If you’re considering an extended multi-destination or around-the-world journey chances are you’ve got a pretty advanced sense of adventure and a strong personality to boot. The first part of deciding where you want to go on your trip is to determine your traveling “personality”, that is, how you identify yourself as a traveler, your overriding pastime, your modus operandi even.
We’ve pinpointed a series of traveling personalities to help establish an identity that will create an overarching theme for your trip, a way to help divide up the world into those places you should see and those that aren’t as worthy of your time. Of course these personalities are a rough guide and may even change as your view of the world changes.
ADVENTUROUS – Do you want to bungee jump in New Zealand? Run with the bulls in Pamplona? Dance until 6 in the morning at an underground club in Berlin? 
Go heliskiing from the top of a mountain in Banff? Boat down the Amazon? Guess what, your probably an adventure traveler.
National Geographic recently published a list of the top adventure tour operators worldwide that may be worth a look. Of course, you don’t need to be a part of a tour to have an adventure (the most exciting adventures are often completely unplanned), but if you’re not sure what adventure travel means or if you just want an idea of what kind of companies do operate tours, that’s a great place to start.
Recommended destinations: New Zealand, Brazil rainforest, Bolivia, Nepal/Tibet, Tanzania, India.
ROMANTIC – Are you yearning for a perfect sunset on a secluded beach in the Seychelles? Gondola rides in Venice? Planning a honeymoon for the storybooks? We can help put you in some of the most romantic spots on earth. Travel can be an amazing way to connect with your partner, or even meet someone new! Here’s Travel and Leisure’s list of the 50 most romantic places to help you get a sense of what’s out there. Extended trips can be a great time for you to romance yourself—the notion of taking off to far-flung places is a romantic idea in and of itself, so grab a bottle of wine and check out the sunset from the caldera in Santorini.
Recommended spots: Santorini, Venice, Paris, Goa, Bali, Phuket, Fiji, Tahiti.
INTELLECTUAL – Do you love broadening your internal travelers encyclopedia? Can’t get enough art, culture and history? Does a day filled with museums, archeological sites, groundbreaking architecture and traditional experiences sound better than any day at the beach? If this is your style, the world awaits. We can help you design your trip around cultural events, art, architecture… anything you’re into. There are destinations all over the world that will cater to the student inside you.
Recommended regions: Europe, India, Japan, Machu Picchu, Istanbul, Cairo.
FIRST TIME TRAVELER – Will this be your first time traveling internationally? A little nervous about flying overseas? 
Concerned that you don’t know what you don’t know? If this describes you, there are places much less of an exotic jump to ease you into the world at large. We can help set your mind at ease with our personal experience as well as plan the perfect itinerary with expert recommendations. Remember, planning your trip should be fun—let us help!
Recommended stops: London, Paris, Rome, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand.
DANGER JUNKIE - Do you enjoy living on the edge? Need to go explore some off the beaten path destinations? Would your ideal trip include Ghana, possible brushes with the FARC in Colombia, or meeting some Maoist rebels in Nepal? Is Robert Pelton your personal idol? Then you’re a risk taker and you’ll feel better finding destinations that give you the thrills you desire. We often find ourselves saying to travelers, “as long as there is an airport, we can get you there.” Of course, we caution our travelers to read US State department warnings, as well as the warnings posted by other nations (as sometimes it’s good to get more than one version of risk – many warnings are colored by political agendas). That being said, if you’re a risk-taker looking to do some thrill seeking, we can help make it happen!
Recommended stops: Tibet, Colombia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea.
ALL OR NONE OF THE ABOVE - Many people want to include elements of every different type of travel in their around the world experience, and we certainly encourage you to do so. The best way to prepare for an extended journey is to be completely honest with yourself about what you want to accomplish and how you want to experience the world. The truth is that most travelers have some elements of all of the things we mentioned above in their ideal travel experience. It’s important to think about this aspect of your trip, not just what cities you want to visit or on what airlines you’ll be flying.
Need more help? Here’s another great article on the subject by Vagabondish.
Now that you’ve decided on your traveling personality, the next step is to settle on your traveling style.
