The researchers noted, “High sensation-seekers preferred
active, spontaneous, fast-paced and less comfortable vacations. On
the other hand, low sensation-seekers had a distinct preference for
low-energy activities. They preferred passive, well planned in
advance, slow paced and comfortable vacations” (guilty as charged).
In fact, dozens of studies confirm this relationship.Authentic Experiences
In 2006, Andrew Lepp and Heather Gibson at Kent State University
surveyed over 200 travelers about their travel preferences. They
found that “the higher the sensation-seeking score the more likely
they were to have traveled to regions of the world rated as riskier.”
What’s more, sensation-seekers,
preferred more independent styles of travel and more novel
activity than those lower in the sensation-seeking trait. High
sensation-seekers travel freely without a well-defined itiner-
ary, get off the beaten path, meet local people, engage in a host
countries’ culture and forgo comfort in favor of a more authen-
tic experience. On the other hand, low sensation-seekers are
likely to travel with packaged tours, pre-plan much of their
trip, visit the famous sites, and maintain a barrier between
themselves and the host culture and insist on familiar
comforts.^29
This goes along with the idea that high sensation-seekers
aren’t out for risk in and of itself. It’s like the famous criminal
Willie Sutton. He was once asked why he robbed banks. His answer?
“Because that’s where the money is.” Why go to risky parts of the
world and dive head first into an unfamiliar culture? Because that’s
where the unique experiences are. It makes perfect sense to forgo
luxury for an authentic experience if it gets your dopamine pump-
ing and your behavior inhibition system doesn’t seem to mind.
Victor would agree. Victor is a 26 year old who’s getting
a PhD in Electrical Engineering focusing on artificial intelligence
and robotics. He loathes dull vacations. In fact, he loves getting lost,
because it’s a puzzle to figure out. When I asked him what it was
like hearing of a new adventure he said he actually craves collecting
new experiences for what he called the museum of his mind:
“I’m sure anybody who’s ever collected Pokemon cards or
baseball cards or records or anything like that, when they come out58 / Buzz!Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:18:13, subject to the Cambridge