By now, you know that what you see on social media doesn’t necessarily reflect reality, but YouTuber Hope Allen wants to hammer home the message. Allen, known as HopeScope on the video-sharing platform, decided to test out Mexico’s top influencer spots so you know what actually goes on behind the scenes of some of Insta and Pinterest’s most beloved photos.
Photo: New Africa/Shutterstock
Mexico’s Top Influencer Spots Tested: What It Really Takes to See Pink Lakes, Bioluminescence, and More
Allen selected 11 places on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula that are often shown as dreamy locations on Pinterest:
- The bright pink lakes of Las Coloradas
- The bioluminescence found at Holbox Island
- An off-the-grid geodesic dome in the jungle
- Suytun Cenote
- The art piece Ven a la Luz by Daniel Popper, AKA the Tulum Statue
- A ocean-front room at the Azulik Resort
- A meal at one of the ‘nest tables” at the Azulik Resort
- The SFER IK UH MAY gallery, part of the Azulik Resort
- The Alux Restaurant
- The Table, a unique dining experience at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun resort
Her mission was to get to those places, try and recreate the pictures displayed on the image-sharing site, and review them. The result is a mixed bag of experiences narrated in a humorous way.
Allen shows that it’s not a walk in the park to capture the perfect image — it involves walking in mud in a flowy dress, waking up very early, posing ever so carefully, and spending a lot of money. Because, surprisingly, many of those top influencer spots can only be accessed if you pay through the nose — sometimes even up to $1000 to reserve a photo-worthy table at a restaurant.
If you learn anything from watching Allen’s video, it’s this: Going somewhere to take a picture and post it on social media is not a way to vacation. Get out there, have fun, explore places you’ve never heard of before, and take genuine photos of happy moments that don’t fit the ridiculous standards of Instagram and Pinterest. It’s a much better use of your time. 