The Types of People You Meet Travelling

Blog Post: The types of people you meet travelling

If you’re like me and caught the travel bug then you have for sure run into a good chunk of all different types of travellers on your adventures. In fact, I bet you’ve even run into them in just in your daily life at home. I spent 8 months travelling around Australia recently and at one hostel I was staying at we proceeded to play a game going around in a circle and naming all the different types of travellers that we have run into, seen, or were. We had about ten people playing and we thought of fourteen. We thought it was so funny we drew pictures and wrote down each type or traveller on a board and the hostel hung it up. It was comical and so very accurate. So if you plan to take a gap year, do an exchange, or just travel sometime soon, here are some people you should plan to meet:

1.Budget Traveller: Pretty self explanatory, loves to travel but has a strict budget. Will stay and eat the cheapest way possible, involves a lot of cheap ramen and goon (very cheap boxed wine). 

2. The traveller in the Camper Van: They have been sleeping way too long in their van so probably smell great! They are fun to make friends with because they can take you adventuring and exploring around the city you’re in and bring you back to the hostel. 

3. Tight Arse Traveller: Take a budget traveller and taking away half their money and dignity. According to the Urban Dictionary a tight arse is “Australian slang for someone who is so careful with money they are like raccoons with acorns.” They have often been to South East Asia and brag about the fact that they were living there for weeks on less then ten dollars a day. They often look a little malnourished but will always have a smile on there face.

4. Trust Fund Baby: Going in the opposite direction is the rich traveller. They have basically no obstacles and they’re really fun and always down to adventure, yet choose the more pricey activities and tours that budget travellers just cannot do. They also will probably have the most expensive phone plan, and will be snap-chatting and instagramming when you wish you could, but hey you BOTH get to see it first hand!

5. Gone Native Traveller: These travellers have been in one place or country for over a month. They know the slang, and don’t hesitate to use it. They think that they are superior to Sometimes they think they own the place and maintain an air of superiority over other travellers, wearing used/ worn out clothing mostly. 

6. Hypochondriac Traveller: Like the definition, this traveller is constantly worried about their health and the costs of dealing with it. Not too fun to hang out with if you’re a risk taker and like setting off into the unknown outback.

7. Scheduled Traveller: These travellers have had it all mapped out with from the beginning and they won’t stray from their schedule. Not very spontaneous, and when something goes wrong (and it will) they won’t be happy.

8. Party Animal: They love to party anytime, anywhere. They like to group together at the hostel and if there is a beach, they will be drinking at it early in the hot sun. They don’t usually take days or nights off and they usually end up travelling together.

9. Love Sick Traveller: You WILL meet this couple, and you will get sick of them. Whether you meet one or both, you will hear a lot of their relationship. They will travel and do everything together, if they happen to fight when you're there, don't take sides and stay out of it.

10. Photographer Traveller: Always has a camera in their hand. These people love to capture kodak moments, make sure you get their contact information because often these travellers take pictures just to take pictures, and they won’t end up in your hands if you don’t ask!

11. The Bob Marley: Usually Canadian, Swiss, or South African, and often have a beard or dreadlocks as their travelling souvenir  They love to get high where they can in hostels, playing guitar or listening to music constantly. The reason for their travels is different from everyone else as they claim that its a spiritual “of the earth” type reason, yet they in a way are just as corporate as the rest of us.

12. The Old Man: There is always one at every hostel and be nice to them! They usually will share with you the coolest stories and basically live at the hostel. They can take you on cool adventures and although kind of creepy…they know the ins and outs of where to go since they’ve been there for so long.

13. The Gap Yearers: Whether they’re going home to go to school, to a job, or just sadly going home after, these travellers will try to make the most of their time travelling and are very spontaneous. 

14. The Traveller who Shouldn't be Travelling: This person will constantly be alone and on there phone or laptop, skyping and talking to people at home. It will seem like they don’t want to be there but they are. It will take a lot to make them come out of their shell and they won’t appear very friendly.

Even though you often will loose touch with most of these people you will hang out with while you’re passing through, talk to people. Everyone has travel stories that you won’t get to anywhere else. You probably can fit yourself into one of these categories like I can, and that's all part of the journey. These different types of people is what creates the unique experience of travelling, even the people that seem a little off to you still will make you want to keep exploring and travelling, and hey a beer with a stranger never hurt anyone, enjoy! 

Remember, we are travellers not tourists!