A travel influencer has gone viral after sharing what she described as the “dark side” of solo traveling as a content creator.
The TikToker, who posts under the name @showerbeerr, Nicola Sura, recalled a conversation with two men she met while staying at a hostel abroad.
According to her, the discussion left her questioning how people from different cultures view content creation and influencer work.
Highlights
- A travel influencer went viral after posting about the "dark side" of solo traveling.
- The conflict arose when she shared her plan to buy Pokémon cards for children in lower-income communities with some locals.
- After the video was shared on Reddit, users heavily criticized TikToker.
But after the video resurfaced on Reddit and went viral, many viewers focused on the influencer’s reaction to them.
“So she’s upset he told her the truth? Real charity and help are carried out without jamming a camera in someone’s face,” one person wrote.
The influencer said a conversation about Pokémon cards turned into a debate about her job
Image credits: showerbeerr
The video was originally posted on TikTok on April 25, 2026, before later being shared on Reddit’s r/TikTokCringe community.
In the clip, Sura explained that she was solo backpacking through Hanoi, Vietnam, when she met two men staying at the same hostel. She did not reveal which country she was visiting.
According to the TikToker, the men were initially curious about her work and told her they had never met an influencer before.
She said they complimented her content and later invited her to join them for dinner and drinks. As the evening continued, the conversation reportedly became more candid.
Image credits: showerbeerr
The turning point came when she mentioned wanting to buy Pokémon cards and hand them out to children in lower-income communities.
The men then questioned whether content creators genuinely help people or whether they sometimes turn real-life experiences into content for views and engagement.
When Sura asked whether that was truly how they viewed her profession, she said they were direct with their response.
“They're like, yeah. You're exploiting people. You're selling them a lie,” the TikToker recalled.
She further alleged that the conversation ultimately led her to realize that the men did not regard influencer work as a legitimate career.
Reflecting on the encounter, she described it as one of the more difficult parts of traveling.
“This really exposed the darker side of traveling to new places and meeting people from different cultures,” she said.
“If you're open and you put your judgment aside, it can be so expansive. But if not, it can sow a lot of doubt.”
Sura's story quickly spread online, as many viewers disagreed with her takeaway
Image credits: Caleb Oquendo/pexels
After the video was reposted on Reddit, it attracted more than 12k upvotes and thousands of comments.
Many users felt that Sura had misunderstood the criticism she received.
“Lmao, they call her out for being a useless influencer, and she starts blaming men for judging her, starts blaming other cultures and the ‘dark side’ of traveling. Just accept that your job is useless and move on,” one commenter wrote.
“Trying to make it about men is hilarious,” another added.
Others argued that the issue was not her desire to help children, but the possibility of turning those interactions into content.
“She didn't even realize that she could still buy the Pokémon cards and hand them out without filming it; she's completely lost in the sauce,” one person wrote.
“If she actually felt something for the kids, she would have still gotten them the gifts, but just not recorded the interaction,” another commented.
Several users felt her description of the situation was exaggerated.
“And is this really the dark part of traveling? A little job disrespect? I think not,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “The dark side of solo travel is people exploiting your isolation and taking advantage of you... not criticism.”
Many people questioned whether giving Pokémon cards to poor children made sense in the first place
Image credits: showerbeerr
One part of the story that generated particular attention was Sura's plan to distribute Pokémon cards.
A number of commenters struggled to understand why trading cards would be helpful for children living in lower-income areas.
“And what the f*** are poor kids going to do with Pokémon cards? Eat them?” one person wrote.
“Ma'am, do you have some food I can eat? Eat these Pokémon cards, poor child,” another joked.
Others believed the idea reflected a broader issue with social media content creation.
“It's not exploitative, I'm just bribing poor kids to provide me with content I can monetize for personal gain,” one commenter wrote sarcastically.
However, not everyone agreed with the criticism directed at the TikToker
Image credits: showerbeerr
Although much of the discussion was negative, some people defended Sura and felt the men had unfairly judged her profession.
One Reddit user pointed out that she never explicitly said she planned to record herself handing out the cards.
“She never said she was going to film herself giving them out to kids,” the commenter wrote.
“It’s rude to judge someone for their work without really knowing what it is,” another person commented.
Still, those views were largely overshadowed by criticism from people who believed the influencer had missed the point of the conversation.
Image credits: showerbeerr
“She’s mad she’s being called out and then made a video about being called out. Pretty weird s***,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “It’s not a job. She seems out of touch in every way and comes across as self-centered.”
“She COMES FROM A PLACE where CONTENT CREATOR is a NORMAL JOB???? What is this place? Mom's house?” another user joked.
"No lessons were learned," wrote one netizen
