I think I hit a wall.

Four trips in two months will do that to you.

I did not realize I was burned out at first. It crept up on me. But the sign was clear once I noticed it. I lost interest in the things that usually bring me joy. Not just travel. Everything around it.

That is how I know it was real burnout and not just tiredness. Tiredness goes away after a good night of sleep. This was something else. 

P.S. I'm going to write about how to quickly recover from travel fatigue in the future. 

The good news? I am coming out of it. Getting back to myself and back to the work, just in time to travel again. 😜

Which is actually perfect timing. Because this week I want to talk about something that might make your next trip a little more expensive than you planned.

I stood in front of the Trevi Fountain on a Tuesday afternoon.

I was there for maybe five minutes. Took a few photos. Threw a coin in the water. And left.

It was free. It was also completely packed. People were shoulder to shoulder, phones up, all trying to get the shot. I could barely move.

Now it costs €2 just to get close to it.

And here is the thing. I am not sure a €2 fee is going to change that. So what is it actually for?

Tourist taxes are not a new concept. Cities have been charging visitors for years. What feels different in 2026 is the scale. Over 60 destinations around the world now charge some form of tourist tax. And more are coming.

It used to be a small fee tucked into your hotel bill that most people never noticed. Now it is fountains, hiking trails, and historic city centers.

Here's what's changing right now.

• Rome. €2 to enter the close viewing area at the Trevi Fountain. Started February 2026.
• Venice. €5 to €10 just to enter the historic center as a day visitor.
• Amsterdam. Hotel taxes now reach up to 33.5% of your room rate when you factor in the latest VAT increase.
• Barcelona. Doubled its tourist tax in April 2026. It will keep rising every year until 2029.
• Edinburgh. First UK city to introduce a tourist tax. Launches July 24, 2026 at 5% of your room rate.
• Kyoto. Tiered accommodation tax. Luxury stays now carry a surcharge of ¥10,000 per night.
• Tenerife. €10 to €25 just to hike the most popular national park trails.
• US National Parks. Foreign visitors now pay an extra $100 per person on top of standard entry at the 11 most visited parks, including Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.

It's not really the fee that concerns me.

A €2 charge is not going to stop anyone from going to Rome. A 5% levy is not going to keep people out of Edinburgh. So what is it actually for?

If the money goes toward infrastructure, preservation, and the people who actually live in these places, that is a reasonable trade. Someone has to pay for the damage that mass tourism causes.

But here is the question I keep coming back to. What happens when the fees go up? What happens when the money gets mismanaged? History tells us that is not an if. It is a when. And once a city gets comfortable charging tourists, it is very hard to stop.

Overtourism is real. But charging people to look at a fountain is not the answer.

I understand why cities are frustrated. Crowds are out of control. Locals are being priced out of their own neighborhoods. The experience for everyone gets worse every year.

But there is a difference between managing crowds and taxing culture.

The Trevi Fountain is a 300 year old piece of public art that belongs to everyone. A backpacker saving for months to visit Rome and someone flying business class should both be able to stand in front of it for free. The moment you put a price on that, you are no longer managing tourism. You are just monetizing it.

London is doing something different.

The British Museum is free. The National Gallery is free. The Natural History Museum is free. Tate Modern is free. These are world class institutions and anyone can walk in off the street.

There is no tourist tax in London right now. And I think that says something about how a city can choose to treat its visitors.

That said, it may not last. A proposal is currently working through Parliament. London could have a tourist tax as early as 2027 or 2028. Whether it keeps its free museum philosophy alongside that charge remains to be seen.

Here's the good news.

The world is a big place. If one city decides to price itself out, you go somewhere else. There are incredible destinations that are still welcoming, still affordable, and still free to experience.

The best response to a cash grab is a simple one. Vote with your itinerary.