Gather your closest friends, your nearest and dearest travel buddies, to decide which of these typical group travel personas best suits you.
Naturally, we all think we’re the consummate travel companion. Impeccably mannered, improbably good company, idiosyncrasies carefully hidden. Look, no webbed feet; you can’t even see our scales…
But have you really considered who you are in a small-group travel setting? Look a little closer and you might just see your inner Monica coming out with all her attendant head-girl energy or find that self-professed introvert you claim to be not-so-subtly shedding their shy side during a sultry salsa class. Time to decide on the travel persona that best suits you and your crew.
Who me? A classic Type-A maniac, of course; guilty as charged…
The Monica one with a million questions
You were head girl in school, goes without saying. So now, as a fully grown adult human in this small-group setting, you are thriving. Curiosity is your middle name – and the quickest way to scratch that itch is by asking questions (and lots of them). You’re always first to sit at the front of the truck, shoulder-to-shoulder with your leader, mining them for insider info via investigative-journalist-worthy exchanges, as the rest of your group gets bumped to the back along Nepal’s zigzagging mountain roads. You should win a Pulitzer for this. Move aside, Bob Woodward. You practically emerged from the womb with your hand raised and ready to rumble. You’re not about to stymie that inquisitive side now.
The aspiring khaki-clad Attenborough
Your core childhood memories don’t involve your parents’ faces, but the sight of a youthful (actually quite handsome) 70s-era Attenborough playfully tussling with mountain gorillas in Rwanda. You think of the iconic naturalist as a benign grandfather of sorts (though obviously he hasn’t a clue who you are) and, accordingly, your binoculars, long lenses and booklet of native birds are basically glued to your hands at all times. Wildlife trips are how you get your kicks, from glimpsing blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos (blushing) to spying some of the 100 species of endemic lemurs on Madagascar. They’re the world’s oldest living primate, don’t you know? Cue dulcet Sir David voiceover. So calming. So pure.
Read more: Fresh adventures for wildlife-lovers
The peppy one who’s always up early
You’re never happier than when waking up at 5 am for a safari in the Serengeti. Those lions? Pff, they’ve got nothing on you. Waking up at 6 am to see sunrise at the Taj Mahal? A small price to pay for seeing the world’s greatest architectural love letter, obviously. You’re the type of traveller who’s hardwired for crack-of-dawn yoga sessions with local spiritual gurus in Bali. Naturally, by the afternoon each day, you are flagging and doing that fun catching-flies-while-sleeping expression on the bus. Mind the drool, people. Evening drinks? No, thank you. You need your beauty sleep if you’re going to beat those morning crowds.
The ants-in-your-pants adventurer
Sunloungers? The devil. Pass the holy water, please. After all, your natural way to relax is by smashing that smartwatch BPM. What other people might consider a full-blown coronary event is basically your resting pace. No time to waste then, you’re already gussied-up in Gore-Tex, ready to begin your day. Multi-active adventures are your mindfulness. Think hiking, biking and rafting through Costa Rica, or feeling the wind fly in your face while cycling along New Zealand’s switchback Otago Trail. Mere thought of the Polar regions – and the chance to break out your thermals (yippee) – puts a spring in your step. Onwards, to the next adventure…
Read more: Active escapes to jump-start your adventures
The super-fun one who likes to P-A-R-T-Y
Ouf, mornings. No. Thank. You. You’re here for a good time, not a long time, so your circadian rhythm is essentially set to the soundtrack of the world’s festival circuit. You want to shake your tush at Rio carnival, giving those Brazilians a run for their money, and get decked out for Day of the Dead to make the Mexican’s genuflect at your ghoulishness. Your India trip is perfectly timed to take part in Holi and Mongolia’s circus-like Naadam Festival is – finally! – the excuse you’ve been looking for to flex those wrestling, archery and horse-racing skills. You’re basically a born Mongol warrior, with a love for long, late nights spent drinking fermented mare’s milk. Consider your boots filled.
The Type-A maniac who likes to be in control
You’re a seasoned soloist, who’s fiercely independent and has every single aspect of their home lives locked down. High-flying job, keenly curated apartment, rigorous exercise schedule (including regular Iron Mans, naturally). Normally you travel completely solo, no compromises, no worries. But, annoyingly, sometimes forced to relinquish control (it hurts!) – because frankly the remote Bolivian Altiplano is actually quite hard to get to and no fun by yourself. Letting go isn’t in your DNA. But weirdly, after a few days of intense shoulder clenching, you discover it’s actually quite nice – liberating even – to hand someone else the reins. On holiday, at least. *Exhales deep sigh of relief*.
The supposed introvert with a secret side
At home, you don’t like to draw attention to yourself. Reading a book in solitude, quietly contemplating life, avoiding excessive stimulation, nothing to see here… But on holiday, you surprise yourself. Yep, ‘Holiday Introvert’ has a freak flag too – and you’re not afraid to fly it. Suddenly, buoyed by the group setting, salsa sessions with snakey-hipped instructors in Colombia seem like a cinch. And you discover you’re an absolute karaoke kingpin as soon as someone puts a mic in your hand in Japan. Sssh, don’t tell the extroverts, but you’re onto them.
Picked your travel persona? Put it to the test on a small-group tour with Intrepid.
