1) The School/College Leaver

Fresh out of school or college, you are wanting a break from life in academia and what better way to do this than experience new places and new people? Before committing to three years at university or the start of a career, it is completely understandable why some people want to take some time out to enjoy life and really question what it is they want to do with it.

2) The Graduate

In my opinion, there are two kinds of ‘post-graduate travel’. Firstly, and very similarly to the school or college leaver, some people who perhaps didn’t have the chance to travel before hand (or did but caught the highly contageous travel bug!) are now realising that this is possibly the last chance they will have to explore the world before settling down into a career. After years of academic reading and essay writing, it is no wonder that so many graduates up and leave to find out what else is out there for them. The second kind of graduate traveller is one that is perhaps struggling to find a job in the industry they want. After so long being rejected, self esteem can plummet, and graduates are forced to take on jobs that they may not enjoy. Planning and saving up for an escapade can seem like the light at the end of the tunnel in this situation and ensures all the hard work put into a not so enjoyable job will be worth it in the end.

3) The ‘Grab-What-You-Can’ Traveller

Many different kinds of people fit into this category, myself included. The grab-what-you-can traveller plans trips here and there that, to some hardcore travellers, may not seem like ‘proper’ travelling. It may be during summer holidays at university or time off at work, but either way, this kind of traveller is always looking forward to their next destination, regardless of how long it will be for.

4) Travel as a Career

This particular group is quite elite and considered by many people as very lucky. Travellers whose career is, in fact, to travel – be it blogging, reviewing or something else, are among only a few. (Some of us can only strive for this, me included!)

5) Career Break/Mature Traveller

The children have just left home and you finally have the opportunity to scratch that ever persistant travel itch. Similarly, people who fancy a change of career, or even just some extended time out from a life-long career fit into this category. In the current economic climate, this category appears to be expanding. Redundancy is rife, and like the graduate traveller, countless rejections from other jobs can wear away at self esteem and question what people really want from life. This is the perfect opportunity to take that redundancy pay cheque, or splurge a bit of your hard earned savings on exploring the world and discovering new ways to get back on track, or even just take some time out from the grind of daily working life.