I’ve been chasing crowds for years without realizing it. You know the feeling – you finally make it to that famous viewpoint or must-see attraction, only to find yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of other people, all trying to capture the same Instagram shot. Last summer, I decided to flip the script and started seeking out the places that don’t make it onto the typical tourist trail.
My first discovery was a small coastal town in Portugal called Aveiro. While everyone flocks to Porto and Lisbon, Aveiro sits quietly with its colorful boats and art nouveau architecture, practically untouched by mass tourism. I spent three days there and barely saw another camera that wasn’t attached to a local’s phone. The morning light hitting those striped moliceiro boats was pure magic, and I had the entire canal to myself.