Joanie had such a great time putting together her article “10 Personalities you will Meet While Traveling” that I just had to join in on the fun and do my own 10 personalities! And I know you’ve seen them; the haggling backpacker, the cantankerous ex-pat and the Bintang Brigade. If you have circled the globe for more than a few months these different personalities tend to pop out in your experience.
I feel traveling brings out your true personality. Being pushed into uncomfortable situations makes the true you shine through. Whether you’re a haggler intent on not being taken to the cleaners by a shrewd hawker or you want to pound a few more Singha’s at the local pub you probably fall into a distinct category of traveler.
No worries though; contrast makes the world go round. We all fall into one category or another, even if you don’t see yourself on this list.
Let’s dive in to the fascinating travel personalities you’ll see on the road.
Here Are 10 More Travel Personalities
1: The TechTonic Type
I often see couples sitting across from one another at:
- airports
- restaurants
- various tourist spots
typing away on their mobile devices. Conversations between the 2 are WhatsApp’ed, or Facebook’ed, or Tweet’ed. No human interaction occurs.
This traveling species is known as the TechTonic. The earth shifts and rotates around tech, for these globetrotters. You know you’ve spotted a TechTonic if their eyes are regularly glancing down at a roughly 30 degree angle at a tablet, iPhone, iPad, or at their mobile device of choice.
2: Bingtang Brigade
This species is endemic to Bali. Members of the family/personality Bintang can be spotted by their:
- Bingtang tank tops
- farmer’s tan
- beer predilection (think, “Bintang”)
- nightly habits (think, “Going out to drink Bintang”)
This species/personality is rare, around the world, save Bali. Don’t put them on the endangered list yet though; the Bintang Brigade is thriving in Bali, with plenty of Bintang as a viable prey source.
As you might imagine if you love to party – in Bali – the Bintang Brigade is the crowd to hang with.
3: Haggling Backpacker
I recall seeing an all too common scene in backpacker neighborhoods everywhere around the world; the Haggling Backpacker fighting over the price of a $1 USD sandwich. Nobody would give in on the last few cents. No bartering on the Baht. No reasoning on the Rupiah.
The Haggling Backpacker knows a bargain when they see it. You better believe it, because the HB’s of the world survive through each carefully measured transaction.
Hagglers have loads of entertaining travel stories to share. Get to know them. They’re good people.
4: The Digital Nomad
Digital Nomads can usually be spotted by the number and quality of selfies uploaded to their social media sites. Digital nomads are full time traveling, professional online entrepreneurs. This traveler hits the road indefinitely with a full time source of income at their disposal.
Digital nomads are huge on spreading the proof of their lifestyle; enter the avalanche of quality selfies.
5: The Cantankerous Ex-Pat
Every traveler who’s been on the road for more than 2 months has met a cantankerous ex-pat. You know the guy or gal who only sees what’s wrong with the world, including:
- annoying short-time tourists
- annoying, corrupt governments
- annoying drinking buddies
The crotchety ex-pat doesn’t make for a good conversation partner unless you’re big on complaining. Or unless you’re eager to learn about the wide range of experiences – mainly negative – one may encounter on the road.
6: The Struggling Pantomime
Some travelers believe that mixing charades with alcohol is the best way to speak English to a local person. Or at least it looks that way.
The Struggling Pantomime is a well-meaning traveler who slows down their English to a crawl, who enunciates every syllable, and who could receive an Oscar acting out each syllable of each word.
Note; this traveler may use a similar approach when communicating to native English speakers. Old habits die hard.
7: The No Shoes No Shirt No Service Crowd
Some laid back travelers feel that it’s okay to visit:
- banks
- grocery stores
- department stores
sans shoes or shirt. The No Shoes No Shirt No Service crowd benefits from the Face Saving concept practiced in Southeast Asian countries and other areas where people are rarely if ever embarrassed or challenged intentionally.
This personality is easy to spot: look for the topless guy indoors.
8: The Wake and Bake Crowd
This traveler hits the beach at 8 AM. No sun block. Just tanning lotion. Expect to see Wake and Bake’rs at the beach from sunset to sundown. Or perhaps they’ll take a break for lunch to let their tan seep in.
If you want to travel with a beach partner the Wake and Bake personality type is probably at the beach already.
9: The Quick Connector
After spending 30 minutes at the local airport a Quick Connector has already made friends with 5 people. Lodging is taken care of. Travel costs are covered. The QC knows where to get everything, from food to clothes, at the cheapest price.
Note; Quick Connectors are a subspecies of the Haggling Backpacker family.
10: The Lonely Planet Guide
Some travelers masquerade as guides. They know where to visit, when to visit, where to eat, how to travel and anything you need to know about any one country or region.
The Lonely Planet Guide may be either a well-meaning, positive maven or stubborn know it all. In either case it usually doesn’t hurt to listen to their experiences for your own due diligence.
Your Take
I wrote this post from a playful space. All in good fun!
Are you any one of these travel personality types?
Carey
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