34 Types of Travel

John Spacey, August 18, 2020

Travel is the practice of visiting distant places for business or tourism. This is a large industry that is viewed as important to the human experience and quality of life. The following are common types of travel.

Business Travel

Travel that has a productive goal. For example, a fashion brand that inspects the factory of its foreign partners to certify that they are following sustainability best practices.

Luxury Travel

Travel that is more comfortable or extravagant than usual. For example, a first class flight that offers far more comfortable seats, higher service levels and relatively lavish meals.

Honeymoon

The tradition of couples taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip together after getting married.

Working Holiday

The practice of going to another country or region for a year to work. In some cases, this is viewed as a rite of passage amongst youth. Often done as part of a gap year.

Nature Travel

Travel to places of natural beauty.

Camping

The practice of staying in an outdoor shelter such as a tent.

Glamping

The luxury version of camping that provides facilities and services that make camping a more comfortable experience.

Leisure & Recreation

Travel in pursuit of leisure such as sunbathing and recreation such as skiing.

Hobbies & Interests

Pursuit of hobbies such as birdwatching and interests such as history.

Agritourism

Visiting a working farm. Often involves activities such as picking fruit.

Wellness Tourism

Tourism to services related to "wellness" such as a spa or hot spring.

Volunteering

The practice of giving as opposed to taking with your vacation. This requires careful and considerate research to avoid serious unintended consequences.

Cultural Immersion

The practice of immersing yourself in local culture by learning its language or traditions and interacting with locals.

Beach Tourism

Travel to beach destinations in pursuit of leisure, recreation, natural beauty and beach culture.

Adventure Travel

The search for epic meaning and experiences. For example, kayaking the entire length of a river.

Sports Tourism

Travel to attend or participate in sporting events.

Events Tourism

Travel to a specific event such as a festival or concert.

Religious Tourism

The practice of attending religious events or visiting spots of religious significance.

Culinary Tourism

Travel motivated by a desire to experience the authentic cuisine of a nation or city.

Shopping Trips

Travel driven by consumerism and the desire to shop. Often motivated by price differences or differences in the availability of goods between places.

Fashion Tourism

Travel motivated by a passion for fashion and the culture that surrounds it. For example, a street fashion enthusiast who travels to Tokyo to enjoy the environment of street fashions in neighborhoods such as Omotesando.

Sightseeing

The slightly odd practice of visiting famous spots simply because they are famous. For example, visiting a tower because it is a recognizable feature of a skyline.

Entertainment

Attractions that are entertaining such as a theme park or musical theatre production.

Family Travel

Travel as a shared experience for families. Traveling with children is challenging such that families have a wide range of unique needs such as relatively large accommodations and restaurants and activities geared to children.

Solo Travel

Traveling alone also creates unique needs such as opportunities to interact with others and meet people.

Accessible Travel

Travel services that serve the travel needs of people with disabilities. For example, rental cars with modified controls for people who don't have legs or can't use their legs to drive.

Nightlife

Things to do at night such as musical performances or night clubs.

Road Trip

The practice of driving to a destination often with many stops along the way.

Cycling Tours

Travel by bicycle either to get to a destination or to explore a destination.

Sailing

A popular recreational activity that is also a mode of travel, a lifestyle and a culture.

Alternative Tourism

Travel motivated by a desire to avoid crowds and commoditized tourism. Often described as travel "off the beaten path."

Tours

Services that provide a managed experience. For example, a bus tour that will take you to 7 European countries in 6 days as a large group.

Cruises

Large ships that offer lodging, meals, entertainment and leisure activities in addition to transportation to numerous destinations. This has an unusually high environmental footprint. For example, a single supersized cruise ship can emit as much sulphur dioxide as 376 million cars.

Space Travel

Traveling into space for purposes of exploration, science or epic experience. Currently a nascent industry that has a relatively high environmental impact per passenger trip.

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