I still remember the first time I truly traveled with myself. Not the kind of trip where you juggle flight times, please others, and fight over who’s in charge of GPS, but the kind where your soul’s in the driver’s seat. I was on a solo trip, standing at an airport coffee kiosk, half‑awake, and this thought washed over me — Why haven’t I ever asked myself what I wanted from this adventure. It was one of those humbling, “aha” moments. Was I traveling to escape, to hustle more for work, or would I set an intention and carve out a few hours to remember the pieces of me I’d long ago, left behind.
That was a turning point. The outer edges of what eventually became my life’s work — Spiritual Personality Typing℠ . One of the ways I discovered its power was through travel and realizing how much my personality type influenced where I eat, stay and play. Because, my travel friends, travel is not just about seeing new places. It’s about seeing yourself, again and again, in new ways.
Are you ready to transform the way you travel?
Discover The Secrets Of Your Travel Personality: The Voice Of Your Soul
Every one of us carries a distinct travel personality — that unique blend of inner wiring that influences how we experience the world. Maybe you light up in bustling cities filled with movement and culture, or maybe your soul exhales when you’re tucked away in a quiet mountain cabin or toes in the sand. These preferences aren’t random; they reflect your internal compass — your Spiritual Personality Type℠ expressed in motion.
As the founder of Spiritual Personality Typing℠, I’ve spent years connecting the dots between the wisdom of Jungian typology, the enduring clarity of Myers‑Briggs®, and the soulful lens of spirituality. What I’ve learned is simple yet life‑changing: the way you travel often reveals who you truly are beneath the roles, responsibilities, and routines.
Why We Love the Anticipation of Travel
A study by Dr. Jeroen Nawijn from NHTV Breda University in the Netherlands found that anticipation of a vacation often brings a bigger happiness boost than the trip itself. Isn’t that fascinating? We don’t just get happy being there — we get happy dreaming about getting there.
That’s because your imagination — your beautiful, inner traveler — comes alive when freedom calls. But here’s the catch: if you don’t understand how you’re wired, those dreams can quickly collide with reality. The wrong itinerary, the wrong pace, even traveling with the wrong energy (hello, travel companions!) can lead to stress instead of solace.
Revealing Your Unique Travel Style
Your travel personality influences everything:
- Do you crave structured plans or spontaneous exploration?
- Are you rejuvenated by vibrant crowds or intimate, soul‑fueled quiet?
- Do you prefer familiar comforts or the adventure of not knowing what’s next?
When these preferences go unacknowledged, vacations can feel off-kilter. But naming them — understanding why certain styles light you up while others drain you — transforms travel into personal growth. This is where travel meets spirituality: outer journeys reflecting your inner rhythm.
It’s not just about logistics. It’s about soulful alignment. Because when your travel plans match your Spiritual Personality Type℠, every moment — from airport delays to breathtaking sunsets — becomes part of your spiritual education.
The Four Guiding Energies Behind Every Type
Let’s explore how your type operates on the road. In my debut book, Unpack Your Personality Typing, their are four key functions that mirror what I liken too your “inner travel crew”. These traits are travel related as I weave Spiritual Personality Type℠ to help you discover your travel personality type:
- The Pilot (Dominant Function): Your North Star Self — the primary force in your life that show you how to engage with the world.
- The Co‑Pilot (Auxiliary Function): Your Harmonious Self — the best friend that brings balance, joy, and a touch of reason.
- The Gate Agent (Tertiary Function): Your Emerging Self — often quieter, showing up later in life to reveal untapped gifts.
- The Air Traffic Controller (Inferior Function): Your Opposing Self — the trait that challenges your comfort zones, bringing; struggle, growth and grace.
Each of these parts influences how you plan, experience, and process travel. Imagine them as four voices within your spiritual concerige team — one confident, one supportive, one curious, and one that encourages, “maybe try something different this time.”
How Cognitive Functions Show Up in Travel
Our cognitive wiring — how we learn, decide, and perceive — shapes the way we pack our suitcases and our expectations.
- Extroverted Intuition (Ne): The spontaneous wanderer who sees possibilities everywhere. You’re the one jumping on last‑minute flights and finding magic in unplanned detours.
- Introverted Intuition (Ni): The meaning‑seeker, drawn to destinations that offer insight, symbolism, or transformation.
- Extroverted Sensing (Se): The in‑the‑moment experiencer — beach waves, city lights, delicious aromas. You’re present to it all.
- Introverted Sensing (Si): The traditional traveler who delights in rituals — familiar pathways, cozy spots, and nostalgic returns.
- Extroverted Thinking (Te): The planner. You thrive on itineraries and smooth execution. Airport chaos? You’ve got a spreadsheet for that.
- Introverted Thinking (Ti): The analyst and problem solver — always finding more efficient ways to travel (and possibly upgrading your carry‑on mid‑trip).
- Extroverted Feeling (Fe): The connector — happiest when everyone feels included, valued, and inspired. Group travel lights you up.
- Introverted Feeling (Fi): The value‑based traveler — seeking authenticity over popularity, chasing meaning over trend.
Your unique combination forms the blueprint for your Spiritual Personality Type™, shaping not just how you move through the world, but how the world moves through you.
Today, I want to share the essential aspects of personality typing related to cognitive functions, i.e., how we’re mentally wired. Cognitive functions are defined as the act of or the process of knowing and then making a decision based on this knowledge.
Modern-day travel can be overwhelming; too many choices. Two decades of travel experience plus ten years studying Myers-Briggs led me to develop 16 personalities unpacked, a highly personalized way to travel relying solely on personality typing. Moving along…
Soul Lessons from the Road A Real Life Story
Years ago, while attending a client event at the Miami Boat Show, I met a father who shared a moment that stopped me in my tracks. He told me about a long‑ago summer vacation in Maine with his son — just the two of them. His eyes sparkled as he said, “I went to get away from the office, but I ended up seeing my son for who he really was. And he saw me differently, too.”
What a revelation. He didn’t say the trip was flawless. He said it was sacred.
That encounter reminded me that our most meaningful journeys aren’t measured in miles but in the depth of connection — with others and with ourselves. Travel invites us to strip away what isn’t real and reconnect to the truth of who we are. That, my friend, is the spiritual path in motion.
The Hidden Gift of the Contrary Self
Maybe you’ve noticed that little tug inside when things don’t go as planned — the feeling of resistance, frustration, or discomfort. That’s your Contrary Self at work. In travel (and life), it’s your greatest teacher. Plane delays may not feel “spiritual,” but they invite patience. A mismatched travel companion may test your boundaries, but they also call your truth forward.
These moments are sacred. They reveal your shadow and your strength — two sides of one divine coin. Learning to travel with your contrary self instead of against it opens you to peace, humor, and authenticity.
Transform How You Travel — and How You Live
When you travel through the lens of your Spiritual Personality Type™, you stop chasing perfect experiences and start welcoming meaningful ones. Suddenly, the trip becomes a mirror for your spiritual evolution. You notice your triggers, your joy patterns, your energy flow. You’re not escaping your life; you’re exploring your soul.
That’s why I say travel is the best classroom for self‑discovery — you see your habits magnified. The overscheduler faces stillness. The dreamer learns structure. The peace‑lover embraces change. It’s all divine choreography.
Journal Prompt for the Soulful Traveler
Before your next trip, find a quiet corner with a cup of something warm and ask yourself:
A Soft Invitation: Walking Your Path With Support
Your midlife Christmas market journey is not a getaway from your life; it is a gateway into the woman you were always meant to be: gracious yet audacious, simple yet wildly soulful, a living invitation for others to remember their own Divine spark. If you want to travel based on your unique travel personality type, book a one-on-one session.
Please Share This Message
My hope is always to encourage fresh ways of seeing yourself and to plant seeds of truth. Through Spiritual Personality Typing℠, we can remember who we really are—and in doing so, lift the vibration of the planet together.
If this message stirred something in you, share it with a friend, sister, or coworker who may need the reminder. You never know who’s waiting for this nudge. For more inspiration, you can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Dive Deeper
If this message resonates, you may enjoy my conversation on iHeart Radio, Speaking of Travel with with host Marilyn Ball where we open the book and explore the pages of my debut book: Unpack Your Personality… What’s Your Travel Type? Listen here.
More ways to explore:
Watch on YouTube
Read it now: 8 Reasons Why Travel Is The Best Tonic For Self Discovery
Read it now: Discover Work Life Balance Using Spiritual Personality Typing
Pick up my debut book and start traveling soulfully: Unpack Your Personality here
Who Is Nina Zapala?
I created Spiritual Personality Typing℠ during what I call my “midlife tsunami,” a season of upheaval that stripped away illusions and brought me to truth. A liberating lesson taught me; old-school typology only tells half the story. This realization lead to a new personality paradigm one that bridges the personality and soul. This isn’t another new activation it’s alignment—a committed way of living true to your self.
Today I guide women just like you to ignite the relationship between soul and personality the totality of your true self-expression—free from fear or compromise. Think of it as a coming into wholeness–gracious, yet audacious; releasing the patriarchy, invisibility, and anti-aging tropes. A return to simple and soulful living. Vibrant. Free. Liberated.
Here’s what I’ve come to know: Every wrinkle is a story. Every scar, a sacred map. When we deny our true self, the soul withers. When we embrace her, we bloom into timelessness.
