Choosing a holiday

Have you ever returned from a holiday feeling underwhelmed, or needing another trip away to recover?

A city break that’s a bit too hectic or a holiday that’s too tranquil may be the result of not having chosen the right holiday for your personality type, travel booking site Expedia says.

The key to selecting the perfect getaway lies in knowing both your and your travel companion’s personality types, Expedia Australia’s Marketing Manager Louise Crompton says.

Researching likely holiday scenarios and considering these alongside practical elements such as time available, distance and budget, can help.

“Choosing the right holiday is more than just picking a place or experience that sounds fun or interesting,” she said.

“Travellers should carefully reflect on what makes them and their travel companions tick, and then research travel destination options and consult independent traveller reviews.“

Dr Marylouise Caldwell, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Sydney, says that a model called the Five Factor, which includes five broad domains of personality that have been found to include roughly all known personality traits, could aid traveller in picking the perfect holiday.

The five personality traits include extrovert or introvert, apprehensive or relaxed, open or closed, conservative or eccentric, conscientious or non-conscientious.

So which ones relate to you?

Personality Trait #1: Extrovert v Introvert

Extroverts are characterised by sociability, assertiveness, activity, talkativeness and the need for excitement and stimulation.

Conversely, introverts are typically more reserved, and prefer to be alone or in small groups. They like to lead life at a more even pace.

Holiday behaviour: Extroverts seek holiday experiences that provide high levels of stimulation, novelty, risk taking and social interaction. They tend to prefer big cities, restaurants and crowded bars rather than art galleries and temples or churches. They don’t like to rise too early – they are likely to stay out to the wee hours because they are night owls.

Introverts are the opposite: they like activities that promote introspection, deep thinking and experiences that have an intellectual or mystical bent, like art-house film festivals or meditating at Buddhist retreats.

Personality Trait #2: Apprehensive v Relaxed

Apprehensive people tend to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, disappointment, embarrassment, anger, guilt and disgust, while relaxed individuals tend to have an absence of these feelings.

Relaxed people are not easily flustered, shocked or irritated and they tend to be even tempered.

Watch out for the 2016 special offers.