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.
I think there is a number six traveller for your article: the Crisis Traveller. This traveller falls somewhere in between the graduate and the mature traveller with the approximate age range being mid twenties to mid thirties. This particular person has had a difficult, most probably, life changing event thrust upon them and they feel in much need of some time away to ‘find themselves’ , readjust and figure out just where their new life is taking them. The Crisis Traveller’s decision to embark on what most people think of as a gap year is usually due to a separation/divorce, redundancy or a firing from their job or even more devistatingly there has been a death in the family or friends circle.
How do I know? I am the thirtysomething who has been trying to change careers and who has been trying to struggle through a separation and divorce. And I am not the only one out there floating around this playground we call a planet.
Good decision to travel? The best ever.
These are just different stages in ones life that one chooses to travel.
There are so many different peopel that you meet when you go away. It seems
To me that the fact that they want to see the world and they are prepaired to
Get on with it filters out most of the idiots you normaly meet when you are at home.
So I would add a 7th thoese who go away to remind themselves that real people do exist but only when
You meet them knowing you may never see them again.