Here's how Uber, Airbnb and Instagram are contributing to 'overtourism'

Advocates of curbing tourism say too many visitors are altering the character of historic cities, and making travel terrible, too

Over the summer, my wife and I travelled with our two young kids on a two-week vacation through Europe.

It wasn't as highfalutin as it sounds. In London, our Airbnb had ample skylights — which rendered the place all but uninhabitable during Europe’s heat wave. In Paris, our charming home-share had a cavernous hole in the ceiling of the entryway, revealing load-bearing beams that appeared to have been rotting since Napoleon’s reign. And in Amsterdam, our Airbnb advertised a kids’ bedroom stocked with toys — but failed to mention the mosquitoes and mice.

I’m not complaining. If travel mishaps are