Travel-Wise is centered around finding travel that meets your personal needs in seeking a trip. We call this a “Travel” Persona that reflects your mindset on what you hope and expect from your next adventure. These personas may change for any individual or group depending on their needs. Find your Travel Persona below from our list of five travel personas! Also, feel free to check out our quiz for help identifying your Travel Persona here.
Come back anytime to refer to our handy guide and take our quiz at any time. You should expect your travel persona to change from trip to trip or overtime. Sometimes, depending on who you travel with. It is forever changing and may even be hard to pin down to a persona! But, thinking about it and poking through what you want from your next trip will help you center any itineraries, places to visit, and whom to take with you on your next trip!
Let’s dive in and explore the five travel persona we identify with and generally see most travelers fitting into. Most travelers will associate with one or more of these and would experience some disappointment or disinterest in a trip should their travel persona not be met.
1. The Adventurer Travel Persona
A thrill-seeker and always down for something new, the adventurer turns every vacation into an exciting experience. Adventurers yearn for the thrill of experiencing the rare sights that are harder to explore and get the heart beating. Unfortunately, adrenaline rushes come with the territory as the adventures are often not as structured nor safe as other travelers may prefer. The Adventurer Travel Persona is also the best one to know create a travel journal to keep track of all your exciting adventures.
Whether it is:
- hiking along the side of a volcano
- swimming with the sharks
- riding a motorbike in the crowded streets of southeast Asia
- braving the world’s jungles at a chance to see the rare and more challenging sights to see
The motto is: “If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
2. The Relaxer Travel Persona
To a relaxer, an actual vacation is painless and easygoing. With life back at home already so hectic and stressful, relaxers intentionally book holidays that free them from the hassle of making too many decisions. So long as they pamper themselves with the luxuries of adequate sleep, delicious food, spa treatments, etc., the destination is less important than the relaxation they seek.
I also lump in the general casual traveler who wants to do minimum planning for a trip, arrive, and figure things out on the go to align with the relaxer persona. These folk will show up with no plans backpacking or hitchhiking anywhere locals tell them they are worth seeing. Also, in today’s day and age, the digital nomad travels worldwide seeking new places to work from. Again, a comfortable environment with strong internet is desired with the possibility of experiencing the local environment on the weekends.
Relaxers prefer:
- resorts with a lovely sunny waterside view free of distractions
- trips with minimal planning and effort but also minimal moving around
- focus on spas, rehabilitation, detoxification, and purifying of the mind and body
- long-term stays that prioritize comfort and the ability to work remotely
- low-stress activities
The motto is: “True freedom is to wake up every day without a plan and go with the flow.”
3. The Culturalist Travel Persona
The world is filled with many mysteries, and what greater joy than spending one’s free time exploring the stories of what came before? Culturists want to understand the history, and the modern-day culture, see the intricacies of the building architecture and are fascinated with being fully absorbed. A culturalist will also go the extra mile if needed to be fully explored, including some level of adventure to unravel the mysteries and answer the questions they seek.
Culturalists love:
- studying the remnants of a civilization’s past
- absorbing the local architecture such as cathedrals, tombs, tribal statues, etc
- visiting local museums and places of shared historical knowledge
- finding the novelty and historical meaning behind current world values
- answering deep burning questions that have by looking to ancient or modern-day cultural experiences
The motto is: “History is always filled with the interesting lessons of the past.”
4. The Groupie Travel Persona
In every household, one person is always the most on top of organizing events. Thanks to the groupie’s hard work, group outings/family vacations are made possible through tireless coordination of logistics and finances. Groupies tend to travel for the love of sharing experiences with others. Whether social media influencers share their expertise with the world or someone traveling with the sheer wants to spend time with friends and family on their adventure, these travelers always have someone nearby or at least top of mind. Groupies have sharing and friendship at the top of their list for their travel schedule.
If it would save them the headache of planning, a groupie might prefer:
- package deals with little self-planning
- safaris, cruises, and tours
- extensive group tours with transportation
- group trip with all-inclusive arrangements such as cruise ships and resorts
The motto is: “There is no me in the trip, but there is no trip without me.”
5. The Foodie Travel Persona
For some, the love of food trumps all. A passionate foodie will have all their food stops planned out on a trip before moving on to the other logistics. While other activities are in scope for a foodie, food remains the top priority and foremost criterion for determining the trip’s success. At the heart of eating food also comes sharing that dining or wining experience with others.
Top activities a foodie may book would include:
- food or wine tasting tours
- cooking classes
- reservations at Michelin star restaurants
- locally recommended restaurants are not always visible on TripAdvisor or other review websites
- visits to the street markets/food stalls
The motto is: “Food is the anchor in the tempest of life.”
Now that you know your Travel Persona, explore itineraries and find a trip that matches your persona. You can also join our Community and find out other travelers with your same Travel Persona!