There’s a lot of interesting psychology behind frequent travel. Unfortunately I’m neither bright nor a psychologist, so I wouldn’t be the one to know it. 😉
I did, however, watch the movie “Up in the Air” a few years back when came out, and I was rather depressed by the second half of it. I’m sure the first half of the movie was far too relatable for most of us (in a good way), but then the second half of the movie told us what we really didn’t want to hear. Is travel about “escaping” something? I dunno, but that movie always has me thinking.
The reason I bring it up — and this is only an indirect parallel — is that when talking to people I always seem to hear different conclusions as to whether introverts or extroverts have an easier time traveling. While I don’t mind being in social settings and am not totally anti-social, I am an introvert. My ideal Friday night would be spent playing Microsoft Flight Simulator for hours on end. Or maybe that just makes me more nerdy than introverted. Who knows. So while I don’t mind social situations at all, afterwards I’m exhausted. I don’t “recharge” from being around people, but rather it’s draining to me, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Anyway, when I tell people I’m an introvert I often hear “well that’s surprising given how much you travel.” My thought process is usually the opposite — no, it’s not really surprising, it’s me being introverted that actually makes me enjoy traveling. In a way being on the road — whether it’s walking around a city, sitting on a plane, or sitting in a hotel club lounge — kind of makes me a fly on the wall. I love observing people, and I think the most comfortable context in which to observe people is when you’re outside of your usual environment. I mean, that’s not to say I won’t have delightful conversations with tuk tuk drivers, pearl shop owners, and people who have sisters in the US, but that’s about my limit…
Meanwhile I actually kind of imagine it would be tough to be an extrovert and be a frequent traveler. Yes, you can make friends when traveling (and despite being an introvert I’ve made plenty along the way), but if you’re only in cities for 1-2 days at a time that seems damn exhausting to me. At least if you’re looking for any depth.
My blog is never about finishing conversations, but rather about starting them. So I’d be curious to hear about how you guys feel about personality types and travel. Introverts, extroverts, middle-of-the-road-verts, let me know whether you think your personality type makes travel easier or harder for you.
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