Some people only travel for holidays; others plan the next trip on the flight home. In 2024 about 1.4 billion international tourist trips were made worldwide, according to UN Tourism, almost exactly the pre-pandemic level of 2019. If you recognise yourself in most of the thirteen signs below, you belong firmly to the second group.

Illustration for 13 signs you were born to travel

13 signs you were born to travel

  1. You read maps for fun. An atlas or a satellite view can swallow an evening, and you know which country borders which without checking.
  2. You love meeting strangers and enjoy time alone. A hostel common room and a solo morning walk both feel right to you.
  3. Planning is half the pleasure. Timetables, ferry routes and opening hours are part of the trip, not a chore before it.
  4. You can pack for two weeks in one carry-on. You have a system, and you never take the jumper you didn’t wear last time.
  5. You learn words before you land. “Hello”, “thank you” and “how much?” in the local language open more doors than any guidebook.
  6. Food is your first question. You ask what people eat for breakfast, head for the market and try to cook the dish once you are home.
  7. You enjoy the journey as much as the arrival. A slow train, a ferry deck or a long road through new country is a highlight in itself.
  8. You budget around experiences. You skip new clothes and gadgets so the money goes to flights, trains and nights away.
  9. You have looked up jobs that involve travel. Guide, flight attendant, photographer, remote work: you have checked them all at least once.
  10. Delays don’t ruin your day. A cancelled bus turns into an afternoon in a town you never meant to see.
  11. Your wish list keeps growing. Every trip adds three new places, and the list of “one day” destinations never gets shorter.
  12. You bring ideas home. A recipe, a café habit or a new hobby picked up abroad becomes part of ordinary life.
  13. You start planning the next trip on the way home. The holiday isn’t over before you are searching for the next one.

Is there really a wanderlust gene?

The idea of a “wanderlust gene” comes from research on DRD4, a gene for one of the brain’s dopamine receptors. One variant, called 7R, reacts less strongly to dopamine. In 1999 a study led by Chuansheng Chen found that human populations that migrated farther from their origins over the past 30,000 years carry this variant more often, and nomadic groups carry it more than settled ones.

Early studies also linked the variant to novelty seeking, but a 2008 review of 36 studies found no clear effect, and the gene explains very little of personality on its own. Our look at the so-called wanderlust gene covers the research in more detail. Love of travel is mostly built by experience: the first trip that went well usually leads to the next.

Second illustration for 13 signs you were born to travel

How to turn these signs into your next trip

  • Map reader? Pick a region and plan an overland route between three towns, using trains or buses.
  • Food first? Book a market tour or a cooking class on your first day, and you will eat better for the rest of the trip.
  • Tight budget? Fill a weekend with free travel activities: city parks, free museum days, walking tours and waterfronts.
  • Dreaming of the long road? Our plan for Long-Term Travel in Five Stages: A Plan You Can Revise breaks a gap year into saving, planning and going.

Where the world travels

Europe remains by far the most visited region, with about 747 million international arrivals in 2024. Asia and the Pacific followed with about 316 million, the Americas with 213 million, the Middle East with 95 million and Africa with 74 million. The Middle East grew fastest, at 32% above its 2019 level. Travellers also spend more: the average trip abroad brought in about US$1,100, up from roughly US$1,000 before the pandemic.

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