Making up your mind

Holiday behaviour: Apprehensive individuals tend to seek destinations, cultural activities and food types that remind them of home, or past travel experiences. Although they prefer not to travel alone, they can find resorts or holiday experiences with high levels of socialising and activities overwhelming.

Relaxed people are just the opposite. They are okay with trips involving unknowns, and deal with new challenges one at a time and take them in their stride.

Personality Trait #3: Open v Closed

Open people are characterised by vivid fantasy, attraction to art and beauty, depth of feelings, intellectual curiosity and flexible value systems. Very open people seek heaps of different types of experiences that are emotional, sensual, aesthetic or social.

Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty and are resistant to new or unfamiliar experiences – similar to apprehensive individuals.

Holiday behaviour: Open people will rarely go back to the same destination unless they have fallen in love with the place and wish to explore it further. They seek urban hubs that offer lots of variety, such as London, Paris, New York or Sydney – not smaller cities like Darwin, Cleveland or Birmingham.

Closed people visit places they have fond memories of such as their hometowns. They will often go back to the same holiday destination time and time again.

Personality Trait #4: Conservative v Eccentric

Conservative types are cooperative, altruistic and easily fit in with others. They gravitate towards what is traditional or the norm.

Eccentrics like to be different to others, staying clear of what they consider to be fads. They are often uninterested in others, let alone others’ opinions.

Holiday behaviour: Conservative types will often do what is socially accepted and rewarded – taking holidays that others will be impressed by within their immediate social circles. Hence they love telling others where they have been and showing them their latest holiday photos.

Eccentrics take holidays that might not win them much social approval, such as bird-watching in Siberia!

Personality Trait #5: Conscientious v Non-conscientious

People with a conscientious personality trait enjoy control, planning and order. They are always prepared and pay attention to detail, doing their best to control what’s going on around them.

Non-conscientious people tend to be less disciplined and are inclined to be a lot more self-indulgent and impulsive. They often appear disorganised.

Holiday behaviour: Conscientious people like to plan well in advance – way before a holiday even begins. They tend to have strict time and money budgets and will spend a lot of time researching on the internet, reading travel books and questioning their travel agents.

Non-conscientious people are spontaneous, acting on their desires without planning or notice and will go along with the flow with whatever might come along in their travels.