I cringe when backpackers say they’re “doing Europe.” Here’s why you should stop.

Opinion Summary

• Europe has over 40 countries and more than 800 cities, and there’s always more left to explore and discover no matter how long you’re in one area.
• The phrase doing Europe bugs me from a linguistic point of view, but mostly because it can imply a tick-box approach to travelling.
• You don’t have to change how you travel, but the way we talk about our trips can influence, and be influenced by, our approach to travel and holiday mentality.

In my opinion, you can’t do a destination. And you certainly can’t do Europe.

Before you assume that I am being the pedantic grammar police, hear me out. Yes, linguistically, the phrase doing Europe bugs me. But what bothers me more is that the language of doing a destination goes hand in hand with a tick-box mentality to travel that I don’t like.

Every time a backpacker says they’re doing Europe, no matter where they are from, I quietly cringe. But I’ve kept my thoughts in long enough, so it’s time to let them out.  

Why you can’t do Europe

I was chilling in a hostel in Florence, Italy when I got chatting to some fellow backpackers. As per normal backpacker’s small talk, I asked them about their trip. They replied: “We’re doing Europe”. This was the first (and not the last) time I’ve cringed when someone has said this. 

After my backpacking buddies in Florence boldly declared they were doing Europe, I asked them where they were going. As a Brit who has traveled a lot around Europe, I was intrigued by what constitutes doing Europe. 

They proceeded to churn off a list of (quite frankly predictable) capital cities in Western Europe. There was an undertone of entitlement and arrogance as if Europe is theirs to do, and an ignorance of the Continent they were doing.

We got on to the topic of Berlin, a city which my backpacking buddies claimed to have done a few days before. They had spent one night in Berlin. I would call that more scratching the surface of Berlin. 

Don’t get me wrong, the capital cities across Western Europe are spectacular. Each capital city is unique and has its own national identity. But they’re hardly representative of the expanse of Europe. 

Europe is home to over 40 nations, over 800 cities, and 742.2 million people who speak as many as 200 languages between them. Each European nation has its own identity, history, and cultural quirks. And within each nation, there are regional identities and cultural quirks too. 

I have lived in and near some of Europe’s capitals and I still wouldn’t say I’ve done them. There’s always more to explore and discover in a city, from exhibitions to shops, blossoming trees to ever-changing river banks. 

I consulted the Cambridge Dictionary and it turns out that the verb do has many meanings. Such as: to perform or take part in an action or activity (eg. a dance); to produce or create (eg. a design), or to achieve or complete something (eg. a crossword – not Europe).

I suppose backpackers mean they are achieving or completing Europe. I mean, there’s no other viable combination from a grammar police point of view. But I don’t think you can achieve or complete Europe, or any destination – it’s impossible. 

Why I don’t like the phrase ‘doing Europe’

I was in a hostel in Croatia and got chatting with some backpackers. I asked what their plans were for the following day. (Note the theme with hostel small talk.) They said they were doing Montenegro. By this, they meant they were going on a day trip to Kotor, a popular town in the small Balkan nation. 

The backpackers were less interested in the destination and more interested in ticking another country off their list. They were talking as though Montenegro were a thing to complete or achieve. 

I get it. It’s cool that you can travel through lots of countries around Europe. And it’s fun to say you’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt. 

But the idea of achieving or completing destinations makes travel seem like a one-way transaction where tourists just take, take, take…and tick things off their lists. 

Don’t get me wrong, I have a list of places I’d like to visit. I make a list every time I go on a trip. But I don’t understand the approach to travel that prioritizes the quantity of places over the quality of time spent there.

I’d much rather spend a day extra in the same town to get to know it better than to dash to a neighbouring city to say that I’ve been there. I find it ironic to see crowds of tourists by major tourist sites spending more time taking selfies than looking at the site. 

Many backpackers are starting to move away from this fast-paced, tick-list approach to travel too. The so-called slow travel movement is growing. Slow travel means different things to different people. Maybe it’s about staying in one place for longer, using public transport, or venturing to lesser-known places and being less of a travel lemming. 

By traveling at a slower pace, many travelers prioritize deeper connections with destinations over the quantity of places visited. 

I’m not suggesting that all backpackers do Europe slowly. I’m not even suggesting that anyone changes their way of travel. I’m just making the point that the words we use to describe our trips can influence, and be influenced by, our approach to travel.

***

By all means, travel as much as you like, and can, around Europe. But leave behind the mentality that you can achieve or complete this diverse Continent. 

Explore, travel, visit, experience, enjoy, and relish Europe. Take time to get to know new places. And if you meet me in a hostel somewhere, please don’t tell me you’re doing Europe.