Breathe Magazine

Red wine or white? Running or cycling? Brad Pitt or George Clooney? Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe? Just like everything else in life, travel is all about choices. One vacationer may prefer powder white beaches and aquamarine waters, with the idea of a cabana boy serving bottomless daiquiris no longer a mere daydream. Another may think it just doesn’t get any better than spending an entire afternoon in the sculpture wing of the Museum of Modern Art. Like shoes and handbags, travelers come in all colors, shapes and sizes. Not sure which category you fall under? Here’s our diagnosis of five common travel archetypes and what—or where—we recommend to heal each ailment.

The Jetsetter

Symptoms: Likes to be in the know; a socialite; travels with the glitterati. The jetsetter often gets the reputation of erring on the snobby side. Maybe this has some truth behind it, or maybe she’s just so invested in being the first to pinpoint the Next Big Thing that she comes off as aloof. Yachting in St. Barths? So 2005. Instead, you’ll find the jetsetter doing what her name implies—setting the next trend—whether sunning on Corn Island, Nicaragua, or testing out the Four Seasons’ spa in Exuma. Sure, she likes a bit of luxury, but don’t we all from time to time?

Cure: If grandeur is the question, Florida is the answer. While Palm Beach is the obvious choice for glamming it up, in the north, Amelia Island (connected to the mainland by highway) offers a five-star experience without all the pomp and circumstance. For a hipper scene, head to the bottom of the state, where a host of new Miami boutique hotels like the Setai or Mondrian offset the older grand dames along Collins Avenue like the Raleigh or Delano to make for one cosmopolitan getaway.

Ever since New Orleans started to bounce back post-Katrina, it, too, has drawn the affluent—not just for its annual Jazz Fest in April, but for its fusion of first-rate hotels and restaurants and a refined culture you won’t find elsewhere in the South. Want even more far-flung? Try Bermuda. This island’s proximity to the East Coast and low-key vibe has made it a favorite warm-weather locale when a Caribbean jaunt just isn’t in the cards.

The Foodie

Symptoms: The foodie’s first thought isn’t, “Where’s the closest museum/park/bar?” but rather, “Point me in the direction of the latest Michelin star-winning restaurant!” To her, food isn’t sustenance, but an experience worthy of all her time, research and funds. Not one to crave plain Jane seafood, the foodie requires something much more complex, like seared foie gras to start, followed by a coconut-crusted halibut with baby asparagus and whipped rosemary potatoes, and topped off with a pink peppercorn meringue accompanied by strawberry ice cream and pistachios.

Cure: A pair of Southern sister cities is just what the doctor ordered. Savannah, Georgia, may not be the obvious choice, but food personality Paula Deen propelled this charming town to national recognition with a handful of well-received, Savannah-focused TV shows and cookbooks. (In fact, Old Savannah Tours even offers a special Paula route with visits to her popular restaurants, The Lady and Sons and Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House.)

Just two hours up the coast, Charleston, South Carolina—home of Johnson & Wales University until 2004—has long been enjoying world-class chef graduates from the culinary institution occupying its dining spaces. Hominy Grill is particularly tasty for brunch, with its comfort food and Southern hospitality. Peninsula Grill has often been named one of the top restaurants in America by food magazines, and its famous Ultimate Coconut Cake is so decadent one Charleston resident said it makes her want to cry. On the luxe side, opt for Woodlands, the area’s only Five Diamond inn and restaurant, or Circa 1886, nestled in the gardens of the sumptuous Wentworth Mansion.

The Flashpacker

Symptoms: A flashpacker can best be summed up in four words: backpacker with expendable income. Unlike jetsetters, flashpackers often prefer more off-the-beaten-path locations. Nevertheless, a flashpacker doesn’t totally scrimp—not on technology (you’ll find her fully kitted out with an iPod, DSLR, video camera, the works), nor on accommodation (given the choice between camping and a three-star hotel, the flashpacker will opt for the latter). While she’s not one to frequent the W, you won’t find her living it up in a tent either.

Cure: Off the coast of Georgia, Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island are situated along the Intracoastal Waterway, offering easy access to the mainland. With an abundance of outdoors activities, like boating, fishing, cycling, golf and the like, set against a stunning natural landscape, the Georgia Golden Isles sure beat nearby Hilton Head. In North Carolina, consider a rustic retreat with sweeping views in a beachside cottage along the enchantingly rugged Outer Banks.

More mainstream flashpackers will undoubtedly dig Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, two similar cities that offer more bang for your buck (the flashpacker isn’t wealthy by definition, after all) paired with a vibrant culture and music scene.

The Thrill Seeker

Symptoms: Museum-hopping and devouring local culinary delights simply don’t do it for this adventurous gal. She prefers activities that get her heart a racing and challenge both her mental and physical beings, whether jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet or running her first marathon.

Cure: It may sound childlike, but Orlando—best known for the presence of Disney’s many amusement parks—is no longer just for the kiddies. With the addition of Islands of Adventure—a Universal Studios product with more action and high-speed rollercoasters than its predecessor—and a revamped downtown nightlife scene (check out popular dueling piano bar, Howl at the Moon), Orlando now offers adults an adrenaline-inducing vacation, both before and after the sun goes down.

On a smaller, more affordable scale—or for those who have suffered from recurring nightmares of a smiley oversized mouse since childhood—Pigeon Forge and its neighbor Gatlinburg in Tennessee offer cheap thrills (quite literally). With a ski resort and amusement park atop Ober Gatlinburg, Dolly Parton’s eponymous theme park Dollywood, countless (and, dare we say, cheesy) musical dinner theaters, and—here’s a new one for you—zorbing, an extreme sport where you roll down a grassy bank in a giant enclosed transparent ball, this Smoky Mountain-side enclave won’t disappoint.

The Nature Lover

Symptoms: Who needs a toilet when you’ve got a leaf and a nice patch of dirt instead? The nature lover is, as her name suggests, more interested in becoming one with the Great Outdoors than she is logging time in the Big City. She’s quite possibly the most easy-going of all travelers: Give her a tent, sleeping bag and plot of land under the stars, and she couldn’t feel more at home.

Cure: The most extreme of Mother Nature’s posse will take a crack at hiking the Appalachian Trail, which snakes its way 2,178 miles from Georgia all the way up to Maine. But for those who don’t have three months to spare, it really doesn’t get much grander than a weekend away in the achingly beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Want something more off the radar? Book a campsite at the Land Between the Lakes in southern Kentucky, straddling the Tennessee border, or New River Gorge, a park encompassing more than 70,000 acres of land along West Virginia’s New River. •

Kristin Luna is a San Francisco-based writer and is a mix of all of the travel types listed above (though thrill-seeker suits her best). She writes the blog camelsandchocolate.com about her journeys and has contributed to Newsweek, Forbes Traveler, Islands, the San Francisco Chronicle, Glamour, InStyle, People and others.