Pioneers

wdt_ID	US Travel Destination	Top Travel Destination	Value for Money	Total Stars	Pioneer
1	Monterey Peninsula, Northern California				1
2	Nantucket, Massachusetts				2
3	Seattle, Washington				3
4	Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee				4
5	Colorado Rockies/ski areas				5
6	Finger Lakes area, New York				6
7	Wine regions, Oregon				7
8	Montana				8
9	Santa Fe, New Mexico				9
10	Taos, New Mexico				10
11	Reno/Lake Tahoe, Nevada				11
12	North Carolina mountain towns (Asheville, Blowing Rock, Lake Lure)				12
13	Puget Sound/coastal islands, Washington				13
14	Newport, Rhode Island				14
15	Alaska outdoor activities (trekking, kayaking, fishing, etc.)				15

wdt_ID	Location	Top Travel Destination	Value for Money	Total Stars	Pioneer
1	Thailand				1
2	St. Andrews/Fife Coast, Scotland				2
3	Northern Ireland				3
4	Taiwan				4
5	Peru				5
6	Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada				6
7	China				7
8	Belize coast/offshore cayes				8
9	Argentina				9
10	Dodecanese islands (Kos, Rhodes, etc.), Greece				10
11	Malta				11
12	Bay of Fundy (New Brunswick), Canada				12
13	India				13
14	Suzhou, China				14
15	Yucatan/Mayan sites, Mexico				15

These ratings and rankings are based on evaluations by thousands of travelers.
Best Destinations, summarizes evaluations by all visitors on the degree to which they especially like the places they recently visited. Value for the Money, measures the degree to which all visitors feel they got good value for what they paid, not that it is a cheap place to visit. (Note: Most destinations receive better scores on the Great Destination scale than on Value for the Money.)

About the Pioneers Travel Personality

A Pioneer’s personality fits between Venturers and those more in the center of the personality spectrum (“Voyagers”). They share a number of characteristics in common with pure Venturers. They like to travel, especially to foreign destinations and you seek new experiences and new destinations for almost all trips taken. They’re also physically active at home and on trips. But, unlike their pure Venturer friends, they don’t want to take such extreme vacations and are more likely to plan trips-set an itinerary of places they want to visit and schedules when They’ll be there. About 17% of the population has a personality that matches this, vs. only 4% for pure Venturers.

A Pioneer’s venturesome spirit leads them to seek out unique and interesting places to visit and especially to make each leisure trip different from others that they’ve taken. They may want to return to a place that seemed interesting but didn’t have time to explore on an earlier visit, but usually, just want to try something new. However, there’s a big difference between Pioneers and their true Venturer friends: Pioneers like a comfortable bed at night (no sleeping under the stars), a warm shower, and meals they can trust rather than taking a chance on native foods. They listen carefully to the unique travel tales of friends, family, and associates, or read heavily, to learn about the hidden, but interesting out of the way places that others have not yet become popular or have only recently gotten some publicity. The press has given this group a name — the jet-set. Their interest in what’s new and what’s happening leads them to be the first to visit destinations that seem to have a new ambiance, or book a few days at a new spa or resort read about in a travel magazine, or tour a country that until recently was closed to visitors. Travel providers absolutely love Pioneers because they’re central in making new destinations popular. Airlines, hotels, and restaurants should give Pioneers special treatment since they benefit from the travel choices Pioneers make. They’ll tell friends about a great trip they just had, who will want to do the same when they get some time off.

Like pure Venturers, Pioneers like adventure travel — but of a different type. Physical exertion is fine if it isn’t extreme. If they took a bicycle tour of New England in the fall, they’d want to stop at interesting places for lunch and bed down at night in a quaint inn, rather than sleep out under the stars. And prefer to have a van follow behind to pick them up and ride to the next overnight stop in case they or their partner feel a bit exhausted.

History holds a great fascination for many Pioneers. But if you’ve seen Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, or traced Paul Revere’s route in New England, they don’t need to repeat the experience. Rather, they’d prefer to stop in lesser-known old cities and enjoy the ambiance created by old buildings that exude their own sense of importance and romance, especially if they’re not listed in guide books. To discover an ancient monastery, old fort or historic building quite by chance and wander through quiet interiors unhampered by crowds, offers an opportunity to imagine what mysteries it holds and tales of romance or tragedy.

Even their media habits don’t follow the norm. Typically Pioneers read more than most — books, magazines, and newspapers — and watch TV less. When turning on the “tube,” they’re much less likely to prefer any of the top ten sitcoms or “soaps.” Instead, they seek out dramas, special news magazine format shows, and selected sports (like football and basketball, with less interest in baseball or hockey). Consistent with their travel interests, they particularly like fact-based television shows or dramas in a historical setting, and programs that explain the workings of some of our modern marvels. Pioneers hold definitive opinions about much of what they see happening in the world, especially politics, and strongly prefer commentators who agree with their views.

Exercise and good health habits (proper diet, some use of vitamins and supplements, and following a disciplined routine to get enough sleep and exercise, even when traveling) are more likely to be part of their daily commitment than is true for most people they know. Pioneers may prefer participating in individual sports, such as skiing or singles tennis, rather than those that are more social such as golf or bowling. They are likely to own exercise equipment at home, a treadmill, or a stair climber.

Pioneers like technology and probably have a heavy loading of it as part of daily life. Typically they will not be the first to try out new hi-tech products-that distinction belongs to the pure Venturers. They likely get on the bandwagon when a new product or service has shown that it has some relevance to your daily business or home life. But they’re still willing to buy these items long before they have become so popular that they have dropped dramatically in price. More than is true for most groups included in this personality scale, Pioneers are likely to be an opinion leader. Since they show a willingness to accept innovation and change, but with a common-sense attitude about it (use what is good and discard what doesn’t help in some way), others look to them for guidance and direction on what to buy, choices to make in their lives, and the kinds of trips that they might like to take. This combination of character traits-mild risk-taking, common sense in the decisions made, and a friendly and outgoing personality-usually contributes to success in their career. More than most, they are likely to hold a senior position of responsibility in their company and will continue to advance in the future.

In looking for destinations that will satisfy intellectual curiosity, Pioneers seek out those that measure higher for Venturers. As Pioneers share so many traits in common with Venturers, most of these places will help ensure that their next trip will hold the enjoyment and contribute to the kinds of memories that they want, as long as these places have adequate hotels and restaurants.