Yo. Im 16, and I have a camera. Hope to be a storyteller one day as well.

I too have also found the travel videos to be a bit excessive in the community. Some are low effort, others are gorgeous. Either way, they're super repetitive. But thats not bad news, IMO. If theres a large group of people doing the same thing over and over again, that means it'll be easier for you to stand out. People will find your work refreshing in contrast to others. If you've recognized this problem in the community, you can put that to your advantage and not fall guilty to it.

Not to mention, a lot of these videos aren't really meant to be short films, and I've found that theres a general understanding in the community in regards to that. These travel videos are really just fun to make to remember a moment, or just exercise cinematic skills, etc. I still see teens making short films all the time, you just don't see them as much because youtube's algorithm favors the travel videos.

Also, I think you're overthinking this. The travel video style has taken over social media, but its nowhere near taking over all of narrative filmmaking.

But just a tip - I find it easier to cut the BS, and focus on my own work. I use social media sparsely, especially in regards to art. It gets very easy to get caught up in what gets the most likes, whats super popular etc - this is so I keep my own originality. Same thing goes for for photography. Theres a lot of mediocre artwork out there, you just gotta not fall for the trap, I guess.

Hope this helps, writing this late at night so I apologize for any clarity issues :)