In my several years of global travel I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to see, learn, and understand different types of travelers by their characteristics and patterns of behavior. In this post are my general explanations or assessments regarding different types of travelers I’ve come across during my domestic and international travels over the past few decades. These general classifications are high-level and encompass many types of traveler interests and sub-classifications. Therefore, these general classifications are not an exhaustive list of different types of travelers.
Just to be clear, my interactions and observations are by no means an effort or attempt to put anyone in a box by labels. It must be understood that there is no ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL traveler. What you’re about to lay eyes on are simply my observations which have assisted me in knowing and being able to interact with characteristics often aligned with different types of travelers in addition to discovering, identifying, and recognizing the traveler characteristics I possess, and the intersection that allows me to interact and engage with other travelers, expats, global citizens, and locals.
Let me begin with Backpackers / Nomads.
1. Backpackers / Budget Traveler / Nomads
a. Backpackers are often self-motivated to travel and typically don’t need a lot of motivation or inspiration to travel. However, they enjoy motivating and inspiring others through their travel experiences.
b. Backpackers tend to travel very light and on a low or very low budget. These travelers do their homework to navigate their path of where that would like to travel on the lowest budget possible. Although I’m not a backpacker per say, I admire the backpackers that I’ve met and their zeal for exploring and finding the hidden gems of life which are simple things that often don’t cost an exorbitant amount of money. Backpackers / Nomads like others, see the value in landscapes, natural beauty, cultures, lifestyles, various cuisines, and many other opportunities that often don’t have a high cost. These are the experiences that bring high value to the backpacker / nomad, the relationships they build along the way and those whom they share their stories and journey with.
c. Backpackers / Nomads plan but do not over plan. You’ve heard me state my opinion on this before regarding travel, which I stand by and find value concerning how to not over plan. Backpackers often ensure that they can get to their destination but are often willing to sacrifice modern day conveniences and luxury that often costs money that they would rather use for other parts of their travel experiences.
d. Backpackers often budget well and know that budgeting is a critical component to their travel experience and are realistic about what they can and cannot do with the money they have budgeted.
e. Backpackers are often good with building genuine and authentic relationships with local people and tend to not be so engrained in the luxury travel and travelers, although they will communicate, and share experiences with anyone who travels or desires to travel and experience the backpacker’s lifestyle.
f. Backpackers are often typically young but that’s not always the case. There are middle-aged and older backpackers that find the same value in backpack traveling which often keeps them young at heart. These backpackers are typically a different breed from a societal perspective and are often very inclusive and genuine but often more to themselves. I honestly love engaging with backpackers of all ages because of their genuine, authentic characteristics that allow them to want to get the most out of what life has to offer that often isn’t tied to money and wealth.
g. Backpackers / Nomads generally seem to recognize their privilege to be able to travel and use it for good. Many backpackers will assist other people, volunteer in local communities, stay with locals and trade work for a place to stay and a meal while building great relationships. It’s a win-win situation.
h. Backpackers / Nomads often like the off-the-beaten path to experience the hidden gems of the world from a nature perspective as well as the hidden gems of the people. These treasures often afford them luxuries that are priceless, which are the experiences they share with people, communities and building genuine and authentic relationships that often have nothing to do with money. This doesn’t mean that backpackers don’t enjoy the cities as they often explore cities too, but I find that their natural desires are typically away from the crowds and overpopulated cities.
i. Backpackers / Nomads are “ready to go” wherever their desires lead them. They are explorers, navigators, adventurers and ready to see the world. They are non-traditional / unconventional travelers that often set them apart from other travelers. In other words, they are typically non-conformist and think and do things “outside-of-the-box”.
j. Backpackers are generally less touristy than other types of travelers.
2. The Casual Traveler
a. I find the Casual Traveler to be those that are typically the average consumer, leisure travelers and sometimes business travelers. They are more of the general population and conform to the standards and traditional blueprint of retail travel.
b. My experience has shown me the Casual Traveler often takes more of the traditional approach to traveling by generally following the blueprint given to the masses of retail travel, resorts, spending and not necessarily seeking the best value to travel although they are often budget travelers. By stating this I’m saying that the best value is not always what is viewed as budget travel.
c. The Casual Traveler often settles for what is given as the scheme for retail travel which often leads them to spending more money and getting less value of the spend but still affords them the opportunity to travel.
d. The Casual Traveler often looks to travel to have a good time, however they define “a good time”. These travelers are often travelers that just want to be away from work and are seeking to relax, have fun, sightseeing from a tourist perspective and pretty much stay on the beaten path. I generally find they are good with staying on the beaten path of resorts, city life, city tours, hustle and bustle, public beaches and maybe some adventure here and there.
e. The Casual Traveler is seeking how they can fit travel into their paid-time-off (PTO). This is because they are typically vacation / holiday travelers. Their limitations to finding the best deals and being flexible in their travel are often minimized by their work schedule and when they can take their PTO.
f. The business traveler who was able to accumulate points from business travel will utilize the points for vacation travel but often doesn’t maximize the points to value, often due to the lack of flexibility. Again, this is from my assessment, interactions and conversations but is not always the case. Therefore, don’t beat me up on this.
g. The Casual Traveler often does not receive maximal reward points from airlines and hotels often spends top dollar and receives the lowest value of their spend. They often spend more money and end up in economy seating and lower end accommodations to ensure that they can take the trip because they feel a need to get away from the everyday conventional and traditional ways of living and working. Much of this is due to being overworked, stressed and not spending enough time on the vacation and travel experience because they often want the quickest solution to get them on their way to their vacation destination. Many casual travelers are now learning more ways to change this pattern to broaden their overall travel, vacation / holiday experiences.
h. Casual Travelers are often touristy and engage in most of the tourist attractions, accommodations, restaurants etcetera and often do not do a lot of off-the-beaten-path activities, interactions, engagements with locals and the local cultural and community. However, there are exceptions, as in all other cases.
i. The Casual Traveler can be a Solo Traveler, a Couple or a Family but typically has some if not all the other characteristics mentioned.
3. Luxury Traveler
a. The Luxury Traveler is often a traveler of ambiance, appearances, and enjoying the pleasures of luxurious environments. They enjoy 5-star accommodations and restaurants, first-class and business-class flights, exclusive airport lounges and want to experience luxury.
b. Many Luxury Travelers often come from the Business Traveler pool, but of course it is definitely not always the case. I mentioned earlier that some Business Travelers are often the Casual Traveler due to certain constraints dictated by their corporate, government or small / medium business jobs, while others may still fall in that category, but they have a different standard and expectation for their time away from the office or work. The Luxury Traveler who is in the corporate setting often tends to be those from a Manager or Director level position and higher. These corporate leaders typically have big picture ideation and are accustomed to strategizing and achieving excellence through vision, objectives, and outcomes. This often seems to be the case even in their travel and other aspects of life. So, it’s not surprising that these leaders often seek high standards, excellence, and top-tier service when it comes to traveling. This is not to say that others don’t possess these characteristics, as many do.
c. I’ve seen many Luxury Travelers seek environments where there are only or mostly with other Luxury Travelers. Which of course is not uncommon. They often stay in top-tier accommodations in more secluded all-inclusive luxury environments or even off-the-beaten-path luxury environments.
d. Luxury Travelers seem to find and travel with other luxury travelers and will stay at resorts, bungalows, cottages, and penthouses with these travelers and or groups. When they are in environments with other types of travelers, they often stand out because of their high standards, expectations, and requirements for their travel experience.
e. New-wave Luxury Travelers include Digital Moguls, high-income Serial Entrepreneurs and middle-class income citizens using strategies to obtain a higher-class lifestyle. The latter are those who are obtaining the necessary knowledge and information and applying specific fundamental strategies (travel hacks, points, loyalty programs and other methods) to obtain first and business-class domestic and international flights for a low cost or free and applying strategies to do the same for accommodations. This allows those of lower income as well as higher income to wisely utilize strategies to travel with top-notch service and accommodations.
4. Adventure and Special Interest Travelers – The Adventure and Special Interest Travelers that I’ve come across enjoy as much adventure as possible. Adventure and Special Interest Travelers are spread across various adventure and special interest groups (too many to list here). While there are various types of adventure, it is noteworthy to mention that as a Special Interest category, it also includes those that enjoy volunteering for social impact (youth and community development), change agents for our natural environment and more. These are travelers that often utilize time afforded to them to gladly travel and serve using their passion, desires, and interests to make a positive change for our global society and the planet.
a. The Adventure Traveler often seeks like-minded individuals and groups that have their special interests and passion. They will travel in groups to feel a sense of belonging to something greater than just themselves.
b. Adventure Travelers spend most if not all their time in their travels fulfilling their passion in their adventurous or special interest lifestyle.
c. Adventure and Special Interest Travelers will forego luxury, tours, and on-the-beaten-path activities if it doesn’t relate to their special interest. They will participate in these things, when necessary, but their first instinct is to pursue their adventure and special interests.
d. Adventure and Special Interest Travelers are often people we can marvel at for their tenacity, dedication and commitment to their special interest, craft and what they are able to achieve as they take pride in their special interests.
5. The Retired Traveler - I often find it enjoyable speaking to retired travelers and hearing stories of their travels, living abroad and the life that came before it. The conversations often lend way to knowledge sharing, intimate conversations expressing the intricacies of one’s life and all that led them to where they are now in their personal and travel journey.
While there are many retired or semi-retired travelers who are still very active, from my perspective, they typically do not have the same level of getting “TURNED-UP”, or getting “LIT” as those in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. As an OG (older generation) world traveler and expat, I speak from experience. While we OG’s had our day and got just as “TURNED-UP” and “LIT” as the NG (newer generation) are doing now, the clear difference is the NG just wasn’t around to see it, and social media wasn’t a thing to illustrate how “LIT” and “TURNED-UP” we were. It's probably good that social media wasn’t around then as many may not want to really share how “LIT” and “TURNED UP” they really were at that time.
In my humble opinion, I often see retired travelers living their best life according to their life journey. In doing so, I typically see the following in many (not all) retired travelers:
a. Typically using the traditional and conventional methods of traveling which often costs them more money but they are comfortable with the traditional ways of booking and traveling.
b. Retired Travelers often tend to address the travel that they placed on their bucket list while they worked their full 30+ year career. This typically places them in an age range of 50-75 years of age and beyond.
c. Meticulously planning their destination travel and sometime overplanning which often doesn’t give room to doing other things or not doing anything at all.
d. Many retired travelers that I more often encounter are couples and are rarely solo retired travelers. This is most likely for safety reasons and having or not having the right person(s) to travel.
e. Many retired travelers don’t take advantage of various opportunities that are non-traditional and unconventional travel methods to obtain highly discounted and sometime free travel. Much of this is due to the knowledge and capabilities that have mostly been utilized in the last fifteen or so years, and even during this time wasn’t widespread or spoken of to the greater population.
f. Many retired travelers are big foodie enthusiasts and love seeing, tasting and experiencing ethnic cuisines and also learning the backdrop stories of the making of these cuisines.
g. Many retired travelers enjoy cruising as a means of travel versus destination travel by air. This is often because the ship and its activities are primarily the enjoyment and everything, they need to fulfill their requirements are onboard the ship. What’s not onboard the ship, they often try to take in at the destination ports.
Many retired or semi-retired travelers seek places where they can travel for different reasons than other groups of travelers. For example, many (not all) retired travelers often enjoy tours, history, architecture, peaceful beaches, resorts and walking around quaint towns and enjoying the local shops, people, culture, and lifestyle. Of course, they aren’t alone as we find that people of other groups also do some of these things, but often not as the primary focus of their travels until they reach semi-retirement and retirement stages of their lives.
Of course, as I’ve stated earlier, there really is no “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” when it comes to travelers as I find myself in many or often all categories. While everyone is not like me, hopefully this post helps people self-reflect and see (understand) more about themselves regarding their mindset, traveling and living abroad. There’s so much good in the various types of travelers and not one of them is any better than the other. It’s all about our personal preferences and where we are in our life journey and travel journey.
6. Solo Traveler – Solo Travelers enjoy traveling and are not dependent on others to travel, live and experience a life of travel, adventure, culture, relaxation and more. The Solo Traveler in my humble opinion tends to have a more non-conformist mindset. Am I saying that because I’ve often been a solo traveler? Yes and No. I’m not saying it because I’m often a solo traveler. I’m stating it because of others who are often solo travelers and I recognize and identify the similarities. Here are some other characteristics that I’ve found often in solo travelers that I’ve come across in my travels around the world.
a. Many Solo Travelers are often backpackers, and of course others are not. So again, it isn’t about putting anyone in one category or group.
b. Solo Travelers like backpackers can converse with all kinds of travelers but seem to have more of an affinity to common people more so than those seeking notoriety, celebrity status etc.
c. Solo travelers seem to often seek others they can connect with well. When seeing couples, groups travel together they often have a focus on one another and not engaging themselves with others as much.
d. Solo Travelers I’ve been in contact with seem to believe in traveling throughout their life and not waiting to travel in “retirement”.
e. Solo Travelers are often recognized by others because they aren’t part of a couple or group. People seem to connect with Solo Travelers if they exude a spirit of conversation, interaction, engagement, and shared experiences.
f. Solo travelers tend to know that their travel happiness is predicated on the things they do and the time, conversations, adventures they have with others whether others are solo, coupled, or in a group.
g. Solo Travelers seem to plan but not over plan, like the backpackers showing more of the similarities between the two characteristics.
h. Solo Travelers come in the form of the Backpack Budget Traveler or the Luxury Traveler depending upon how they feel and what they want to experience for the specific type of travel experience.
7. Expats and Living Abroad – Expats have been moving to other countries while working or retired for many years. However, the expat population has been changing considerably since the COVID pandemic. For this reason, I see two different categories for expats in my interactions, which are prior to 2021 and 2021 and beyond.
a. Expats prior to 2021 seem to encompass more travelers who are a bit more seasoned in international or global travel. These expats have already been laying the groundwork for becoming an expat from the international travels over the years whether they realized it or not. I find these expats to have some or even extensive experience with domestic and global travel prior to expatriating to another country for a lengthy period.
b. Seasoned expats often but not always know that living in another country is not the same as traveling to a country for a vacation / holiday. They are often seeking to make a move for it to be home for a while or permanently and seek the requirements needed for a home lifestyle rather than a travel lifestyle. This is not to say that they don’t or won’t travel when they are expatriates, but they tend to place emphasis on enjoying where they plan to live as a base and travel from there.
c. Expats prior to 2021 appear to be long-term expats with a mindset that was not developed during the COVID pandemic. The decision and intentional move to become an expat appears to be solely predicated on their authentic desires to live abroad due to their own life-path and journey that was already established and innate in them for their next chapter.
d. In my opinion, expats tend to make their expat life one that has a mix or feel of home and vacation or holiday. While enjoying the base of being at home, expats appear to enjoy home just as much as being on vacation or holiday. Of course, this sometimes has an adverse effect if or when the novelty wears off.
e. Expats from 2021 forward – This is a new generation of expats in my humble opinion. It’s not a good or bad thing by any means, just an observation. During this time, many were given a revelation to become expats during or after the worst part of the COVID pandemic. Many (not all) of these expats have never traveled extensively outside of their native country and often relied on other’s experiences and information posted on social media.
f. Many of these expats from 2021 forward haven’t traveled outside of their country, much or some at all. Many have obtained their passport during or after the pandemic and began seeking places to live abroad.
g. I’ve seen where many of the expats from 2021 and beyond are the expats that are often returning to their native country, city, and lifestyle because it wasn’t what they anticipated or planned for. Much of this is due to what may have looked good from social media and other media platforms, but the reality often wasn’t presented or understood, and the unseasoned traveler many which are not culturally, logically, and socially astute makes uninformed decisions and often without proper planning and counsel, causing them to unexpectedly return to their native country and region.
h. The numbers for expats moving abroad since 2021 is astounding and appears to be increasing daily as many make their physical and geographical mass exodus.
8. Global Citizens – While many tend to think that global citizens and expats are the same, they are not. Global Citizens are typically those that carry the mindset and understanding of living in a borderless world and not just one location. Global Citizens have more of a humanity perspective and often desire to see, experience, live and appreciate the differences in geographic locations, cultures, and lifestyles across the globe. Global Citizens typically believe that they are a member or citizen of the world and not a single nation. While they typically do not denounce their national citizenship, they (we) believe that our national citizenship is secondary over our global citizenship.
From my experience, most Global Citizens that I encounter are very open-minded and it’s evident in their outcomes including their traveling, living and global relationships. My observations regarding Global Citizens include but aren’t limited to:
a. Global Citizens find creative ways to travel and live across the globe. Generally speaking, most appear to be open-minded as they see that there’s much more to the world than living in a bordered mindset that impacts the outcomes.
b. Generally easy-going and likes to experience and learn different cultures, lifestyles and can appreciate the uniqueness of cultures and lifestyles that make the world a great place to live in and experience.
c. Global Citizens are generally generous with their time, skills, knowledge and sharing of life experiences including travel and living abroad.
d. Global Citizens generally know how to pack and move around the world without overpacking or taking too much. Some are minimalist in some regard.
e. Global Citizens typically have a sense of adventure in comparison to most local centralized citizens.
f. Enjoy giving back to society for local and global impact and absolutely enjoy meeting and having conversation with other global citizens.
g. ….and so much more.
As you should be able to see, there is NO ONE-SIZE FITS ALL for travelers. Please don’t ever feel like you must fit into one of these categories or classifications, as you do not. Honestly, I possess traits and characteristics from each of these categories at different times throughout my travel journey and I still own different components of these travel characteristics throughout my travel experiences depending on how I want to travel, live and work and the experience I’m seeking at that time.
This post although categorized is not conveyed to divide or segregate travelers or people by any means. It speaks to awareness of differences and where we can connect with similarities and finding ways to connect with differences.
As always, TROT THIS BEAUTIFUL GLOBE!!!
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