8 Words To Describe A Person Who Loves To Travel

Someone who loves to travel often enjoys introducing themselves to a wide range of cultures and countries. We might want to come up with a good synonym to describe people like that, and this article is the place for that.

Which Words Can Describe A Person Who Loves To Travel?

There are plenty of options to describe a person who loves to travel. Some of the best ones that we’ll cover in this article include:

  • Globetrotter
  • Travel freak
  • Wanderlust
  • Rover
  • Nomad
  • Peripatetic
  • Wanderer
  • Vagabond
Which Words Can Describe A Person Who Loves To Travel?

The preferred version is “globetrotter” because it refers to somebody who is happy to spend their days traveling around the globe. They like to immerse themselves in their travels, and it’s the only word on the list that specifically plays into someone’s love of traveling.

Globetrotter

Let’s start with “globetrotter,” which is by far the best word we can use on this list.

A globetrotter is somebody who enjoys traveling and will do so more often than most people. They’ll usually be the first person to book plane tickets out of the country, and they usually won’t care much about the time they come back.

Making holiday or vacation plans for a globetrotter is easy. Since they love traveling so much, they’re more than happy to invest a lot of their time and money into their next big trip.

The definition of “globetrotter,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who often travels to a lot of different countries.”

You might see “globetrotter” in the following ways:

  • He’s such a globetrotter! I wish I could visit as many countries as he has.
  • I like to think of myself as a globetrotter, and I never stay in one country for more than two weeks.
  • We’re a family of globetrotters, and we can’t wait to explore more of the world as we adventure.

Travel Freak

“Travel freak” is a slang phrase, where “freak” is a positive word to talk about someone’s obsession with something.

A travel freak is somebody who is completely obsessed with traveling. They’re more than happy to explore the world, and they don’t care what people might think about their freedom or love to explore new cultures and countries.

While “freak” is usually a negative slang phrase, we use it here in a positive way to show that we’re amazed by someone’s obsession with traveling.

You could see the slang phrase “travel freak” work as follows:

  • You’re such a travel freak! I wish I was as confident as you at getting out and seeing the world.
  • I’m a travel freak! I can’t get enough of all the wonderful adventures I get to have.
  • I’m a travel freak, and I’m more than happy to admit it! I don’t know where my next adventure will be.

Wanderlust

“Wanderlust” is a noun and not an adjective. However, it’s still a great way to describe somebody’s feeling of the love they get from traveling around.

Someone who has wanderlust will often dream about new adventures and places to go. We combine “wander,” meaning to explore, and “lust,” meaning “to long for.”

Wanderlust is an emotion that people can feel, which is why it’s not a descriptive word and doesn’t rank higher on this list. Still, we can describe someone’s emotions with “wanderlust” as a noun, which makes it a good choice nonetheless.

The definition of “wanderlust,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the wish to travel far away and to many different places.”

While “wanderlust” is a noun, we can still use it in the following ways:

  • I’ve got wanderlust, and it won’t go away until I get abroad!
  • Wanderlust is such a powerful emotion that I feel nearly every day.
  • He’s got plenty of wanderlust to go around, and I’m sure you can ask him where he’ll be traveling to next!

Rover

Now we come to some of the more specific words. “Rover” doesn’t strictly apply to someone who loves travel, but it can still work well.

A rover is somebody who spends a lot of time traveling. While the exact definition doesn’t mean they love traveling, it’s heavily implied that somebody who calls themselves a rover is more than happy to explore the world and everything in it.

The definition of “rover,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who spends their time traveling from place to place.”

“Rover” works in the following examples:

  • I’m a rover, meaning that I never like to spend too much time in one place.
  • He loves to travel so much that he refers to himself as Roger the Rover!
  • She’s a rover, and she’ll always be looking for the next best adventure on her laptop!

Nomad

A “nomad” isn’t always a person who loves traveling and sometimes refers to someone who travels out of necessity. That’s why we didn’t include it higher, but it also belongs on this list.

Nomads are people who travel and never live in one place. They’ll have plenty of options outside of their original housing or settlement to move to. It is used to refer to a group of people but can also work to describe a singular person.

While there’s no direct reason for nomads to love traveling, it’s still implied when we use it to describe somebody.

The definition of “nomad,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a member of a group of people who move from one place to another rather than living in one place all of the time.”

“Nomads” are more specific, but the following examples demonstrate how we can use the word:

  • You’re a bunch of nomads, which explains why you’re all more than happy to up and leave at a moment’s notice.
  • He’s a nomad, making it much harder for him to settle down and find a family.
  • I’m just a nomad, and I don’t like to hang around for longer than I’m welcome.

Peripatetic

“Peripatetic” is an uncommon word with Greek origins, but it works really well as a member on this list.

A peripatetic person or lifestyle is someone who travels around to different places. The most common reason for this is because of their work, which might require them to travel out to new lands.

While the word is heavily linked to working abroad or in distant cities, that doesn’t mean a peripatetic person can’t have fun traveling. We use it to mean that somebody is constantly on the move, and they’ll often have plenty of stories to share about the things they’ve done.

The definition of “peripatetic,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “traveling around to different places, usually because you work in more than one place.”

We might use “peripatetic” as follows:

  • My work gives me a peripatetic life, making it hard to make any friends.
  • I live a peripatetic lifestyle thanks to all the chances and fun I get to have with work.
  • We’re both quite peripatetic, which I suppose helps us to stay in such a healthy relationship.

Wanderer

A wanderer is somewhat similar to a rover, but the two people have different aims with their travel.

Wanderers often travel from place to place, but they rarely have a clear reason for doing so. Wandering refers to an aimless or mindless attempt to travel and doesn’t always mean that someone is in love with traveling.

Usually, wanderers are hippy-types, where they’re happy to let the universe or other signs tell them where to go and what to do. It’s a very free way to live your life, which is why it works well in this list.

The definition of “wanderer,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who often travels from place to place, especially without any clear aim or purpose.”

“Wanderer” works in the following ways:

  • I suppose you could call me a wanderer because I like adventure, but I rarely plan it out.
  • He’s just a wanderer, and we’re sure he’ll be passing through this town just like every other town out there.
  • You’re not a very good wanderer if you end up staying in the same place for longer than three months!

Vagabond

Finally, we’ll talk about a vagabond. It’s the furthest away from the original meaning of someone who loves to travel, but we can still use it as such.

A vagabond is someone who has to travel, usually because they don’t have a home or a job to tie them down. While this doesn’t always mean that they love the process of traveling, they’ll usually have a good time once they reach their new destination.

Vagabonds don’t often want to travel, but sometimes they are forced to if the conditions of their original life become too poor.

The definition of “vagabond,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who has no home and usually no job, and who travels from place to place.”

We can use “vagabond” in the following ways:

  • I’m a vagabond, which makes it hard for me to keep up with my own lifestyle.
  • Because of my work schedule and business trips, you might as well call me a vagabond!
  • Everyone in this city seems to be a vagabond because nobody works and everybody leaves.