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What's Your Sign? The Traveler's Zodiac Chart | The Expeditioner Travel Site

What’s Your Sign? The Traveler’s Zodiac Chart

Sunday, August 9, 2009

What's Your Sign? The Traveler's Zodiac Chart

Which are you? The Tourist? The History Buff? The Free Spirit? Read on to find out what kind of traveler you are.

By Rachel Pollack

It was not until my parents came to visit me one year in Holland that I became aware of the various types of travelers that exist. Much like an astrological sign (if you believe in that kind of thing), every traveler has their own distinct traveling personality that represents which type of traveler they are, as well as helps predict whom they should travel with.

For example, my family members each represent three distinct types of traveler. My father was a map guy. He needed every minute of every day planned out. To be lost in a foreign country would be pure mayhem. He walked in quick, decisive strides and did not stop to admire scenery or to talk with the locals. My mother would have preferred a tour group where things were planned out in advance. If she was alone, she resorted to asking directions from every single person she encountered, oftentimes nodding her head while the person would spout off directions in their native tongue. Me, I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. My favorite thing to do while traveling is to get lost. I often stumble upon random, extraordinary places and meet all sorts of interesting people. I don’t understand maps and certainly would never ask directions.

That said, I give you the traveler’s zodiac chart.

The Tourist

If you are The Tourist, you will most likely be spotted snapping as many pictures as humanly possible. You are the sort of person who has an overwhelming need to go to every site listed in the guidebook, and you are likely to own a fanny pack. Days are highly regimented and any variance from the itinerary results in a great amount of anxiety.

Most Compatible with The History Buff

The Follower

If you are The Follower, you like the idea of traveling, but hate the risks associated with it. You would be more inclined to join a tour or a cruise. You also probably bought one of those passport protectors so that you can hide your passport in your shirt. You read up on all of the hygienic hazards associated with your country of choice. You also enjoy being chaperoned by other people so that you don’t have the added stress of planning activities. Nights are spent in large groups and interaction with the locals is minimal.

Most Compatible with The Control Freak

The Casual Planner

If you are The Casual Planner, you enjoy visiting tourist sites, but you don’t feel the need to see every one of them. You enjoy spontaneity, but also enjoy having direction and some sort of a schedule. If your group wants to see a museum, you’re all for it, but if the group wants to spit up in different directions, you’re game too. It’s quite common for you to meet someone while traveling and head off with them for the day.

Most Compatible with The Free Spirit or The Control Freak

zodiac2The History Buff

If you are The History Buff, you know the history of every city and every historical site. Seeing a famous painting is not just aesthetically pleasing for you. Seeing this painting transports you back 300 years where you can connect with the place and time of another era. You understand why and how cities rose to power and fell to despair. Your reading material for the trip is likely to be a 900-page biography or historical novel.

Most Compatible with The Tourist

The Control Freak

If you are The Control Freak, you enjoy dictating your traveling experiences and the experiences of your group. You enjoy planning and sticking with the plan. Cities are really just puzzles waiting to be figured out. You value your trip and you are not about to waste one second of it being silly or wandering aimlessly. Delays are unacceptable and those that do not abide by the schedule are likely to be abandoned.

Most Compatible with The Follower or The Casual Planner

The Free Spirit

If you are the free spirit, you basically show up and hope that things pan out. You would be the person who forgot to book a hotel before arriving. You would also be the sort of person to lose your wallet. That said, you always have the funniest story to tell about every place that you’ve been. You average at least one fling per trip and there’s always someone visiting you from out of town.

Most Compatible with The Casual Planner

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If traveling in a pair, figuring out which type of person would be the best traveling companion is essential. It’s like choosing your college roommate. You need to find a person whose traveling tendencies most sync up with your own. That way, you can maximize the cultural experience you are about to embark on while also not spending your days wishing you had come alone. A combination of the wrong traveling personalities could result in dire consequences. Choose wisely.

TheExpeditioner

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