Voyagers

wdt_ID	US Travel Destination	Top Travel Destination	Value for Money	Total Stars	Voyager
1	Glacier National Park, Montana				1
2	Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts				2
3	New York City, New York				3
4	Kenai Peninsula, Alaska				4
5	Monterey Peninsula, Northern California				5
6	Oregon				6
7	Maine coastal towns				7
8	Duluth/Lake Superiors north shore, Minnesota				8
9	Olympic Peninsula, Washington				9
10	Bozeman, Big Sky, Montana				10
11	Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia				11
12	Napa/Sonoma wine regions, Northern California				12
13	New Orleans, Louisiana				13
14	Washington, D.C. & outskirts				14
15	Outer Banks/Crystal Coast, North Carolina				15

wdt_ID	International Travel Destination	Top Travel Destination	Value for Money	Total Stars	Voyager
1	Portugal				1
2	Cotswolds, England				2
3	Ireland				3
4	Hong Kong, China				4
5	Amalfi Coast, Italy				5
6	Thailand				6
7	St. Andrews/Fife Coast, Scotland				7
8	Christchurch, New Zealand				8
9	Ephesus/Troy/ancient sites, Turkey				9
10	St. Petersburg, Russia				10
11	Czech Republic				11
12	French Polynesia (Tahiti, Morea, Bora Bora, etc.)				12
13	South Korea				13
14	Italian wine regions				14
15	Spanish countryside/villages, Spain				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 Voyagers Travel Personality

By definition, Voyagers fit between Venturers and Traditionals but with a leaning towards the Venturer side. Compared to other groups, they have lots of company. Three out of ten travelers (30%) place in this group, making it one of the largest segments of travelers. As a result, the majority of travel providers-airlines, resorts, rental car companies, tour operators, cruise lines, and others- place Voyagers at the top of their list of persons they want to reach and motivate to travel.

Voyagers’ significance lies not just in how many people are like them. It is also because they’re easier to motivate to take a trip or buy a product than personalities which lie more on the extremes on either side. Venturers tend to ignore advertising. Traditionals (at the opposite end of the scale) pay attention to advertising, but their commitment to a regimen and daily routine makes it more challenging to change their habits and motivate them to take a trip. In contrast, Voyagers are more flexible and adaptable, with a willingness to sample new destinations if a travel promoter presents enticing advertising.

It would be easy to assume that Voyagers are simply an “average” personality and do not go to extremes on most things. This assumption, however, would cover over their much more unique personality characteristics and behaviors. More than other groups, they use mixed transportation modes for leisure travel. Within a year, they’re likely to fly to 1 or 2 destinations and drive to a couple of others. In contrast, their counterparts prefer to either fly (Venturers) or drive (Traditionals). Although air travel saves tremendous amounts of time when the distances are great, the convenience of auto travel (take everything they want with them and leave when they want to), along with the ability to move at their own pace, provides its own inherent interest.

Unlike Venturers, Voyagers prefer at least a modest selection of good hotels and some quality commercial development before visiting an area. A good bed in a nice hotel, food that can be trusted, and a transportation network that can help get around are what they consider to be core necessities they’d like to see firmly in place before visiting. But, when over-commercialization sets in, signified by many souvenir shops, the intrusion of fast food outlets, and the diesel smell from too many tourist buses, they’ll move on to some other place that has not yet lost its qualities of freshness and uniqueness. The kinds of things they like to buy on trips to foreign lands are the products that various countries specialize in as part of their national heritage. Thus, wool sweaters and skirts in Scotland or England; crystal in England, Germany, or Scandinavia; pottery and silver in Mexico; or semiprecious stones from various countries around the world serve not only as reminders of a great vacation but will be used when returning home.

The great capitals of Europe have long been favorites, but some of these now seem overcrowded, far too expensive, and unfriendly in how local citizens treat tourists. Therefore, when going to Europe, Voyagers might visit smaller towns and enjoy leisurely drives through the countryside. And, when going into villages, they particularly enjoy staying at quaint little bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) in contrast to well-known hotels.

The diversity of the kinds of places that would be of interest opens up many more travel destinations of potential interest than is true for either Venturers or Traditionals. They could enjoy a cruise in the Greek Isles, a car trip through gold-mining ghost towns in California, or a shopping spree in New York City equally well. They will probably return to a place they particularly like every two to four years, interspersing other new destinations (for them) in between. In some respects, they have the most satisfying travel experiences because of their ability to absorb, and like, such different types of places. If they follow the typical pattern for the Voyagers personality, they travel both independently (probably with a spouse or a friend) and occasionally take a fully escorted tour. This might include international tours and domestic to see New England’s fall colors, visit Southern mansions, or follow historic routes as part of a tour group. Depending upon their age, the Elderhostel program is largely made up of Voyagers.

Cruising experienced strong growth in recent years, thanks to Voyagers’ beliefs that the experience is not as confining as in the past. They’ve decided that it is affordable and more interesting than ever thought. And, very important, it’s so easy and comfortable because the hotel room goes with them wherever they are, and they don’t have to pack and unpack every day. Voyagers may also own a timeshare, the concept of owning one or two weeks of vacation time in a condo in a resort area. Timeshares tend to offer excuses for travel, and most of these owners venture forth regularly.

Voyagers have mixed media habits, combining both TV and reading. They enjoy quite a few shows on TV, read an occasional book, and some of the popular magazines.

In summary, Voyagers are part of a group that is very important to the travel industry, including destinations, airlines, hotels, and restaurants. And, because they’re generally easier to motivate for travel through advertising and are willing to visit a variety of destinations, most travel companies desperately try to focus on them and their needs. They offer special deals and incentives to entice Voyagers to travel. Voyagers use mixed modes of transportation to get there, tend to return to a place only if they especially like it, but no sooner than three to four years, and also mix up the kinds of lodging they use. On the same trip, they might stay at a three or four-star hotel, an economy/budget motel, and a B&B.