Why Are There People Who Don't Like to Travel?

People who don't like to travel have particular traits, priorities, and needs. We'll tell you more about them in the following article!

Written and verified by the psychologist Elena Sanz.

Last update: 12 March, 2024

Only a few decades ago, traveling was a luxury for a large part of the population; today, this activity is the favorite hobby of millions of people and a true lifestyle for many others. However, for some, this possibility isn’t appealing, even if they have the time and money to do it. What’s special about people who don’t like to travel? We’ll explore the answer below.

If you’re an avid traveler, you may not understand how someone would turn down the opportunity to get out of their routine, discover new cultures, and live countless adventures. On the other hand, if you’re among those who aren’t attracted to travel, you may have felt questioned, judged, or discriminated against on more than one occasion.

Actually, both positions are equally valid and legitimate, but a person’s preference gives certain information about them. Keep reading to learn more.

Why don’t I like travel?

Traveling is a growing trend, and tourism continues to increase. This is a fact. According to figures from the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), in 2018 there were 1,400 million tourists who moved from one country to another in search of new experiences.

Given this perspective, refusing a trip can make you seem “weird” or “boring” in the eyes of those around you. However, it’s all a matter of personality. Let’s see why.

Nativist tendencies

In the human being, two tendencies coexist: One that prefers the known, regularity, and the standardized (nativist) and another that seeks adventure, novelty, and breaking away from routine (tourism). Both coexist in all of us and alternate, but the truth is that in each person, there’s a predominant tendency.

For people who don’t like to travel, it’s the nativist trend that emerges most strongly.

Tradition, routine, and security

Those who reject travel tend to be more traditional, value routine, and seek to have some control over their environment, as this provides them with security. But where does this need come from? Well, as an article published in the E-Review of Tourism Research suggests, this could even come from the first years of childhood.

Following the famous attachment theory of Ainsworth and Bowlby, the child, in the relationship with their main caregivers, develops a particular vision of themself and the world around them. And specifically, they cultivate a greater or lesser sense of security.

Therefore, little ones who establish an insecure attachment tend to feel more fearful, uncomfortable, and anguished when being away from home than those who enjoy a secure attachment.

Transferring it to adult life, this explains why there are those who love to go on trips and those who don’t like to travel. The perception of risk in people who don’t like to travel is much higher.

Intolerance toward uncertainty

In addition to the above, we can’t forget that a trip always supposes a break away from the familiar and known. This depends on many variables: The language of the destination, its compatibility with the traveler, the previous information that is possessed, etc… But, in any case, it always provides a more or less high degree of uncertainty.

For some people, this isn’t a problem and is, instead, refreshing and stimulating. However, in others, small unforeseen events, changes, unknown areas, and elements beyond their control are torture.

For those who have a low tolerance for uncertainty, being unaware of so many aspects of what their day-to-day journey will be like or how it will be resolved is more than enough reason not to feel called to travel.

Openness to experience

Finally, there’s an aspect of personality that’s key when it comes to determining why some people don’t like to travel: It’s openness to experience. This is one of the Big Five personality traits described in the Costa and McCrae model, which refers to the tendency to be imaginative, open-minded, curious, and attracted to novelty and a variety of experiences.

When someone scores low in this aspect, they’re more conventional and conservative, feeling more comfortable in familiar environments and with familiar people. Therefore, their curiosity and interest in traveling are reduced.

People who don’t like to travel are simply making a choice

In short, there’s nothing wrong with people who don’t like to travel. Their decision isn’t necessarily due to the fact that they’re fearful individuals but rather the fact that they prioritize and value stability, the familiar, and their own territory.

If they want to venture more than usual and take advantage of the benefits of traveling, it’s positive for them to know useful information about their destination in advance, plan in detail, or return to places they already know. But let’s remember that traveling or not traveling is purely a personal choice.