I think most of us are bargain seekers , that's our real category !! ;)

I find the better ones usually on chain (business) hotels because of the dates I have to travel )usually july-august) and I like them so it's no problem for me. So as I said before my budget is number 2...but I happen to find some good deals even in 4 stars hotels.

Sometimes it's not a matter of bargains or being cheap or poor when it comes to accomodations. Just personal preference and what you want or need out of a vacation.

We would much prefer a B&B in a historical house typical of the area to a modern, features-laden 4 or 5 star hotel no matter the price. Others want or need, for whatever reason, 5-star amenities with all the modern comforts. One way isn't better than the other, it just depends on individual circumstances.

For example, some people's high-pressure lives combined with their personalities might lead them to needing a large, modern room that they can relax in for a good deal of the time. We don't. Our needs and wants are just different.

A more specific example, our B&B in Amsterdam was in an old residence in the middle of the city between two of the ring canals. It had the long, steep, narrow staircase typical of those houses. Some people would hate that; we loved it. No Michelin-starred restaurant of course, and some people love that experience. But every morning we had all we could eat of both typical European B&B breakfast fare plus a couple of different items local to the Amsterdam area that the hosts would make available every morning.

Chacon a son gout!

What an interestnig thread this has turned out to be. Thanks for the kind words and inspiration, Stu T... and to everyone.

But it's gonna be a bear for poor Julies to try and tally up the survey results!

Only 1 day old and how many responses??? Julies, you'll be busy tabulating!

For me...mainly a 2, would love to be a 4...

The experience of not being at home is what I enjoy the most!

To Julies and all:


Whatever your budget, whatever your traveling habits (food, lodgings, sites, etc)..consider this motto:

"TRAVEL 'TIL YOU UNRAVEL !"



stu t.

(GO! everyone...and ENJOY!)

Good idea to question but no good unless something practical is done with the results. However, if it helps last year we had holidays (from England) at Lake Garda Italy - about $2,000 (including flights etc.) for both of us bed breakfast and dinner in a 3* hotel. Excellent. In December we went to Tenerife - bed & breakfast in a 5*, about $1,500 for both of us - again axcellent. In June we will be travelling to Canada and the US for 5 weeks - 5* all the way including driving through the Rockies, a cruise to Alaska and then Las Vegas. Not much change out of $20,000! I am sure that many if not most of the postees have different needs at different times. Good luck anyway.

bowlsman wrote: "Good idea to question but no good unless something practical is done with the results."

That's an interesting challenge, particularly as many of us have said that we don't fit into the categories that julies proposed. I don't expect to see sub-forums for Europe (Category 1), Europe (Category 2), Europe (Category 3), and Europe (Category 4). I would belong in Europe (Misfits).

I cannot envisage this forum being in any way different after this exercise. It's a waste of time, but I don't object to that. After all, many of us participate here as a way of wasting time.

Well I grew up living in hotels and find them souless places to be avoided at anytime. I also have a rule that any hotel's restaurant will solve the worst food in any town. Finally my DH has always pretended to me that hotels only come in 1 or 2 star versions. As a result as long as it's clean and I can eat somewhere else (for as much as I like) then I'm happy so I guess I'm a 3 in hotels but a 5 in restaurants. Is there a six for wine?

Finally does anyone else play the loo (toilet I think somepeople say) scoring game? My DH will not use a 5 or less but she is female.

I'm the OP. I'll be back in a day or so after this has run its course to see what kind of sense can be made of it. When I came up with the categories, I forgot that a number of people here are self-described foodies. And, that does tend to throw the categories I came up with off a bit. So, after about post #20 or 25 and comments about disparities in food/hotel expectations and expenditures, I threw in the ideas of categories 5 & 6. Apparently no one read down that far and saw those categories because after a brief glance I don't think I saw anyone putting him or herself in that category.

I categorize myself as a 2.

How do I see this helping? I think if those who post here regularly can identify themselves and their travel style/expectations, then they can see how to compare what they are looking for to the types of comments made by "typical" people who post. And, maybe no sense can be made of all the replies. I guess I'll wait and see.

Well, julies, it's a fun game trying to find if one can put oneself into a category (look at all those books that insist one's personality can be described as conforming to mainly one of four 'types'.) So, the thread is bound to give you some interesting responses.

But travel is an art as much as if not more than a science. This is why trying to categorize 'comfort' levels is so tricky - comfort is an elastic thing.

And thinking 'out of the box' is often the best way to both score a deal and meet one's personal needs. This is why my travel philosophy is, well, not to have a philosophy. If I decide I'm not a 4* business hotel person, I risk missing the chance to pay 2* prices for a 4* room - say by using Priceline, or taking up a hotel chain on a special offer. Conversely, if I thought I was a 4* hotel person because I value quiet and tranquility, I might yet book a 1 or 2* hotel if it were in the quieter section of town than the 3 or 4 * hotel. Like many folks, I'm hunting for value --- but value is in the eye of the beholder, not to mention often largely in the control of local market forces.

And speaking of 'clean' rooms: 'clean' is also a very elastic term. I'm willing to bet that a lot of people's comfort level with dirt/flaws tends to decrease in inverse proportion to what they paid for the room. They may not think they'd object to having the odd dustball under the bed, but not if they paid more than some subjectively determined threshold amount for the room. Similarly, it's amazing how a room's flaws fade to black when one has not paid a price for it that put one's budget in the red.

So, given all these snags to your categorization scheme, I don't think your data is going to be very significant. But the thread will probably be entertaining nonetheless.

tower: TRAVEL TILL UNRAVEL is a great slogan. It shall be my motto!

Hi J,

Good try.

None of the above.

Fly cheap, sleep cheap, eat well.

((I))

Julies~ Yes, I read down and saw when you added 5 and 6, it's just for me I didn't fit into either of those any better than 1 thru 4!

I think you'd also need to add things like: what class seats do you pay for on flights, do you travel by car, train or bus after you arrive, do you spend money to take toursandr do formalized classes or activities, on and on.

Where you sleep and eat is barely the tip of the iceberg imo, and not even the most important in "defining" your travel style.

Didn't we do this already w/the same results ??!! I'm w/ira.

...& I rarely stay in hotels, anyway. Usually apartments, cottages, villas, etc.

But don't you get a sense of other posters' tastes, preferences, etc. by what they post more than by asking them to choose a # category?

I cannot imagine that I am the only one that comes up with ideas regarding other poster's "identities" from their posts, travel advice, suggestions, etc.

Hi Julies;

If I did not miss you can add boutique hotels and charming Bed and breakfasts:

Each travel might be different ie. location, time of year, destinations specialities etc. but:

I like to sleep at nice boutique hotels as much as possible, otherwise 4 or 5 stars if I have to. Small clean and simple B&B's are also fine in between.

Good local food is what I hunt for. Does not matter mucg cheap or expensive if it is not breaking the bank.....Over 100 - 150 Usd for two incl. wine is expensive to mee. Having said that I had excellent food for 20 Usd. pp. too.

In London exceptionally I had disappoinments high prices, bad service and taste under expectation....

Happy travelling all and bon apetite......

Murat

I am not looking for information from a hypothetical typical poster. I assign value to advice I see here by reading the things the poster has written. A lot of the people who post here have written entire autobiographies in snippets of a paragraph at a time. Much more valuable than thinking of them as fitting into some category or other.

It is absolutely clear to me why people here have such different perspectives, as the original post posits. It is because people are very different. One of the most enjoyable things about reading this message board is seeing the great diversity of thought and opinion expressed. The best way to get a sense of where one fits into the spectrum of travel styles represented here, again as expressed in the original post, is to see how people present themselves. Pretty much the way we evaluate our place among the many choices presented in the real world.

Another thing to remember in asking for & taking advice from this forum...

Some people know about things beyond their own personal travel style.

For example because I have a friend living in Switzerland and have spent quite a bit of time there, I can accurately recommend hotels in Vevey or Montreux from the nicest youth hostel or budget guest house, right up to the 4/5-star hotels on the lakefront promonade, even though I have stayed in neither myself.

Mostly 3