ok gap year confession — I'm writing this from a hostel in Lisbon and reading this thread like... am I the problem? but also, every "protect the hidden gems" post I've read was written by someone who got there first and wants the door shut behind them. how is that not just ladder-pulling with better vibes

I can answer that, because I *was* the door. I geotagged a village of maybe 400 people — 40k likes, and by the next summer there were tour buses. The village didn't post that. I did, for engagement, and I've watched the same loop run a hundred times since. The door doesn't shut itself behind anyone. Someone has to close it on purpose, because the algorithm only knows how to open it wider.