A holiday in Croatia: the paddleboard as a symbol of serendipity

That moment when you are in Croatia. And spontaneously buy a paddleboard at the nearest Decathlon. Then you discover your new dream by accident. In the end you discover a great deal more.

Agreed.

Before this travel blog began, our team worked in marketing. In that role there was a radio discussion about social media. It was about the filter bubble.

On Facebook you only get to see certain posts. Mostly posts that fit what you already know. Or that you agree with. That is down to algorithms.

Appearing and disappearing

Those algorithms are a kind of mathematical recipe. Automated steps that determine what we look at. Facebook's algorithm, for instance, works with a relevance filter. We mostly see ‘relevant’ posts. Ones that suit us. Ones we appreciate.

• Every time we log in, countless posts are waiting. We cannot read them all. So the algorithm gets to work.
• This one is relevant, that one is not… Which makes some things appear more often. And makes other things disappear from view entirely. You miss them.

Posts from friends are filtered too. You may see everything from a few friends. And miss everything from the rest. You are allotted what you have appreciated before.

You systematically receive posts that fit your current preferences and interests. What is enjoyable is repeated.

The bubble

A filter bubble of agreement arises, and it feels good. That is how Facebook encourages repeat visits, or addiction. An illusion of majority can take hold.

As though everyone around us agrees with our convictions. Any other view is missing.

In short, you could say Facebook has created a ‘superior intelligence’. One that often knows exactly what we like. There is a flip side.

Our own little world stays small, limited. We discover fewer new things. Things that could be just as enjoyable. Or far more so.

Serendipity

Back in the studio the presenter responded to the story.

“Really the nice thing about news is that you have a kind of serendipity. That now and then you come across things and think: well, I was not looking for that, but it is rather fun to know.”

Serendipity means an accidental discovery. A useful, enjoyable, workable find. Unintended, unexpected. It gives you fresh energy. You are stimulated by new ideas or insights. You become inspired, stimulated and motivated.

Paddleboarding along the coast

A holiday in Croatia. 2018, on the island of Krk. At the campsite we happen upon paddleboards. They are for hire. Secretly it does not strike us as all that exciting. But all right, we can give it a go.

So we hire one of the things and take to the water. The paddle takes us past small natural beaches, quiet spots and rock formations. We discover our ‘own private bay’, enjoy the view and are sold. Paddleboarding is our thing. Quite unexpectedly.

That is why we pack our bags regularly. Where social media and their algorithms reduce serendipity, travel does the opposite. New surroundings, new situations. Those trips are an enrichment.

Spontaneous trips

Unexpected things often happen on holiday anyway. There in Croatia some camping gear gives out. That unplanned fact takes us to the Decathlon in Rijeka.

And lo and behold: they have paddleboards. That is not what we came for. But hey, while we are here… Before we know it we are walking out of the shop with a brand-new paddleboard.

That incident sets off an unforeseen chain reaction. Through the paddling comes the realisation that the daily rush and grind of marketing need not be a fact, but is a choice.

Paddling along the coast is an option too. And could happen more often. Perhaps we can do something with holidays. This is where the dream begins: dionvacation.

• In the end we really did step away from ingrained, stressful habits. A stable base with fewer balls in the air. More free time for spontaneous trips.
• Because the world is so much bigger than our bubble. We know we are allowed to go exploring now and then. We will see at the time whether we feel like it.

So a paddleboard in Croatia indirectly set things straight. Broke patterns. Simplified and enriched lives. A symbol of serendipity.