euro summer is ruining euro summer

virality sheep are ruining the vibes

One summer afternoon a few years ago, in a small Croatian coastal town called Pakostane, I sat down in a local cafe after a long day in the sun, craving a cold and smooth iced coffee. In Croatia, “ice coffee” is usually some attempt at an iced latte. The general attitude towards iced coffee in that country (and region) is that iced coffee is a dessert, not coffee. So, the attempts come in two basic variations:

1. Iced coffee made with whole milk and one teeny tiny espresso shot

2. Iced coffee made with whole milk and a a powdered Nespresso coffee packet

Some places will go over the top and add whipped cream, some will drizzle in chocolate syrup, others will keep it simple. Since I’ve spent most of my coffee-drinking life in America, these options sicken me. I’ve gotten quite used to American iced coffee culture. Cold brew, iced americano, ice coffee with a splash of milk… the options are endless. I despise lattes in general, hot or cold, so I opt for the lite-milk or milk-free options.

You can understand then, that to my refined iced coffee palate, the Croatian versions don’t live up to the standard. So, ordering them wasn’t an option. Instead, to curb my cravings, I decided to explain to the waitress what I had in mind¹. “Make me an iced coffee, but instead of milk make it with cold water. Basically just pour the espresso over ice and add water.” An Iced Americano. Perfect. Simple. To the point.

After maybe several minutes, I saw her walking over with our orders and things weren’t looking so good. “I hope this is what you had in mind,” the waitress said as she placed the beverage on the table in front of me. I was shocked. My friend started dying of laughter.

An espresso shot in a cappuccino mug with a couple of ice cubes.

This isn’t even the most ridiculous iced coffee story I have from my summers in Croatia, but it’s my favorite. It was my first of many attempts throughout the years to get someone in that darn country (jk love you Cro<3) to just make a good iced coffee. I’ve yet to be successful.

As much as I get annoyed about it, I always remember to check myself. Traveling is supposed to get you out of your comfort zone. It’s not supposed to be like home… So tell me why as each summer approaches and euro summer commences, all I see are complaints, drama that could have been avoided, and the worst of it all - lack of etiquette. Euro summer is ruining euro summer, and we need to do something about it.

The Culprit

Travel information has never been as accessible as it is today. TikTok has created a new way to discover recommendations and, as its algorithm is designed to do, created trends of its own. But as micro trends come and go, so do summer travel destinations. The thing with trends is, they’ve made people congregate not just in the same couple of destinations in Europe, but in the same cafes, restaurants, beaches, clubs… and it’s ruining the vibes.

Travel planning habits have evolved significantly in the past few years.

Booking.com's 2023 travel trends survey found that of the 30% of global travelers who use TikTok to find travel inspiration (Booking, 2023):

1. 56% of travelers use TikTok to find travel tips,

2. 54% of them use it to get destination ideas and

3. 51% of them use it to find accommodation ideas.

It’s wild to think you could go to a place like London or Rome this summer, enter a bar, and see the same people you see back home almost every weekend because that bar went viral on TikTok. Sure, smaller cult places like St. Tropez, Ibiza, and Mykonos have the same people coming back continuously every summer. The regulars visit the same restaurants, stay at the same hotels, and party at the same clubs year after year. They aren’t the problem, though. It’s the new people who are there just because they saw a viral post on TikTok.

The virality sheep, as I like to call them, have been causing a major imbalance in the euro summer continuum. They are crowding the same few spaces in the same few destinations because they’re only hitting up spots with 1M+ views on TikTok. Yet, at the same time they’re having a bad time because these viral spots don’t live up to their expectations, and even worse, don’t align with their interests.

The driver of their itineraries is virality, not their interests and preferences. They’re not trying to get into Hï on a Saturday night in Ibiza because they care about Black Coffee², they’re trying to get in because they heard about it in a TikTok sound, saw an influencer post from the VIP booth, or saw their nemesis go there last summer and concluded that that’s the only place to be.

However, not everyone is a virality sheep. You can hit up a 1M+ views spot and not be a virality sheep. You can go to Hï even if you don’t care about Black Coffee because you’re curious. You can leave early because you realize you don’t actually feel like being there. That doesn’t make you a virality sheep.

Virality sheep exhibit 3 major symptoms:

Symptom #1: The Complaining

Personally, I hate people that have a tendency to complain, especially if the complaints are just a mirror of their unrealistic expectations. I particularly hate complaining on vacation. If you’re in a foreign country and are constantly complaining about the most minuscule things, you need a reality check. You also need to learn how to relax and enjoy yourself.

Obviously, I don’t stand by rude waiters or nightmare accommodations, that’s not one of the things I would say you should “get used to.” However, not too long ago I saw a video of two girls complaining about how hard it is to get the check at a restaurant in Italy.

“Why is no one bringing our check?!” “Not us having to beg the waiter to bring the check”

What’s the fucking rush? It’s 10pm on a Thursday in Barcelona. You just sat down an hour ago. Where else are you going after this? Sit and order another bottle of wine, look at each other, and talk. You are on vacation. Clubbing doesn’t start until 2 AM. Why are you bothered by the server not interrupting your meal?

Complaining about iced coffees, complaining about air conditioning, complaining about walking, complaining about water… I can already see the responses: “but Jelena, we’re american, we’re not used to it.” As I mentioned in the beginning, it’s normal to want things you’re used to. I just told you I’m guilty of trying to get baristas in Croatia to make iced coffees every summer. Thing is, I don’t act like it’s the end of the world or scrunch my nose in disapproval and disgust, hopping on TripAdvisor to give a cafe a 1 star rating.

Complaining shows how unprepared these people were for their trip. Complaining plagues the virality sheep.

Symptom #2: The Sucking the Life out of the Party

It’s become very obvious how the general atmosphere of euro summer has changed. It’s especially apparent in restaurants, bars, and clubs. The virality sheep come to a hyped up (with reason) establishment, go through lengths to get a reservation, and then show up and ruin the vibes. In places where they should be dancing, they’re sitting and scrolling on their phones. They death-stare the girls at the table next to them, commenting in horror “how embarrassing” they are for dancing on their table.

Newsflash, if they’re not being escorted out, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing at this particular club. The virality sheep exude so much negative energy they started affecting the overall atmosphere the owners and staff have been working to create for many years.

If you think dancing on tables is embarrassing then don’t go to that establishment. If on the other hand you are the type of person that wants to dance on tables, don’t go to the place where people sip on their champagne and calmly tan in the sun and be the one to cause a ruckus. Read the room.

Symptom #3: The Disrespect

I’m not sure if this is a result of the pandemic or if it’s a generational thing, but it seems like people need to be reminded of appropriate behavior. Last year I was walking back to my Airbnb in Dubrovnik around 11pm and saw a guy just casually stop at a corner in the middle of Old Town in an attempt to relieve himself. Thankfully a couple of locals jumped to stop him immediately. I’ve seen a group of ladies leave all of their wrappers, plates, and bottles at the beach after a day out in the sun. When I looked around I noticed they were not the only ones.

I don’t remember people acting this way pre-pandemic. Sure, stories of drunk tourists and beach littering are nothing new, but people walking barefoot in restaurants, brawls getting started because they can’t walk around a town in a bathing suit… that's a whole new level of disrespect. Virality sheep reek of entitlement and don’t consider anyone around themselves. It’s like travel etiquette has completely been thrown out the window and everyone acts like they can do whatever they want.

We need to be better and keep virality sheep accountable in the wild. We need to educate ourselves on travel etiquette, but we also need to remind others of it as well. It’s easy to sit behind a screen and fire off opinions on why virality sheep are ruining euro summer. But, we can help by trying to change at least the information landscape and by becoming more thoughtful about our own plans if we aren’t already.

Don’t copy itineraries, make or get one made especially for you and your interests

What the internet lacks right now is accessible information about places that would fit your own vibe. You can like Alix Earle but it doesn’t mean her style of travel and the activities she wants to do are right for you. What’s beautiful about travel is that you can discover things that you like to do somewhere completely new. Someone will enjoy sightseeing and having a quiet dinner more than hitting the hottest spots all over the French Riviera. Don’t be a virality sheep… be a dilettante. :)

First figure out how you want to travel. Then, go and find the right places for you. Don’t just go to a certain destination because half the people from your graduating class were there last summer and it looked like it was a great time. Maybe a place like Lisbon would work better for your euro summer plans than St. Tropez, or maybe Ibiza is more your vibe instead of a quiet week in Sicily. Do your research before you complain about how many steps you have to take to your Airbnb. Be prepared and be open minded. You are somewhere that has a completely different culture with its own quirks and qualities and you should be focusing on discovering them rather than looking at what these places lack.

I’ve started the dilettante knowing curated information is missing, especially curated information from locals. Virality sheep exist because other virality sheep are harping on about the same 5 spots in the same 5 destinations. My goal is to share as many options as possible for different types of vacations and source those from locals. One country can offer many different types of vacations, not just the one type you see on TikTok. France isn’t only Paris or St. Tropez, and Italy isn’t just Portofino and Rome.

I want to make sure what we share here is intentional and well rounded, so I’m excited we will be announcing our first highlighted destination later this week. Can you guess which one?

In the meantime, check if you’re a virality sheep here. Let us know your diagnosis in the comments in case we need to perform an emergency exorcism. Hopefully if you’re reading this it means you’re safe.

1. in Croatian, obviously.

2. Black Coffee is a South African DJ and producer known for blending deep house with Afrobeat rhythms that has a Saturday residency at Hï Ibiza, a bucket list experience for many lovers of the genre and artist.