Making sense of "being in the photo"

I am still trying to sell it to myself. Why is being there better than looking at a stunning photograph of it? I feel...sheer awe at the beauty of the place looking at the picture. I feel...like it os too beautiful to be real. I feel...good when i see it.
What about when i am there...i feel pretty much the same......i feel the physical aspect of it...the added experiences of other sense...i also feel any physical discomfort that comes along with it...the 'getting there' experience plus discomfort is also there. I think...being there is an "experience" while looking at it's picture is...a dream...a fantasy...no...but...it's not an experience for sure. So what is it...it is just looking. Looking and feeling good vs feeling and feeling good. If that makes any sense. The latter is a more magnified feeling good but it comes with it's price. It also comes with growth. What do you want?
Do you want to feel good...do you know how good you are capable of feeling? Do you want to settle for looking and feeling good? That is the question. Do you want to settle?