I tend to think of "shallow" tourism the same way I think of watching movies. Of course I know it's all an artificial experience, but I'll still turn off my bra

I tend to think of "shallow" tourism the same way I think of watching movies. Of course I know it's all an artificial experience, but I'll still turn off my brain and watch cheesy action flicks or snap photos w/ Goofy at Disneyland all the same. If anything, having had the opportunity to live the difference between locals and tourists (I've been both for San Francisco), I adjust my expectations for how much cultural enrichment I'm supposed to be getting out of a trip vs how much braindead goofing off I'm doing. There are times for both. As for environmental impact, I think there is certainly an unfortunate factor of social perception making people fly half way around the world to Bali and destroy the local ecology in the process because Bali is supposed to be this enviable getaway place. But there's such a thing as a place being overrated, and if you arrive with high expectations, there's surely going to be a disappointment (even if you don't want to admit it). At some point, a beach is a beach. Coronado beach - just a hop away for me - is just as relaxing to me as Frasier island in middle-of-nowhere Australia. If you're looking for unusual travel experiences with minimal ecological footprint, something that I've found nice (at least for major hubs in north america) is the atlas obscura city guides. Many spots there aren't even on maps (let alone touristic ones), and can't possibly take your whole day, so they're a great excuse to really go off the beaten path.