Why I quit Instagram

Hey Freaking Nomads,

Lately, I’ve been flirting with a dangerous idea. What if I just… stopped opening Instagram?

Because every time I do, it feels like I’m watching the same trip on loop.

Same destinations. Same poses. Same captions pretending someone just “accidentally” discovered a place that’s been trending for months.

The other day, I scrolled past three photos in a row that looked exactly the same. For a second, I thought the app was glitching.

It wasn’t.

It was just the algorithm doing what it does best: flattening the world into one aesthetic.

And it made me wonder: Why are we still letting an app decide what adventure should look like?

When I first started traveling, it wasn’t about documenting every moment. It was about being in it. The conversations. The weird days. The places that never make it onto a reel because they don’t photograph well, but somehow stay with you the longest.

Somewhere along the way, travel turned into content. And scrolling turned into comparison.

So lately, I’ve been pulling back. Less Instagram.

More staying put instead of rushing to the next “must-see.” More noticing how a place actually feels, not how it might perform online.

And honestly? It’s been a relief.

There’s something really comforting about slower spaces. Like newsletters. Like this one.

No algorithms. No pressure to perform. No race for attention. Just words, thoughts, and experiences landing quietly in your inbox, waiting for you when you’re ready.

Travel was never meant to be consumed at lightning speed. And neither were we.

So if you’ve been feeling tired of the scroll, maybe you don’t need another app detox or productivity hack.

Maybe you just need fewer feeds… and more places like this.

Thanks for being here. For reading. For choosing depth over noise.

Lots of love,

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🧑‍💻 The Nomad Resource of the Week (SPONSORED)

If you want a stable base to return to between trips, Malta has quietly become one of the most interesting options out there.

The Nomad Residence Permit is designed for remote employees working for foreign companies, as well as freelancers and business owners with clients abroad, making it a strong fit for us online earners who prefer flexibility in where they live and work from.

What stands out the most for me:

• You get an actual EU home base, not just a long tourist visa. The permit allows you to live and work remotely from Malta, renewable yearly for up to four years, giving you a home in the Mediterranean while continuing your international work setup.
• It's one of the safest countries in the world, English-speaking, and well-connected, which makes life admin, networking, and settling easy.
• The application process is clear, streamlined, and completely online, with eligibility based on remote income rather than investment or high-capital requirements.
• It's easy to join a community, with many groups open to welcoming professionals, entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and remote workers into their fold, to network with like-minded individuals.

If you're curious, we broke down Malta Nomad Residence Permit and all Malta’s residency options in-depth on the site.

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We'll see you there, Freaking Nomads 👋

Written by Pamela Leon

Pamela is one half of Pame & Dami, a digital nomad couple from South America. Together, they’ve built a lifestyle around traveling the world while working remotely.

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