Opinion: in defence of the travel selfie

I take selfies, and that's OK.

When I put out a call to writers to send me their article ideas for this website, I received at least five pitches about selfies. "Ban the selfie" or "Why selfies have got to stop" read the headlines that landed in my inbox.

It has become fashionable to hate the selfie. People baulk at those holding the camera at arms length, taking snapshots of their happy faces in front of some landmark. But really, what's the harm?

There have been reports of some meeting unfortunate ends all to get the right shot or the most extreme selfie. There was the 24-year-old Thai woman who wanted to snap herself and a friend on a Bangkok rail track who was killed by a train. And the tragic incident in Portugal in which a young Polish couple were snapping a family selfie and stepped back too far, plunging hundreds of feet off a cliff edge.

Hayk_Shalunts/Shutterstock

An innocent snap atop the Eiffel Tower is hurting nobody

But those cases aren't representative of the majority of us selfie-taking tourists. An innocent snap at the top of the Eiffel Tower is hurting nobody. My arms-length attempt to get our whole group into the shot isn't disturbing your experience of this beautiful landscape unless you choose to stop and tut.

Selfies are the least intrusive form of photography. The camera is pointing solely at me, so there's no need to worry about inadvertently photobombing my Kodak moment. And, because it's just me and my arm and no designated photographer standing at a distance, there's no ducking and dodging at the last minute when you realise you're about to walk right into the frame of someone's family photo.

My shameless selfie in La Palma

There is also a difference between the selfie-snapping tourist and the Instagram-obsessed "influencer". When most people think of selfies they imagine it's all pouting and preening for the camera, and while some of that very much exists, the most of us just want to take a nice picture to remember this moment by.

Where it does become occasionally intrusive, I suppose, is with addition of a selfie stick. Having dodged a few rogue, waving poles myself, I understand the frustration travellers feel at having beautiful views obscured by phones on sticks. But I stand in selfie solidarity with those taking pictures of themselves – unless they’re whacking me round the head with their equipment.

I’ve been taking selfies since before it was a word

“Why do you need to be in the picture?” I hear you ask. Granted, photographs of me are indeed infinitely less interesting than pictures of the sight, city, or landscape itself. But I take selfies because it makes me feel good, and because I know my family will enjoy receiving them. I often send my grandmother an email "postcard" to show her where I am, and my partner will often ask for pictures of me when I'm away on long trips so he can share a moment with my face from afar.

Capturing the moment at Los Indianos, La Palma

Travel is increasingly becoming more about experiences than ticking off sights and destinations. So in my selfie-taking tendencies, all I’m trying to do is capture that experience so I can remember that moment and feeling when I look back in the years to come. And as for "living in the moment" and really engaging with my surroundings, it takes two seconds to snap a photo and I'm pretty confident I'm not going to miss all the action if I turn the camera on myself for an instant.

I was taking selfies before they were cool and then uncool, and before they even had a word to describe them. And I'll keep taking selfies regardless of your judgements, because my fond memories are more important than saving face for strangers.