By Rebekah Funk
One of the most fun – and sometimes most painful – parts about travelling with friends is discovering their personal travel personality. New, crazy and sometimes uncomfortable experiences show us our true colours and help us grow. We make memories, learn to laugh at ourselves…and probably also take sneaky photos of the (quite frankly) ridiculous people we meet on the road. So what’s your travel personality?
Most travellers like to take photos to remember their trip, but this personality takes it to the next level. We’re talking six outfit changes, a special trip hashtag, end-of-day video debriefs and the selfie stick to end all selfie sticks.
If you’re travelling with this person, you’ll likely have a love-hate relationship. On one hand, you’ll profit mightily from all the effort they put into carefully curating a portfolio of amazing shots. On the other hand, you’ll take forever to get anywhere and sometimes, your travels might not feel as spontaneous as you’d hoped.
Recommended trip: Thailand – there's never been a better time to sail from party island to party island. Instragram your way from Koh Samui, to Koh Tao, to Koh Pha Ngan. Contiki is offering up to 15% off its 9-day Thai Hopper East trip, taking you to unbeatable beaches, waterfalls and coral reefs by day (think turtles and whale sharks!), and some of Southeast Asia’s best nightlife come sundown.
Your travel motto is #NoRegrets… even if you may currently feel a hint of regret about the beverage bucket you downed at the infamous Full Moon Party on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan island. You’re up for whatever, whenever, wherever – meaning you’ll always have an army of travel buddies and wild stories to tell the grandkids. This “carpe diem” attitude spills over into all aspects of your life – you work hard and play hard; you’re always looking for adventure and are willing to try something new.
A Party Animal travel personality is not for the faint of heart – it takes serious stamina. You’ll rarely see a sunrise (unless you never went to bed in the first place) and you’ll spend more on food than most (given all the calories you’ve burnt dancing). But as long as you enjoy yourself safely, you’ll make some pretty unforgettable memories.
Recommended trip: You’ll want your party animal with you when you hit the Reading Festival, one of the biggest, oldest and best festivals on the UK circuit. Take a four-day trip, festival-ing like a VIP, with a little Oxford – Bath – Bristol aperitif.
The more obscure the destination, the better – even if it means visiting a country with little to no tourism infrastructure. You love a challenge and aren’t scared of the unknown. You travel in pursuit of hobbies all-but-forgotten in the mainstream; using public transport; learning the language and staying with locals along the way. You’re the favourite guest at dinner parties back home because you’ve got all the best stories – few photos, though – so no one really knows if they’re true.
These travellers are legends in the rare event you cross their paths. If so, pat yourself on the back, as you’re likely on the path to discovering some hidden gems of your own. But be warned: travelling with an Offbeat Adventurer is exhausting. They’ll be blazing their own trail (probably with a legit machete) and sometimes you’re just going to want to sit in your hostel and watch Netflix.
Recommended trip: Bhutan (but now that we’ve written this here it’s already become too mainstream, so find yourself a new destination). So how about four days exploring Iceland, nature’s icy paradise?
There’s nothing more exciting than booking a trip and feeling that your life is about to change for the better. You’re the type of person who sees opportunity and potential in everyone you meet. You tear up at the end of sappy romantic comedies and dream of what it will be like to see the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower for the first time. You like to make conversation with strangers and wake up every morning with a smile on your face.
This travel personality is mostly harmless – they’re up for fun and spontaneous adventures (when not on the arm of a lover), and memories of the trip will take a long time to fade.
Recommended trip: Europe is the ideal setting for romance: experience the magic of Paris, Venice, the Rhein and Amsterdam with Contiki. Who knows… this might be the trip you fall in love – with the baked goods and chocolate, if not in human form!
These are the people who bring you casseroles for dinner for a week because you mentioned your childhood pet just died. In travel, this golden-heartedness manifests itself into an intense longing for meaningful experiences – combatting deforestation in the Amazon, teaching English in Moldova, or cleaning litter from a tropical beach in Zanzibar. You value relationships over relaxation and want tourism to be a force for increased human rights and environmental stewardship, rather than thoughtless consumerism.
Despite your best of intentions, do your research before embarking on an “internship” or “voluntourism” trip. Find out where your money goes, how the organisation you’ll be serving at works with the local community, and whether or not your departure will harm emotionally vulnerable groups such as children.
Recommended trip: Your hometown (first). The most legitimate voluntourists start in their own communities and continue to do good long after a trip abroad.
If you’ve eaten your way through the renowned restaurants at home, it’s time to hit the road. You live for nuanced spices and seasonings, carefully plated culinary masterpieces and the every elusive quest to find “the best”. Your personality is adventurous; you aren’t afraid to rub shoulders with the elite in a Michelin-star restaurant or queue alongside the working class for local street eats. You appreciate that some of the finest things in life take time – to marinate, to grow or to discover.
Travelling with a Gourmet Hunter can prove expensive – they’ll always be lured from the main attractions by a new smell. Yet, this type of travel can also prove the most fun and meaningful, since you’ll spend a ton of time-sharing food, wine and good conversation with new friends at the dinner table.
Recommended trip: There’s a reason India’s butter chicken, masala chai, alu gobi, tandoori, naan and chutneys are beloved the world over – travel to the source and experience this fiery, flavourful cuisine in one of the most colourful atmosphere’s on earth.
One of the most insatiable travel personalities belongs to the Adrenaline Junkie – this person is the first into the water, off a cliff or down the hill. If this is you, then travel is all about topping your last adventure; bigger, better, and more brazen. You run with bulls, dive with sharks, jump from bridges and planes. But you’re also a bit of a lone wolf, since most won’t have the stomach to do what you do. Nevertheless, you keep going because you like to keep active and value your health (though your mother might argue you don’t value your life). And there’s no better feeling than your heart pumping frantically inside your chest.
Travelling with an Adrenaline Junkie, meanwhile, is no easy feat, since you’ll have to constantly push yourself out of your comfort to avoid looking lame. On the bright side, you’ll experience things you never thought possible and push yourself to achieve more than you might on your own.
Recommended trip: New Zealand. Snow capped peaks, skydiving, epic hikes – and two islands split into the subtropical north and alpine south… New Zealand is a natural wonderland begging to be explored. And the adrenaline activities in Queenstown, specifically, will take your breath away.
Contiki has a travel style to match every personality. Ask your Sure Travel agent to match you with the perfect trip, or call 0861 47 48 49.
