Figuring Out What Kind of Traveler You Are

Dear Mila,

Because Dani and I have different opinions on how to travel, we are each going to go into what kind of travelers we are, but first we wanted to share why it is important to think about these things BEFORE you start traveling. Trust us, it will save you some headache later on if you figure this out now. Like with everything, if you Google “types of travelers”, there will be a lot of people who already have the answers…

Therefore, instead of trying to hash it all out here, I will share Google’s knowledge with you. Basically, there are people who put travelers into categories and quizzes you can take to figure out what kind of traveler you are (such as this one). However, I would be hesitant to start classifying yourself based on what other people say. Instead, I would suggest asking yourself these types of questions when trying to decide what kind of traveler you are:

 

1.) How do you prepare for a trip? Are you a planner or an improvisor? I am not going to say that one kind of trip is better than the other, but that there are people who have to have everything organized before they leave and other people that just sort of make it up as they go. If you try to fit into the category that is not you, you might find yourself stressing over things that ‘aren’t important’ for your travel personality.

 

2.) What kind of tourism do you like to do? Do you prefer to spend all day in a museum or leave the city center and go hiking? The type of activities that top your list (or would if you were a planner) will define how you choose your destinations and what sort of things you want to do while you are there.

 

3.) Where do you like to stay? Are you the kind of person who only stays in nice hotels or do you like to go camping? Would you be up for Couchsurfing or is Airbnb a better option? Again, we are not talking about right or wrong, but what fits your style. If you know what works for you, you will have more peace of mind which leads to a more enjoyable trip.

 

4.) What do you like to eat and drink? Are you a McDonald’s kind of person because it is cheap and familiar, or are you going to go for the weirdest thing on the menu? Do you go out for breakfast or do you carry granola bars from the supermarket? How you eat can also define how you travel (or not) depending on how important it is to you.

 

5.) What is your splurge? Is it the big adventures? The place you stay? The food and drink? Or maybe just the fact that you are on holiday is a splurge for you and you have to be thrifty in all other aspects of your trip? The important thing here is to know how much money you have and where you are willing to spend it.

 

Why is it important to know what kind of traveler you are? Well, first of all, when you are comparing your trips to your friends or colleagues, it is important to remember that we are not all the same. My way of traveling fits me but isn’t necessarily the right way to go about it for you. So use this baseline to remember what is important to you, trust me, it will be more fun for you if you do it your way.

The second reason we recommend figuring out what kind of traveler you are is to help you pick a travel buddy (or buddies). Now, I am not saying you have to travel the same in a group as you would do alone, but if you splurge on a 4* hotel and your best-bud prefers to go camping, maybe you are not the perfect fit. Can you try it? Of course! However, don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t work out exactly as planned. We are all different and it is important to be okay with this.

Sincerely,
Spain

 

P.S. Read about what types of travelers Dani and Claudia are!