The 8 Types of Guys You’ll Meet on the Road

What was that line that Nicholas Sparks wrote in “The Notebook” that everyone — at one time or another — included in their AOL profiles, on their away messages, posted as a Facebook status or had on some magnet that was secured to a college dorm room refrigerator?

“Summer romances end for all kinds of reasons. But when all is said and done, they have one thing in common: They are shooting stars — a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity. And in a flash, they’re gone.”

I think he was also talking about romance that one encounters while traveling.

Some people set out to find themselves, and that is all well and good.

Other people set out and find themselves… wrapped up in the arms of someone they just met, in the most random of situations: at a tiki bar on the edge of the world, encircled by gorgeous mountains with a canopy of stars hanging overhead; on a boat, cruising coastlines and islands; lost on ancient streets in a downpour; cozied up on overnight buses and trains, smelly and not showered but feeling incredible, nonetheless.

I do tend to think that traveling and romance go hand-in-hand, partly because you are constantly meeting so many new people. Some of them are interesting and engaging; others are nice enough but do not have a fire to them.

I am a victim to falling head-over-heels at hello, messaging my friends with “I am in love” on a weekly basis, when I am off globetrotting. Naturally, it is lust, not love; years and experience have taught me the difference between the two.

However, lust is fun when you are on the road, isn’t it? Everyone has a one-night fling story from some time or another. Maybe it was someone who became nothing more than a travel romance, or maybe it was someone who, years later, remained by your side, ready to take on the world with you.

Here are the different kinds of people you will meet on the road:

The Lad

Oh, the lad. It seems the lads are on a permanent vacation with their buddies and are typically after one thing: They just want to get in and get out, no fuss.

They might swoon you with a good laugh and some really funny banter, and they always have a joke up their sleeves. However, the lad tends to keep the deep emotions out of the way. There will be no pillow talk with this one; he’s just a good time.

The Lover

Oh, the lover. I cannot begin to recount the number of these I have come across in my travels — those guys who have magically swept me off my feet by just saying hello.

Speaking from both personal experience and on behalf of my many girlfriend travelers, the lovers tend to be from South America and sometimes, Spain. These are the sensual guys who will sit there and tuck your hair behind your ear and tell you that your smile glows like the moon and you are more beautiful than any sunset God could paint.

The next thing you know, you are naked and tangled in passion, as the lover lays claim to body parts you did not even know existed.

The Hostel Worker

There seems to always be something so damn cool about the guy who works in the hostel. He is the guy who was traveling and decided to stay put, found a place he liked (or maybe ran out of cash) and decided to chill out, take a break and work while still on the road.

Either way, he seems adventurous and easygoing, and soon, you’ll finding yourself making unnecessary visits to the front desk just to strike up conversation.

The Local

It is inevitable: A fling with a local will come about at some point or another. It is funny and it happens. Sometimes, they have names that you are not really sure how to pronounce because your tongue just does not know how to roll its R’s like that.

Sometimes, the language barrier is as vast as the Great Wall of China, but no matter what, the local fling is bound to happen, and it is one you will laugh about for years to come.

The Guy With The Guitar

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but there is ALWAYS a guy traveling with a guitar — always. He sits in the hostel’s lounge, and he just strums away like he is some kind of John Mayer crafting together some beautiful songs. Most of the time, it’s not his good looks that win you over but the way his fingers run along the string.

The Scuba Instructor

It’s totally common to fall for your scuba instructor, and to be fair, let’s open the category to dive masters (the guy who leads you once you are a licensed diver).

For the scuba instructor/dive master, it might be the way he wears his wetsuit better than anyone else, the way he gracefully glides through the water, his series of tattoos (scuba people love their tattoos) or that he is such a friend of the ocean — whatever the reason, the scuba instructor/dive guide crush runs deep.

The Stalker

This is usually the one who falls head-over-heels for you. You can’t get away from him because you are traveling at the same time, along the same beaten path and looking for accommodation at the same, popular places.

Because travelers live without phones, he just pops up everywhere, any time of the day, so he is the human text message you just cannot ignore.

The One Who Sticks

There are travel romance success stories that give us all hope that we will meet another traveler — our “match” — who shares our adventure cravings on the same level and at the same depth.

Oftentimes, this is the one who — like with so many true romances — manifests when you least expect it, when you are hot and dripping with sweat after searching endlessly around town for a hostel, or when you sit down at a random table and grab a  beer and a feed in a spur-of-the-moment choice cafe.

When the stars align and you meet the one who sticks, the rest, then, is history.

A version of this article was first published on Elite Daily. 

Category: Quotes

6 comments on “The 8 Types of Guys You’ll Meet on the Road

  1. Ha! I’ve met them all, and 16 years later I’m still with “The One Who Sticks” :-) We have two young daughters now, and in between changing nappies we laugh at the mad old days in the late 90′s and early noughties where every day was an adventure and something crazy happened. I don’t really crave back as I’m that bit older and settled now (34), and besides, the world has changed quite a lot in just 10-15 years (social media for example) – some things are best to be kept in that treasure chest of memories.
    I enjoy reading about your thoughts and experiences, keeps my memories alive ;-)

    • Hi, Annie! That is a lovely story and definitely gives me hope that I will find my travel partner someday soon! So happy to know that you enjoy reading my thoughts and experiences, so thank you! I am excited to keep sharing them! :)

  2. Loved this article made me smile :-)

    • I’m happy it made you smile, Nicola, and thank you for reading! :)

  3. Loved this article!! Currently dating “the one who sticks”, we moved in together and are still living overseas.

    • That’s awesome! I hope I find the same one day ☺️ happy travels!

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