Are you a Travel Snob?

[SJ]

This made me laugh

offthebeatenpagetravel.com/2013/04/18/are-you-a-travel-snob-take-this-quiz-and-find-out/

[emilyinchile]

I'm a travel snob, not a tool. The quiz seems to be testing for the latter.

[osumelissa]

I'm an emerging snob according to this quiz. Really it just sounds like a test to tell if you are a huge douchebag.

[mdgirl]

This is hilarious! And I only got 30 points -- unless vineyards in Sonoma count as abundance farms tended by peasants.

[Deleted]

Interesting article. According to this I'm not a snob in fact I'm a little dull. I tend to agree with others here that I consider myself a little bit of a travel snob but not in the ways the author describes. Reasons I'm a snob:

1) I get annoyed when I can't use the express/first class lanes at an airport.
2) I like to stay in nice hotels. Not necessarily all 5 star but I prefer comfort.
3) I enjoy when I get perks and upgrades in hotel chains I frequent.
4) I will pay more for a hotel if it is in a city center/safer location.

[Nonny]

Not based on this poll, but I'm a travel snob for sure, mostly because I refuse to stay anywhere with a shared bathroom (such as a hostel). (Although when I think about it it's probably a dumb rule, because I will go camping in state parks and those have shared facilities.)

[Wanderista]

I'm an emerging snob/little bit of one. Man, it cracked me up to think of people that I know who meet this stereotype though.

I will confess that I have visited abundance farms and other equivalents while on vacation before. Hey, I'm interested in sustainable development and in learning about the local culture in places that I visit, sue me.   I have also one-upped people in travel conversations, probably unintentionally, and while I wouldn't say I've actively avoided touristy places, I have been known to prioritize them less. I will sometimes opt to do quirky or off-beat things rather than the standard touristy stuff or I will do the touristy stuff briefly, get my photo, and move on to explore less touristy areas.

I've actually heard about the book Bobos In Paradise before and kind of wanted to read it but never got around to it. I've heard mixed things about David Brooks but I wouldn't rule out reading some of his work. 

[GilliC]

I'm clearly a lost cause, because I don't understand what's wrong with wearing high performance outdoor clothing when traveling, even if your not on an expedition. I revel in the joys of moisture-wicking clothes after rushing between gates in a big airport (so much better than being sticky from sweat when you finally make it to your plane) and if you have to wash something in a hotel sink, isn't fast-drying fabric nice to have?

This is all said while eyeing the moisture-wicking Patagonia halter dress hanging on my hotel clothing rack. Business trip. Definitely not an expedition.

[stever]

Jul 18, 2013 11:16:52 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

I'm a travel snob, not a tool. The quiz seems to be testing for the latter.

This. Who says, 'I had no trouble getting a tuk-tuk because I have Hindi and am rocking an REI parka.'?

I thought I was a moderate travel snob, but according to this I'm not. At all.

[kateross]

It's a funny quiz.  I would not take it seriously.  These people sound more douche-y than anything.

I'm far from it.  I only scored 10 points since I remember one-upping travel stories in a conversation at a party once.   

I would not avoid places that are touristy.  But we do take off the beaten path places here and there.

[iammalcolmx]

I am not a travel snob, as long as the places I go are safe, have good food, and I don't have to sleep with bugs I am cool.

[iammalcolmx]

Jul 19, 2013 10:26:41 GMT -5 @publius said:

Jul 19, 2013 8:40:39 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

I am not a travel snob, as long as the places I go are safe, have good food, and I don't have to sleep with bugs I am cool.

I require four permanent walls and a roof.  And also working plumbing.

Oh yeah this too.  I also need Climate control, the walls better not be paper thin, and if there isn't someone there to make my bed( IE we rented an apartment) there BETTER be outdoor space and a view. None of this makes me a travel snob does it?

[ashap]

According to the quiz no, but absolutely 100% yes a travel snob.  First class air, and four seasons or equivalent luxury is required for all my pleasure travel.  That's ok with me :-)

[aurora]

Wait, there are people who don't dress in PataGucci (or similar outdoor brand) clothing all the time? Huh. I guess I've learned my new thing for the week!

[sushi]

I've read much of Bobos in Paradise. It's not meant to be taken seriously. It's true enough to be a bit cutting but funny enough to laugh at yourself. I totally recognized myself in the section on cooking (minus the budget/desire for Viking stoves).

It's kind of like describing a food snob as not a person who will only eat in michelin starred places but someone who, well, is the Portlandia skit asking for the names of the chickens and if they're happy. Both are snobs, the latter is the type profiled in Bobos.

[sillygoosegirl]

Whatever. I'm always on an expedition.

[terri]

I wrote Are You a Travel Snob at OffTheBeatenPageTravel.com Thanks for all you interest and great comments on the article. It's one of those topics that's intended to be humorous, but if you think about it you probably know people that score highly. (Being frugal or enjoying the outdoors doesn't count. You have to be truly pretentious about it.) I'd like to write another version of this article. Please post any thoughts you have on what make a travel snob or encounters you've had with them.

[trigal]

Wait... they paved the roads on Ambergris Caye???

[anna7602]

I have never in my life heard someone say they "have" a language as opposed to "speaking" a language. This is not snobbery, it's just poor English.

I don't rate high on the snobbishness, but I do, however, own a fair amount of Patagonia-brand clothing. I just like it, especially their Margot dress.

[CloudBee]

I just want to talk about the world. Where you've gone, what you've done, where I've been, and what blew me away. I find sometimes that it's hard to initiate such conversations because people might think you are trying to one up them.

I wish I could say to a new friend "tell me every place you've ever been", and have them understand that I'm interested, not trying to see if I've been more places.

Seeing the world gives me such a high, and I really enjoy hearing other people's experiences.

[Moe]

Sept 4, 2013 11:30:11 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

I just want to talk about the world. Where you've gone, what you've done, where I've been, and what blew me away. I find sometimes that it's hard to initiate such conversations because people might think you are trying to one up them.

I wish I could say to a new friend "tell me every place you've ever been", and have them understand that I'm interested, not trying to see if I've been more places.

Seeing the world gives me such a high, and I really enjoy hearing other people's experiences.

SO SO SO SO SO TRUE.

[frlcb]

Sept 5, 2013 13:12:05 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Sept 5, 2013 11:48:51 GMT -5 Moe said:

SO SO SO SO SO TRUE.

Agree with both of you.  The amount of time I spend reading travel blogs - of all types - is really overwhelming.  I could be so much more productive without that distraction.

I feel the same. And I feel the need to spread the word about traveling with kids, which makes me sound like I am bragging but I just want people to know it can be fun and easy and to just do it! And I love lusting over blogs of people who travel year round. So jealous.

[anna7602]

Sept 5, 2013 13:54:09 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Sept 5, 2013 13:12:05 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

I feel the same. And I feel the need to spread the word about traveling with kids, which makes me sound like I am bragging but I just want people to know it can be fun and easy and to just do it! And I love lusting over blogs of people who travel year round. So jealous.

This. Too many people I know act like having kids means the end of your traveling life.