Americans fit into 5 different travel personas

Do you know what kind of traveler you are? Chances are, you fit into just one of five major travel personas, according to a new study.

The new poll of 2,000 U.S. travelers identified most people assume a travel persona when taking trips, all based on what they like to do on vacation.

Commissioned by Go City and conducted by Talker Research, the study revealed travelers embody one of five major personality types when abroad: 37% are "masterminds," 26% are "thrillseekers," 6% are "vacay scouts," 16% are "connoisseurs," and 14% are "floaters."

Masterminds are, as the name suggests, most likely to find pleasure in planning travel: they're most attracted to booking travel and hotels (35%), as well as getting tickets for sporting events (14%).

Thrillseekers want adventure — exploring local environments (33%), city tours (24%), museums (23%), amusement parks (18%) and historic buildings (14%).

Similarly, vacay scouts are always prepared for what the day brings: whether it's to relax by the pool or beach (36%), go to concerts (14%), find public parks (13%) or find pop culture hotspots (8%).

Floaters simply want to be there for the ride, without the pressure of planning anything. They want to see landmarks (27%) and meet locals (13%).

And connoisseurs take charge of all things food — 64% of them want control over finding great food over anything else.

Despite these differences on what each persona loves the most about traveling, all agreed that on the first day of vacation, the best thing to do is to start exploring the location (38%), check availability for nearby attractions (23%), look for places to eat (22%) or simply take a nap (9%).

"These five categories of travelers help establish that many of us look forward to different things when we travel," said Judy Gauthier, chief commercial officer at Go City. "Some prioritize relaxation, while others want to see it all. The end goal, however, is universal: we all want to enjoy our trips. We may take different approaches to preparing or prioritize different activities, but all with the same intended goal to try something new and have fun."

The study found all personas agreed on a number of other travel topics, as well. For instance, the main activity that appeals to people the most when traveling is finding great food (48%) — more than locally exploring (27%) and historic museums (17%) combined.

And the adventure that overwhelmingly appealed to three in four was exploring cities, opposed to hiking, shopping or thrills.

Sixty-nine percent of people said they’ve planned entire trips centered around one specific experience, like going to a concert or seeing a famous building.

If they were having fun on their trip, three in four agreed they'd happily extend their trip by a day; on average spending $1,156 for the extra 24 hours. Still, more than a third (37%) said they’d like to keep costs below $499.

A majority of people agreed it's important that every single trip stays under budget (80%) and that every single trip detail is planned out (55%). To stay within budget, people would give up buying souvenirs (46%), hotel room upgrades (46%) and dining at nice restaurants (38%).

And nearly four in five (79%) travelers have experienced classic travel mishaps. The most common were forgetting essentials while packing (50%), getting lost in a place they've never been before (33%), losing personal belongings (27%) and missing transportation (16%).

"Once people arrive at their destination, they want to jump right in," continued Judy. "Finding places to go and attractions to experience are a huge draw for travelers. Regardless of what personality types people embody, there’s a universal agreement that seeing attractions, eating good food and having an overall great experience all make for a great trip."

WHAT TRAVELERS DO FIRST:

We asked respondents to put major travel planning parts in the order that they would book them.

1. Book flights
2. Book accommodations
3. Book rental cars (if needed)
4. Plan daytime activities
5. Plan what to pack
6. Make restaurant reservations
7. Plan nighttime activities

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American travelers who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Go City and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 17 and Oct. 27, 2025. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.