If you travel or live in an area frequented by tourists, you might be familiar with some of the many stereotypes that exist about average adventure travellers. If you don’t want to feel like a average adventurer, you should make yourself aware of the more common travel-related stereotypes.
Whether you’re kayaking through a national park or backpacking across the country, there are lots of ways you can shatter the stereotype of the average adventurer in your travels.
By-the-Book Traveller
The by-the-book traveler likes to have everything completely planned out ahead of time. This traveler purchases multiple guidebooks for every destination along the way and practically memorizes every page. They can tell you exactly when an obscure monument was built and which local wine won the most awards.
While it’s good to be prepared for your journey, the best adventures come from a mixture of book learning and practical experience. Don’t become so engrossed in following along with your books you miss out on real opportunities to gain firsthand knowledge of your destination.
The Homebody
The homebody is the traveler who would rather be back home, surrounded by things that are familiar. This person spends their whole vacation trying to find places to eat the same fast food they get at home, scrolling through Facebook and constantly calling friends and family.
There’s nothing wrong with longing for the familiar, but you should do your best to move out of your comfort zone when traveling and experience the things that make your destination unique, like local cuisine and music.
If you just can’t stop yourself from using your iPhone to pull up your social media accounts while traveling, you want to be sure to access your accounts using a Virtual Private Network to protect your privacy. Using unsecured WiFi can make it easy for hackers to steal your information and take over your accounts, possibly leaving you stranded.
The Completely Unprepared Traveller
While part of the fun of traveling is living in the moment and focusing on the present, it is also important to be prepared when going on an adventure. The completely unprepared traveler is one who constantly flies by the seat of their pants and, more often than not, ends up wreaking havoc on the entire itinerary. Unprepared travelers can neglect to pack enough clothing for the trip, forget to alert their credit card company they’ll be traveling or not have the proper visa paperwork completed, leading to long delays for everyone.
Reviewing a brief list such as this one from Travelzoo takes only a few minutes and will help you prepare for your trip. It is possible to be well-prepared for your journey and still soak up the entire travel experience, helping you avoid being the average adventurer.
The Ceaseless Photographer
The ceaseless photographer is the one who refuses to put their camera or smartphone down and soak up the ambiance of the travel experience. Everything on the trip must be photographed, from the breakfast bar and the inside of the taxicab to tiny shampoo bottles inside the hotel room. This traveler takes hundreds of photos every day, most of which will have no special meaning when viewed later because they fear “missing” something on the trip.
We all want to document the special moments of our trips. Too often, though, we spend so much time trying to get the “perfect” photo we miss out on the moment we’re trying to capture. On your next trip, prioritize the types of photos you want to take, and make conscious decisions to only take photos during specific events or times. That way, you’ll preserve your memories and absorb the actual experiences.
If you’re concerned about forgetting some aspects of your trip, try keeping a journal instead. Your written thoughts about your travels will have much more meaning when you go back through them in the future.
The Selfish
The selfish traveler focuses exclusively on their comfort, often disregarding any consideration of others’ ideas or preferences. The selfish traveler thinks nothing of talking loudly while others are trying to enjoy a tour presentation, putting their bag on the seat next to them while others are forced to stand or leaving trash on the trail for others to pick up.
Practicing basic consideration of your surroundings and other people while you travel is one of the simplest ways you can create a pleasurable travel experience. Being considerate of others will give you the opportunity to meet more new people and experience many new things on your travels.
While there are many stereotypes related to travel, it’s easy to dispel them by being conscious of your surroundings and your fellow travellers. A little bit of planning and common courtesy goes a long way on any adventure.
Have you gotten out of any average adventurer or traveler stereotypes?
What do you think you could do to be a better traveler in the future?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Guest Bio: A frequent traveler and adventurer, Diamond loves new experiences and sights to see. Over years of travel she’s gathered a bit of wisdom on the subject which she now hopes to share with you. She wishes you the best in your travels. Her website is www.ehealthinformer.com