What holiday personality are you?

Date: July 16, 2009

According to a recent survey by travel money specialists, Travelex Outsourcing, holidaymakers fall into four distinct categories with their own corresponding personality traits. The company asked more than 200 people about their holidays and found that holidaymakers fit into four distinct personalities - ‘party animal’, ‘lover of luxury’, ‘young at heart’ and the ‘city slicker.’

Similar to celebrities such as Jordon and Girls Aloud star, Sarah Harding, who both recently partied hard in Ibiza, the ‘party animal’ likes to frequent bars and clubs, enjoying late night drinking sessions and then recovering by the pool. They tend to be the life and soul of the party and have the loudest voice. Favourite places to holiday include Ibiza, Rhodes in Greece and Palma in Majorca.

Those looking for a luxurious holiday in the sun like X Factor judges Cheryl Cole, who recently holidayed in the South of France, and Simon Cowell, who laps up the luxury of Barbados, look for the finer things in life. For ‘lovers of luxury’ the holiday is the focal point of their year with everything building up to the two weeks in the sun. While away, they tend to dine out and sport the latest fashions while on the beach. Destinations of choice include Barbados, Seychelles and Dubai.

Like the Beckhams and family man Gary Barlow – who is currently enjoying some quiet time with his family in California - Travelex also found that those with children have very different priorities when planning a holiday. Gone are the days of bars and clubs, these people instead look for theme parks and activities to keep the children entertained. The ‘young at heart’ holidaymaker plans all the minor details of the holiday; they like to include activities in their break as well as some quiet time with the family. You can usually spot these holiday makers in Florida or donning a ski suit in Whistler in Canada.

The ‘city slicker’ enjoys the buzz of a new city and the adventure that comes with experiencing new things. They can often be seen walking around a new city with their head looking up admiring the architecture and atmosphere of the area around them. Kylie Minogue is a prime example of a ‘city slicker’ and can often be seen taking in the sites of Paris or New York. The easiest way to spot this type of holiday maker is the camera around the neck and the map in hand – think of Joey Tribbiani from Friends.

Travelex Outsourcing commissioned the research to celebrate the launch of four new currencies on its prepaid travel card – the Cash Passport. With more than 1.35 million cards already in circulation Travelex’s Cash Passport is now also available in Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars plus the South African Rand, along with British Pounds, American dollars and Euros. Combining the convenience of a bank card with the security of a traveller’s cheque, the Cash Passport is issued immediately and has been specifically designed for all holiday makers.

Steve O'Donovan, Managing Director for Travelex Outsourcing Europe and North America, said: “So much preparation and planning goes into a holiday that it is often the only time that people get to relax. It is therefore important that the style of trip reflects your passions and what you like doing, be that drinking or checking out local art. This list of personality traits is by no means exhaustive - everyone is different - but having worked in the travel industry for over 100 years, we have certainly witnessed the growth of various characteristics.

“No matter what holiday you are going on prepaid cards offer a means to control holiday spending while avoiding unexpected charges and the security risks associated with cards directly linked to a bank account. In addition, if you lose your card you can get emergency cash within as little as 20 minutes and a new card within 24 hours of the theft or loss being reported”

Ends

Travelex Outsourcing
Travelex is the world's foreign exchange and international payments specialist. Operating through subsidiaries and branches in five regions: the United Kingdom; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Americas and Asia Pacific.

As one of the world's leading providers of outsourced travel money to banks, travel agencies and other retailers it provides products including its prepaid travel card Cash Passport to over three million channel customers annually. Through its world-leading automation Travelex offers consumers a full range of delivery channel options including telephone and web-based ordering.

Cash Passport can be purchased from the following outlets: Thomas Cook, The Co-operative Travel, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Cambridge Building Society, Derbyshire Building Society, Dudley Building Society, Leeds Building Society, Saffron Building Society, Advantage and independent travel agents, and Travelex branches.

www.travelex.com | www.cashpassport.com

For more information, please contact the Travelex Outsourcing press office:

Rebecca Lamont/ Rebecca Maund
07989 230737/ 020 7255 6400
rlamont@golleyslater.co.uk/ rmaund@golleyslater.co.uk