Which 1 of these 5 Travel Types are You?

You remember my article about group travel? (No? Check it out!) I outlined the do's and dont's of group travel, and the importance of making sure you have a similar (or at least bearable) travel style as those you're adventuring with! Also, it's just nice to know what kind of person you are when you travel. Check out the descriptions for each of these travel styles and self-actualize! Get to know yourself below...

1. Cameron the Cultural Connoisseur 

"That art museum looks cool! Let's go check it out!" Cultural connoisseurs love to learn, especially about the culture they're attempting to immerse themselves in. Always down to wander into the closest temples, synagogues, or mosques, these individuals might be interested in history. A lot of foodies tend to be cultural connoisseurs as they leave behind their home environment in a desire to become a part of the culture they visit-and a part of joining any culture means diving into all sorts of food, music, and dress. Rest assured that this individual will be checking you on your shit throughout your travels, ensuring you're using the right language, terms, and customs of the country. As the culturally sensitive one of the group, they will constantly check themselves and those around them to refrain from cultural appropriation. This person is usually very knowledgeable, might listen to Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu, or Kendrick Lamar and consider themselves "woke". 

Note: This person is not a culture vulture nor do they participate in cultural appropriation

2. Aisha the Adventurer

"It's Victoria Falls, we have to bungee jump!" Sound familiar? Your crazy friend who wants to jump out of airplanes, off of cliffs and bridges might be the adventurer of the group. This individual is always searching for an adrenaline rush. Something dangerous to get their blood going (and yours) always seems like the perfect idea. Their idea of a good time involves running with bulls, cliff diving, bungee jumping, sky diving....take your pick. These individuals laugh in the face of danger, and are naturally curious beings. They want to test limits and see how far they can go before something bad truly happens. "What are the chances of that?" might be a common saying among adventurers. This person loves to live life on the edge (literally and figuratively) and tends to have high energy. Adventurers tend to make friends easily and are likable in nature. They might describe themselves as "carefree" and their curious nature will probably get you in some sort of trouble (or fun) by the end of the trip.

 

3. Pam the Partier

"Ok, I just need a drink first." The partier is always down for a...you guessed it, party. They are looking for the closest bar to shake their tail feather at. They might be looking for love in all the wrong places, and usually find happiness at the bottom of a bottle of Jack or a glass of Rum and Coke. Since they are usually partying all night, they tend to sleep the days away. Don't ask this friend about daytime activities, they are not here for it. Find them a concert, a club, a bar and watch them come to life. Partiers know all the best music, know how to make the best drinks, and find the coolest spots to hang at nighttime. They are usually very well connected and come across a promoter, a club owner or a party friend wherever they are. Even in foreign countries, they are able to get you into VIP without much hassle (or money), find the hottest parties, and help you back it up against that cute guy or gal in the corner. They are essential, but steer clear of their drunken tirades and afternoon hangovers-not their best moments. 

4. Liam the Lounger

"Imma just chill." Loungers want to chill all day. The best part of their day is laying in bed, reading a book, taking a nice leisurely swim or something of the sorts. This traveler just wants to relax, their experience is one large vacation. This individual might like to blow down some green, wants peace and serenity at all times, and is easily uncomfortable when it comes to confrontation or imbalance. Possibly in tune with their chakras, possibly a lazy slob, loungers don't want to do much when travelling. They are quite fine sipping a pina colada on a beach, getting a massage, or getting into their newest novel from the point of arrival until departure. Don't talk too much to the lounger, they might want to hear about your adventure, but definitely not your drama. They came to relax, and anything disrupting that quiet time is not welcome into their sphere. Loungers might love long walks on the beach, romance, and flower petal filled hot-tubs......low-key they might be on a baecation. Let them live their best life. 

5. Collabo Chloe

"I want it ALL." Collabos are the most well-rounded of the travel types. They may be down to hit the club tonight, but wake up early to catch a museum opening before going to cliff-dive. Collabos are not just one type, but they embody two or more of the travel styles listed above. Collabos probably know themselves well and can gauge what they need at what time. When they're feeling drained, they might decide to get the massage, sip the pina colada, and read the Nicholas Sparks book. Collabos might want to go to a party right after coming back from the X-sports park, they are not limited. These individuals might be the most self actualized as they know that they need to tap into more than one aspect of themselves to get the most out of their travel experience. 

Note: Most of you are going to want to say that you're collabos, but not all of you are...so go ahead and be real with yourself...and me.

Are you really Collabo Chloe? If so, what are you a collabo of? If not, what's your travel style? Let me know if the comments below!

Happy Wandering....

Group Travel: Are You Sure You're About that Life?

What could be better than sipping piña coladas in Puerto Rico, skiing in the Alps, or scuba-diving in Thailand? Going with your friends! Imagine living your dreams and having your crew there to experience it with you. Those are real #friendgoals #crewgoals #travelgoals. Group travel sounds like a blast! Especially with everyone posting pictures with their friends, the age of social media has not only popularized travel, but popularized group travel. When we consider going on extended trips with our friends we seem to focus on all the potential fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm a truly positive person, and so I ascribe to this tendency. Before embarking on my first #grouptravel, I daydreamed of laughing on beaches, taking pictures underwater and enjoying the company of those closest to me.

While this left me counting down the days, I wish I would have taken some time to consider some of the implications of this trip.  I wasn't too worried, I mean friends always make everything better...right? What could possibly go wrong? Haha...Where do I begin?

 Let's start by mentioning that the people you choose to travel with can either make or break your trip, so make sure you're confident in your choices. Whitney the whiner, yeahhhhh....you might want to leave her ass at home. Negative Natalie might also want to sit this one out along with inconsiderate Isabel. The point is to create the vibe that you want. If you want laughs and flexibility don't bring the anal Amy of your crew. If you want structure and planning then tell whimsical Wade he can come through next time. Create the space that you wish to live in.

Moving forward, you're going to have to prepare to ask yourself some questions. These are all questions I wish that I would have considered before agreeing to go on my group travel experience. Hopefully they get you thinking about the implications of galavanting with your gals and guys. 

How many people are in your group?

When you're thinking of how many people you want to be with you at your destination, how many do you picture? Two, four, seven, or even seventeen? The choice is yours, but if I were you, I would stick with the magic number. What is this magic number? It's 4! I believe to get the most of your trip you should invite three people, and when you include yourself, you have four, the magic number. 

Why Four?

1. Taxis and Ubers
   There are many countries that charge you extra, even in vans, for more than four passengers which is an inconvenience and annoying as hell. I'm all about saving that paper. Get hip or get lost. Also, four people fit together perfectly in a taxi in just about any country. Four is the perfect number. 
    
2. Restaurants
   When you're hungry and roll into a restaurant with a crew of hungry hippos, the last thing you want to be doing is waiting. People get agitated, HANGRY (a deadly combination of hungry and angry which I've been diagnosed with numerous times), and are not usually in a good mood when they are required to wait around for a table. And guess what you'll be doing if your group is over four people? Waiting. Sure, not always, but the 'hole in the wall' magical realms are usually small and can only accommodate but so many. For the best chance of immediate seating, zero hangry fits, and 'hole in the wall' acceptance, go ahead and choose that magic number: Four. 
    
3. Drama
   Four people gives little room for drama, although depending on your friend group, it is always possible. The more people involved in the trip, the more cliques tend to pop up. She doesn't like her, and he doesn't like them and their energy doesn't flow, and vibes are off. Do yourself a favor and stick to the magic number. With a smaller group, it is easier to reconcile arguments and come to conclusions. Also, with a group of four, you can tailor the type of energy and vibe you want for your trip.
    
4. Hostel/Hotel Rooms
   Most hostels and hotels have rooms that accommodate either two or four people. If it accommodates four, you can all share the room and split the costs. If the hostel/hotel accommodates two, you can split up and still end up splitting the costs. This buddy system has never let me down and ensures everyone is safe at the end of the night. Issues begin to arise if you have an odd number of people or too many people. You may not be able to find a place to stay if it wasn't pre-planned, and who wants to be constrained by a schedule? Keep your life simple and find you a nice group of four to split costs with and stay safe with!

Are you ready to be frustrated?

No matter how many people you bring or leave at home, get ready to be frustrated. I don't say this to dissuade you from traveling with others, I say this to be frank. There will be a discussion about everything, which sounds great, because "communication is key"...NOT. Before every meal there will be a "so, where should we eat" conversation. Three meals a day = three times this question will be asked. Multiply that by the number of days you're vacationing and that equals too many damn times.

"Where should we go?" is another common one. If not everyone in the group has the same travel style, then some could leave without getting what they wanted out of the trip. There are party-goers and culturalists and adventure-junkies and historians and those who want to eat crickets and others who want to stay in the hotel/hostel by the pool. Make sure that the group you're traveling with has a good mix of people who are interested in multiple things so that everyone can at least do some of the things they anticipated doing. 

Are you ready to compromise?

What it comes down to is that you are not going to be able to do everything you wanted to do on your trip. You can plan from today until tomorrow through next week and you will still not be prepared for all the curveballs that group travel throws you. If you travel with someone with the same travel style as you that might make things a little easier, but it is also great to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. 

You may be outnumbered by your group in terms of food choices, parties to attend, or landmarks to see. Learn patience, something that I mention many times throughout this blog. You will have to compromise, there is no getting around it. Compromise is hard for a lot of us (myself included), but remember that you're the one who wanted your friends around. Whatever happened to #friendgoals...not feeling it so much anymore?

WANDERLUST TIPS ON GROUP TRAVEL

• PATIENCE, it's a reoccurring theme.
• Go with the flow, don't let things get to you.
• Leave the group if you're not feeling it, no one is forcing you to hang with these people.
• If there is something you really want to do, but you're outnumbered, do it by yourself. 
• Learn to breathe.
• Don't take anything they say drunk seriously. Let that shit roll off your shoulders.
• Remember that you love these people (most of the time).
• Drink lots of tea, it sort of fixes everything.

So, while you want to post all of the #friendgoals #grouptravel #meandmyfriendstravelandyoudont pictures available, you might want to consider the consequences of a group trip. Your friends are amazing people, and you love them dearly, so of course you want to see the world with them. Just know that it's not all shits and giggles. For all you "I'm not with the shits" individuals...get ready for the shits, because it's a lot of shit. Enjoy!

Have you ever traveled in a group? What was your experience like? Where did you go? Let me know in the comments below!

 

HAPPY WANDERING...