewhere worse’ instead of luxury trips; internet reacts

Forget luxury hotels and first-world getaways. Content creator Simridhi Makhija suggests taking a ‘reverse vacation’ to escape comfort and gain perspective.

Most people plan vacations around comfort, beautiful hotels, new cities, scenic views and experiences that offer a break from everyday life. But content creator Simridhi Makhija has a very different suggestion: take a “reverse vacation” and deliberately travel somewhere less comfortable than home.

In a June 18 Instagram video, Simridhi spoke about the idea of travelling to places with fewer facilities and a simpler way of life. “You need to invent a reverse vacation for yourself wherein you go somewhere worse than you live right now. Some people call it trauma tourism because you go somewhere which is way worse than where you live,” she said.

‘If you live in a tier 2 city, go to a tier 3 city’

According to Simridhi, such a trip can make people reflect on their circumstances and appreciate what they already have. “This helps you get a lot more deeper perspective in your life as to why you need to lock in harder to your goals because where you are right now is where you gather dust, right? You become comfortable,” she said.

Simridhi suggested that people should intentionally choose destinations that offer fewer conveniences than their usual surroundings. “If you live in a tier 2 city, you need to go to a tier 3 city. If you live in a city, you have to go to like a village wherein there are no facilities, there is nothing that coddles you,” she explained.

She also connected the idea to her own experience of living in Bengaluru. “I've observed this within myself. It's been like four plus months of being in Bangalore and I seem to be getting a little more comfortable now, but I think the solution is reverse vacation,” Simridhi said.

For her, the concept is less about a conventional holiday and more about intentionally disrupting one's routine and comfort zone. “So very counterintuitive advice, but do not plan your vacation to a first-world country, plan your vacation to a village in India,” she concluded.

How the internet reacted

Simridhi’s post quickly garnered attention online, receiving thousands of likes and comments. While some users agreed with her take on stepping outside their comfort zones, others responded with humour and sarcasm. One user wrote, “South Indians going to North India.” Another commented, “Try planning an extremely low-budget vacation in a first-world country. It'll give you more character development and humbling experiences than almost anything else.”

Others joked about her suggestion, with one writing, “Indirectly promoting UP/Bihar tourism.” Another quipped, “In a nutshell, go back to your ex.” “Coming back to Bangalore from a tier 3 city is the real trauma travel,” another person commented. “Reverse vacation is cheap for me, since I live in Mumbai,” one user joked. Another summed it up with, “It already exists. It’s called going to the office.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.