Why So Many Travel Guides Recommend People Watching

If you have ever read a travel guide in book form, in a blog or even an online review, you have likely come across the term ‘people watching’. Wikipedia defines people watching as “is the act of observing people and their interactions as a subconscious doing” but realistically we don’t need the definition; we know what it is, we’ve all done it and without knowing it, we’ve all had it done to us.

It’s not the sort of thing we openly admit to doing, nor do we try to organise it. You’d never go up to a group of your mates and go “Come on lads! Let’s go people watching!” Another thing that’s not nice to think about is the countless time that we have been observed for the amusement of others. It’s these type of thoughts that can lead us to the conclusion that people watching sure feels a lot like voyeurism which is an ‘ism’ and therefore evil.

With this half-cocked moral dilemma in mind why does every travel blogger and Lonely Planet guide always recommend a great spot for observing fellow members of our species? Here are a few of my theories.

This is not the sort of lengths you have to go to in order to people watch. (Nuremberg)

(Almost) Anyone Can Do It

If you’ve got at least one eye capable of sight you can people watch. You can do it sitting at a venue, standing on the street or looking out a window. You can people watch sober, you people watch tipsy, in any weather, at any time, on any day. Time can be allocated to people watch or you can stumble along a great place to do it. People watching can be done by solo travellers, it can be done in groups. Artists can people watch for inspiration yet those not creatively inclined will not find their time wasted.

Travel writing is increasingly catering to people who have not previously been represented by the industry. With the exception of visually impaired people, anyone can people watch no matter who they are or where they are going. By including it as an activity, a travel writer is promoting a very inclusive activity and better yet…

Rainy day people watching in a cafe is so cosy. Especially when like some of the people you are watching, you have no umbrella. (Annecy)

It’s Free

People watching can be done on any budget. You could take a poolside recliner in a luxury hotel and watch the wealthy families argue like your own personal episode of White Lotus, or you could pull up a milkcrate by a chai kart and observe what you will later tell your friends is ‘the real India’.

Often people watching is done while sitting outside at a bar, pub or café where the only cost is your food or drinks. However it can just as easily be done from a park bench, beach or anywhere else where you can sit for $0.

Although a lot of them travel for free, travel writers are aware travel costs money. By recommending people watching they ensure that thrifty readers we will return for more cheap tips.

Don’t have to pay to go inside when the real fun is watching people out the front. (Paris)

There’s Only So Much You Can Say About Certain Places

Little insight into travel writing here but the vocabulary in travel writing is extremely limited. Places are often ‘idealistic’, ‘cosy’ or a ‘hidden gem’ that’s ‘off the beaten path’. And I’m not pointing the finger at other travel writers, I recently banned myself from using the word cavernous because I was using it too much. Similarly, there are finite patterns in activities that travel writers can recommend and due to the above two points ‘people watching’ is an all too easy thing to recommend.

Travel writers so readily recommend people watching as it can be done by (nearly) everyone, on every budget in every city in the world. If you’re running out of things to say about a venue with a window or outdoor seating, adding that it’s a great people watching spot is a very easy way to bump up your word count, especially when you’ve got several deadlines to meet.

Me at work (Nuremberg).

Deep Down, We Want To

Be honest, have you ever regretted a people watching session? Unless you are one of those people watchers who likes to make up mean stories about the people they watch and got a bit carried away, chances are you’ve usually ended people watching feeling relaxed and maybe even a little refreshed. That’s because even though voyeurism is a tad taboo, deep down we all want to people watch.

So many experiences we have while travelling can feel generic, touristy or simply like we are ticking a boring box. People watching is unique in that you don’t know what you’re going to see. What you witness could be ordinary, hilarious or unfortunate but it will not be expected. You just have no idea what box you are going to tick.

Watching locals go about their day really makes us feel like we are living in our destination. We imagine what they are up to and maybe even picture ourselves in their shoes. In our own private way, we acknowledge that what we are experiencing, this combined collection of individuals, senses and elements will never occur exactly like this ever again. Sometimes, these little moments are those places we see when we close our eyes a remember our travels.

Perhaps the reason so many travel guides recommend people watching is because ‘world watching’ doesn’t have the same casual ring to it and seems just a bit obvious.