Well, if it hadn’t occurred to you yet, planning a holiday to a location just because you saw a viral TikTok video is probably not the best idea. Don’t be offended, I too have looked for flights to Tuscany purely because of a pretty TikTok.
With companies like Airbnb and Booking.com expanding their social media accounts, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that now more than ever we’re falling into the traps of rose-tinted glasses.
Alas, what you don’t know could kill you. Well, not kill you… but could definitely cause a bad headache and some nausea through Paris syndrome.
First and foremost, what is Paris syndrome? 'Paris syndrome' is a term used to describe a state of severe cultural shock, with some experiencing symptoms as severe as hallucinations, dizziness, and nausea.
For the purpose of this article, I’ll be focusing primarily on Paris itself, but it’s worth noting that you can be afflicted with Paris syndrome anywhere.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris twice. The first of which was back when I was fifteen on a school trip, with my only real memories being the never-ending steps of the Sacré Cœur and Disneyland Paris. The second time was in 2022 when I was freshly eighteen and had just finished studying A-level French.
Of course, I understood that I was in no way going to be able to suddenly speak fluent French just because I could write an essay on a random French book that I spent two years studying.
What I didn’t expect, however, was how uncomfortable I would feel speaking at all in Paris. I felt as though if I tried to speak French, I’d butcher it and be shamed for obviously being English. But, if I spoke English all the time, I felt like an ignorant tourist who expected everyone to speak my language. I was in a lose-lose situation, and for me, this was the biggest culture shock of visiting Paris.
For the most part, my uncomfortableness stemmed from pre-conceived beliefs that French people hated tourists (for good reason, I probably would too). I spent most of my time in Paris trying to avoid speaking at all, afraid I’d be targeted and mugged when walking down the street, like in any major city.
I was in a lose-lose situation.
On top of this, it goes without saying that Paris is far different from what you see online. Of course, there are stunning places that leave you truly in awe, with my favourites being the historical sites like the Palais Garnier, the Sacré Cœur, and the Louvre Museum.
But like any major city, Paris is full of people trying to scam tourists, expensive restaurants, and litter. If you want to capture the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night, you will also be surrounded by hundreds of tourists doing the same, and in the summer, it is sweaty, smelly, and rat-centric.
Paris is undoubtedly still one of the best places I’ve visited. The moral of the story when visiting though, is to do your research, lower your expectations, and remind yourself that social media posts are perfectly curated to hide the imperfections of Paris (along with anywhere else you’re planning on visiting).
I myself am guilty of this. Of course, I tried to make Paris look like the best place in the world through my Instagram stories. It seems to be human nature and social media etiquette to romanticise everything and everywhere you visit.
So take off the rose-tinted glasses when travelling anywhere, because Paris syndrome is real and can ruin the holiday you’ve been planning since March.