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What’s your travel personality?

What’s your travel personality?

by | Sep 8, 2021 | 0 comments

Knowing your travel personality is essential in finding joy from your travel experiences. Your travel personality is determined by how you identify yourself as a traveler. Knowing whether your travel is motivated by a thirst for adventure, to experience different cultures, or soul searching is essential. The fundamental descriptions of travel personalities are adventurous, curious, and laid-back types. If you have a luxury travel personality and end up at budget accommodations, you will, of course, not find enjoyment in your trip. Therefore, matching your travel personality with your travel plans makes a tremendous difference in the joy of your travel.

Travel personalities can range from adventurous to laid back. Adventurous travelers are usually up for anything. They are bold and independent, but they are thrill-seekers at the end of the day, and their travel choices will reflect this. Adventurous travelers are full of ideas and like to try new things. They also tend to be spontaneous, so planned trips with scheduled itineraries are not ideal for this personality.

In the middle of the travel personality range is the curious traveler. These travelers will want to try every bucket list or unique travel experience. However, unlike the adventurous travel personality, they will be attracted to in-depth tours with experienced, historical guides. Their thirst for knowledge will also often find them spending lots of time at noteworthy sites and long days of travel.

At the far range of travel, personalities are the laid-back travelers. These travelers are usually happiest at a beach destination. They are also very close in personality to spa travelers. They are generally not fussy about the destination and prefer calm and relaxing activities like the beach or pool and spa packages. In addition, they are not too fond of organized travel.

There are plenty of travel personality types to choose from. The adventurous, curious, and laid-back travel personality types are but a few. Some travelers may also be a blend of personalities. Travelers may be experiencing something in their life that makes them prefer a particular type of travel that may not fit their true travel personality.

Knowing how you identify your travel personality will go a long way in helping you to choose not only where you’d like to go but what you’d like to get from your travel experience. A bit of soul searching will help you try to find what vacation best suits you. However, if you’re planning a trip with others, knowing about their travel personality may help you design a better trip to suit everyone.

Do you know your travel personality? Do you think it’s important to know? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

5 Covid friendly hotel stay tips.

5 Covid friendly hotel stay tips.

by | Dec 16, 2020 | 0 comments

Having flown as a career for over 20 years I have stayed in many hotel rooms and so the experience has taught me a lot about what to look out for in terms of cleanliness.

1. Check the hotel sheets. No one wants to sleep on possible dirty covid sheets. I can’t tell you how many different times I have gone into a hotel room just dying to shower and get into bed and found that the sheets have not been changed. If you do this when you first get into the hotel room, there is plenty of opportunity for the hotel to fix the issue before you are ready to go to bed.

2. Make sure the sheets are visibly dirty before you check out of the hotel and prevent any possible Covid spread. I think it’s just a matter of kindness to the next guest and just plain hygienic. Don’t feel bad as the hotel should automatically be doing this anyhow. I always wiped the bottom of my shoe across the sheets before I checked out.

3.Place a face towel or hand towel on the bathroom counter to place all your items on. Especially in this time of covid you do not want to transfer any germs to your face or hands. It’s also a visual reminder of anything placed on the counter and it helps in not forgetting items like jewelry in the bathroom.

4. Take an extra washcloth and wipe the toilet seats down. I think we all assume that the hotel room has been cleaned thoroughly but my experience has shown that the toilet seat is often overlooked.

5. Treat hotel room floors like airplane bathrooms and never assume it’s just water. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve passed through hotel corridors and seen the remains of a hotel room party gone wild. Let’s face it, the hotel does not have the manpower or capability to thoroughly clean hotel room floors, nor do they often have time between checkouts. Covid can be easily spread through bodily fluids.

I hope my tips have been helpful, check back in for more of my lived travel experience.

Assumptions, travel bias, and micro-aggression.

Assumptions, travel bias, and micro-aggression.

by | Dec 7, 2020 | 0 comments

I spent twenty-three years in the airline industry as a flight attendant. Many of those first years I was often the only person of color on the crew. Therefore, my experiences in being looked at differently have been more than eye-opening.

My career started in the late ’80s and people of color travelers were not as prevalent as they now are. As a flight attendant, I had the privilege of standby travel, which meant I flew somewhat free, but that meant I got any seat not taken by a paying passenger (more on another blog post). Often it was the dreaded middle seat, the least desired seat near the restroom, or even on a flight attendant jumpseat, which is often right next to the restroom. I traveled plenty but not often comfortably.

As I began to travel more for pleasure than work, I often chose to fly in premium cabins. I had often heard the refrain “you get there at the same time so why does it matter?” My choice had a lot to do with the fact that in a premium cabin I could expect the type of service I paid for, or in some cases demand it. I say demand because often while traveling as a person of color, there appear to be assumptions that people of color don’t deserve service, much less premium service.

There were many times when the announcement was made for premium cabin boarding, and I would be almost pushed out of the way or looked over by others who did not expect me to be in a premium cabin. Gate agents would often look at me and reiterate the boarding announcement as if I was hard of hearing. Flight attendants would demand to see my boarding card if I paused in the premium cabin to put my bags away. The many acts of travel bias and microaggression often left me with a less than pleasant travel experience.

Have you had similar experiences? If not a person of color, have you ever noticed it? I’d love to hear about your experiences and your thoughts.

Choosing the right travel partner brings treasured memories.

Choosing the right travel partner brings treasured memories.

by | Dec 4, 2020 | 0 comments

As I end this most recent trip without my travel partner of the past thirteen years, I reflect on my feelings about this travel experience. One of the most important aspects of having a wonderful travel experience is the consideration of your travel partners.

There are many different types of travelers. This includes budget travelers who want to make the most from their trip with the least expense. Another type is carefree travelers who often give no care or consideration to the footprint they leave behind, whether it be a trashed hotel room or negative impressions.

Needless to say, I fit none of those categories. After years of professional and personal travel, I try to leave behind a very minute footprint and I have no problem budgeting and paying for the type of accommodations and experiences I expect. That being said a hotel room with no bathrobe or slippers is subpar for me as my feet touching the floor gives an instant gag reflex (more on another blog post).

When considering travel companions, choose wisely! An incompatible travel partner can leave less than treasured memories. Those minute frustrations that arise can play havoc with the inner travel experience you will have. Often you will hold back on voicing your opinions to not create friction while traveling. Subconsciously, however, this takes away from the enjoyment of the travel experience. I would suggest you think long and hard about choosing the right travel partner.

Have you ever planned a wonderful trip then regretted it before it ended? Share your thoughts, I’d love to hear about them.

Massage, one of the best things for self care.

Massage, one of the best things for self care.

by | Nov 19, 2020 | 0 comments

They are plenty of different types of travelers. Backpackers, weekenders, thrill seekers, and holiday travelers are but a few.  I have traveled extensively for work and pleasure and I consider myself a spa traveler.  For me, travel is not just to have been to a destination or to check it off my bucket list, I travel for the experience of travel.  Most importantly, a spa visit to wherever I go is a must as I believe that self care is the best care.

With Covid 19, travel is limited, but it is limitless in my mind.  Inner travel often takes me back to many of my previous travel experiences as well as the ones I’d like to have.  Lately, getting at home massages has been a way for me to elevate my inner travel experience. I believe that a massage is one of the best things for self care, a way to treat yourself and take a break from life.  For an hour, I can do nothing but be still and have someone concentrate on me, the ultimate getaway.

What travel experiences do you think you can bring to your life without leaving the presence of your home?  Can you make a cocktail or cocktail and take an hour for yourself? Can you just sit still and watch the world go by on your street or neighborhood?  Just people watch like we do when we’re on vacation and curious about the people and places we see.  Try it and let me know how bringing the inner travel experience to life works for you.