AI promises to free travelers from generic recommendations, crowded destinations, and irrelevant choices. Yet travel reveals a broader shift: personalized systems do more than help us choose; they shape what enters our field of vision. Whether guided by inferred behavior or declared preference, they may leave us with fewer common experiences—and fewer unchosen encounters that might change who we are. William Powell Frith, The Railway Station (1862), oil on canvas. Royal Hollo

Portraits of Chavez, Bolivar and Maduro in Venezuela -- Guaiquerí, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Celina della Croce U.S. President Donald Trump has not shied away from admitting his thirst for Venezuelan oil. On 16 December 2025, in the leadup to the 3 January bombing of Caracas and kidnapping of the country’s president and first lady, Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, he claimed ownership over Venezuela resources, stating that “America will not… allow a hostile regime to tak