I often find myself categorizing people who travel for pleasure into 3 groups. Which of the 3 types of pleasure travelers are you?

1. Group #1: Those who find the places they love and stick to them

These are the people who vacation every year at the same beach. They’ve been doing this for a long time, and they know what they like. It doesn’t even occur to them to visit somewhere else. Why would they? Everything they want is in a spot they’ve already discovered.

2. Group #2: Those who love to visit new places and "count countries"

These individuals are all about the adventure that a new country brings them. Why would you visit somewhere you’ve already been when you could visit somewhere new? There’s so much world out there and so little time to see it!

3. Group #3: Those who enjoy visiting new places but are in no rush to count countries

This final group is an admirable one. They book a ticket to a country and plan to spend months there enjoying and exploring every nook and cranny. In some cases, if the first visit didn’t do it justice, then they’ll return to the country multiple times to fulfill that travel experience.

Which One Am I?

Based on the description above and the fact that I visited nearly 70 countries by age 23, you can probably guess that I fall into #2. I find there’s no comparison to the rush of adrenaline I get when I land in a new country. This “travel high” is exhilarating for me. I also feel incredibly privileged to have experienced this sensation at all. So many people in the world will never visit a single place outside of their home country (or city/town!). I am in an elite group, and I never take that for granted.

To my Group #1 brothers and sisters, I’m not sure how you do it. I think there’s something wonderful about being content with what you have, but I can’t imagine being content with seeing just a few places. The more places I go, the more places I want to go. But I also know that those few places you know and love serve as second and third homes for you, which is pretty spectacular also.

To my Group #3 travel companions, I admire you. During my 9 months of full-time travel, I met tons of backpackers that would book a ticket to a country and plan to spend months with no end date in mind. I, on the other hand, always went with a start and end date and a clear plan of what I wanted to see.

In fact, I’m not sure I could fly to any continent and ever do just one country. In Top 10 Countries I’ll Return to Post COVID-19, I discuss a trip to Asia that I already have in mind that includes five destinations: Bangladesh, Laos, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines. Even with travel on pause, I’m planning a multi-destination trip. The Group #3 travelers I know would take their time with each of those instead of planning to do them all at once.

Which Countries Have I Spent the Most Time In?

It’s always on my mind that Group #2 travelers have the potential to rush travel experiences. I’m fearful that I have done this in the past, and I try to be conscious of this so I can travel more slowly in the future and soak in as much as possible. As a fun exercise, I thought I would look at the top 5 countries I’ve spent the most time in (by the number of days). For the purposes of this exercise, I’m not counting my home country of the United States.

United Kingdom

Length of time: 81 days
Cities: London, Greenwich, Oxford, Windsor, Liverpool, Stonehenge, Bath
Visits to the country: 2
The second “visit” includes my entire study abroad semester

South Africa

Length of time: 20 days
Cities: Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, St. Lucia Estuary, Zululand, Durban
Visits to the country: 1

How to Pack Light for International Travel

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