But one Instagram influencer still wanted to capture passionate moments as she traversed across the world, so she began asking strangers to kiss her in front of iconic landmarks.
Kuqi told Insider that she first decided to kiss a stranger for a romantic photo moment back in 2016
The Kosovo native, who attended a university in Virginia, was studying abroad when she got the idea before a trip to Paris.
Kuqi first kissed a stranger for one of her travel photos in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Kristiana Kuqi
"I was going with a good friend and just decided before our flight that I was going to ask a stranger to kiss me," she said. "The inspiration was to capture the perfect moment and really to channel my inner confidence."
Kuqi and the stranger shared a passionate kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. She has since gone on to smooch a stranger at the Colosseum in Rome, as well as a fireman who responded to a blaze at a wedding she attended in Kentucky.
"They all responded so pleasantly, and were more than happy to do it," she said. "No one has said no."
Kuqi said the most nerve-racking part of the experience has always been the moment she has to ask for a kiss
"I definitely said from the beginning that it was just a kiss for a photo," she added. "They were all aware that it was for a picture — can't ignore my laughing friends holding the camera."
Kuqi also kissed a fireman who responded to a fire at a wedding she attended in Kentucky. Kristiana Kuqi
But once it came time for the kiss, Kuqi said it always felt "very natural."
"I always made sure to put on a good ChapStick, lipstick, or gloss beforehand," she said. "I think that made them notice my lips and definitely want a kiss. I've never had a bad kisser — each time it was natural and passionate."
While Kuqi has had some great kisses (she said the best kisser was the Argentinian man she locked lips with in Rome), she never went on a date or kept chatting with the strangers after their smooch.
"It was all about spontaneity, so keeping contact wasn't something we did," she said.
The kisses may not have led to a holiday fling, but Kuqi said they always gave her a "pure confidence and rush" that lasted throughout each trip Kuqi said kissing strangers while traveling gave her a rush of self-confidence. Kristiana Kuqi
"Every time I was taken aback and thought to myself, 'Wow, I really just went for it and did that,'" she added. "It feels good to do something so bold and out of the norm."
"I developed from those moments, and it really changed how I felt about myself and boosted my self-esteem. As a woman, asking men for a kiss with no intention of falling in love or keeping in contact is powerful in a way, and breaks the stereotype that women are hopeless romantics just looking for love. We want to just have momentary fun, too."
Kuqi recently shared her kissing photos on Twitter, where they received more than 500,000 likes at the time of writing
"I hope this guy I met at the Eiffel Tower and asked for a pic of us kissing so I could pretend I had a romantic time in Paris is doing good," she wrote in one caption.
"I hope this one from Rome is good too," she wrote in another, alongside a picture in front of the Colosseum.
The photos quickly went viral, with many users praising Kuqi for her confidence.
"You're actually a legend," one person wrote.
"The goal is not to travel the world with your man, but to have a man in every part of the world you travel to," another quipped.
A post shared by Kristiana Kuqi (@kristianakuqi) on Nov 6, 2019 at 4:47pm PSTNov 6, 2019 at 4:47pm PST
Some women shared that they had also kissed strangers at famous landmarks, including pictures of themselves smooching in front of places like the Trevi Fountain in Rome and the Empire State Building in New York City.
"I loved seeing that other women had done something like me, and honestly I wasn't surprised," Kuqi said. "We all have summer flings and lovers, most people just keep it hush-hush. In the last few days, women have been messaging me asking how I did it, and then doing it and sending me pictures!"
Kuqi said she plans on taking photos of herself kissing strangers for as long as she travels and is single.
But don't expect to see her do it everywhere she goes. "It really has to be the right moment," she said. "And the right person that I spot."
