Where to Travel This Summer According to Your Enneagram Type

Curious about the perfect trip to suit your personality? We’ve consulted the characteristics of the nine Enneagram types and matched them up with summer 2020’s best destinations, including a hotel recommendation for your holiday too. Take the test and get planning.

We're suckers for a personality-based quiz, whether it's consulting our horoscope, finding out our Hogwarts house or choosing three pizza toppings to find out which celebrity we'll marry. Sure, no one personality typing system can encapsulate all the wonderful, multi-faceted parts that make you, you. But there's something especially fun and spookily spot on about the Enneagram test.

Not heard of it? Masterminded by The Enneagram Institute, this personality test uses a set of questions to pick apart your neuroses, desires and fears and divvy us up into nine "types". We've examined those characteristics and matched them to this year's best summer destinations. Simply take the test, read on and get planning.

Plan your summer escape based on your Enneagram type

Enneagram Type One: The Reformer

Portland, Oregon

Who? You're a rational, idealistic type with a backbone made up of principles, integrity and a consciousness about the world around you. Self-control and perfectionism are your forte, and you are attracted to high standards in others.

Visit: Portland, Oregon

Why? You want a lot from a holiday destination. With a low-impact tourism policy, carbon neutrality and plans to be the world's first fully organic nation this year, Bhutan is the benchmark when it comes to a Reformer's getaway. But for a summer break? Not really - it's best enjoyed between October and December. Instead, head to Oregon's capital of the unconventional to mingle with progressive locals and techsperts as the environmentally friendly city pulls out all the stops with summertime festivals celebrating the best in craft beer, food, music and contemporary art. When you've done exploring (via Portland's web of public transport and cycling routes), head outside the city to Mount Hood or the wine-soaked Willamette Valley.

Stay: Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel

Enneagram Type Two: The Helper

Central Otago, New Zealand

Who? You are driven by the need to love and be loved. You're caring and generous but can veer into people-pleasing and possessive territory. A sense of freedom and a feeling of worth have you feeling at your best.

Visit: Central Otago, New Zealand

Why? Type twos are wired to care for others so suggesting a voluntourism trip seems like no brainer - but we say: you need to take a break. Your big heart will likely find kindred spirits in cities such as Nashville or Austin, where larger-than-life southern hospitality is reflected in welcoming, design-forward hotels, great food and vibrant entertainment scenes. Yet to balance out those people-pleasing habits, we suggest whisking yourself to Central Otago in New Zealand's South Island to recalibrate as you explore shimmering valley floors backed by the craggy Southern Alps, cycle through orchards laden with apricots and quaff a local pinot noir in Queenstown. This summer, you're pleasing yourself first.

Stay: Matakauri Lodge

Enneagram Type Three: The Achiever

South Tyrol, Italy

Who? Driven by the need to succeed and be respected (and yes, we know you can feel pretty image-conscious, too) you take a best-of-the-best approach to life and travel. You're hopeful, pragmatic and adaptable.

Visit: South Tyrol, Italy

Why? Your go-getting vibe would resonate in the concrete jungle of New York, among the beau monde of Paris's Le Pigalle neighbourhood or perhaps Kreuzberg in Berlin - but sweating it out in the city just isn't the way we'd want to spend a summer. Instead, head to Italy, where picturesque beaches, lakes, great coffee, better plonk, mountains of pasta and even taller geographical peaks will give you that good-life feeling without sacrificing those look-at-me snaps on your Instagram feed. Make a beeline for South Tyrol where world-class hiking trails (who settles for second best?) across the Dolomites give way to the charming Riviera and the spa town of Merano.

Stay: Hotel Therme Meran

Enneagram Type Four: The Individualist

Galway, Ireland

Who? Fours are often the types seeking an "authentic" experience; you want originality, creativity and personalisation. A sensitive soul, you veer between being dramatically expressive (read: temperamental) and having a self-reflective state of mind.

Visit: Galway, Ireland

Why? Romantic. Creative. Dramatic. Such words could be used to describe fours just as easily as they could be pinned on Galway, Europe's Capital of Culture for 2020. Well suited to solo travel, imaginative fours can throw themselves into this bohemian West Coast city, where Irish pubs blare live music, artisanal shops sell handcrafted Claddagh rings and Galway Market peddles locally sourced produce. We'd like to crack a joke about Ireland's "wild west" weather being as temperamental as your temperament, but we thought it a little mean. When you are in that more self-reflective mood, head out of the city to the rugged Aran Islands.

Stay: Inis Meáin

Enneagram Type Five: The Investigator

Arles, France

Who? With a razor-sharp intellect, you're hungry for knowledge, often of the high-brow variety. You're perceptive and innovative but can also appear secretive and detached - your time and space is yours, after all.

Visit: Arles, France

Why? We'd take a bet you'd be happy in any destination that captures the imagination, whether that's exploring Prague's Jewish Quarter, playing Indiana Jones around Machu Picchu, sailing the Northwest Passage or simply pootling about London's museums. When space hotels open, a five will likely be the first to check in - closely followed by a seven. Until then, we suggest summering in Arles, where the Mediterranean light has drawn creatives such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Mitchell. It's a popular escape for Parisians thanks to its cocktail of cultural offerings including first-century Roman Theatre and the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles. Drink up.

Stay: Le Cloître

Enneagram Type Six: The Loyalist

United Kingdom

Who? You're a homebody. You're a commitment pro and stick to situations where you feel most safe and secure - though that doesn't mean you take to isolation naturally. Anxiety is an issue, but you're a star when taking on responsibility. Planning is your superpower.

Visit: UK

Why? As easy on the pocket as they are on the environment, staycations are summer 2020's holiday du jour - and a road trip on home turf couldn't be more suited to a six. They bypass the need for planes and help to quash anxieties over the contributing to the climate crisis and the spread of COVID-19. Plus, your penchant for planning will come in handy. The 4,500km English Coastal Path was completed this year - the world's longest of its kind. We suggest crafting an itinerary along a southern stretch, using our range of pocket guides to pick out the best creative enclaves and coastal towns to dip into en route. Brighton, Rye and Lyme Regis rank among our favourites.

Stay: The Gallivant

Enneagram Type Seven: The Enthusiast

Yerevan, Armenia

Who? A fun-loving type who thrives on spontaneity, versatility and being busy (some perceive this as being scatty, but you don't care), sevens are born travellers who thrive on throwing themselves into new experiences as much as they do their work.

Visit: Yerevan, Armenia

Why? In truth, an ever-curious, fun-loving seven (you guys suffer FOMO easily) would be happiest on a round-world trip. You want to get lost in the souks of Marrakech or Tangier, party in Bahia or Tel Aviv, and revel in the dynamism of Cape Town. Appease your pioneer spirit in Armenia's buzzy capital, where traditional pandoks and whimsical courtyards rub shoulders with Soviet-era buildings. Get your culture fix at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts and sip soorch (Armenian-style coffee) by the dancing fountains in Republic Square before embarking on a section of the Transcaucasian Trail that snakes 3,000km across Georgia to Azerbaijan.

Stay: Hotel Alpha

Enneagram Type Eight: The Challenger

Azores, Portugal

Who? Eights tend to be the leaders of the pack. Naturally self-confident, you command power with ease, make firm decisions and don't shy away from a challenge or confrontation.

Visit: Azores, Portugal

Why? Scaling glaciers in Chile? Been there. Trekked Kilimanjaro? Done that. Backpacking in Denali National Park? Yawn. Okay, that kind of travel checklist is of an extremely adventurous persuasion, but if there was a type to have done it… it would be an eight. This summer, make plans to visit the Azores before they're inevitably discovered by throngs of tourists. Floating 1,500km off the coast of Lisbon, these nine volcanic islets are ideal for island hopping - Flores, Faial and Pico are our favourites. Thermal pools, crystalline lagoons, whale-watching, hiking trails, smoking volcanoes and ancient vineyards are guaranteed to satisfy your daring spirit.

Stay: Graciosa Resort

Enneagram Type Nine: The Peacemaker

Ise-Shima, Japan

Who? A calm, easygoing type, you just want everyone to be happy. Stability and harmony are your raison d'etre. Tension? No thanks. You tend to be receptive and reassuring, though this can sometimes come across as indifference.

Visit: Ise-Shima, Japan

Why? In a bid to avoid confrontation, nines are likely to go with the flow of others' plans or gravitate towards destinations that have attractions to suit everyone in their travel party. However, a peaceful spot soaked in history and spirituality is likely to appeal to you personally - something like Stone Henge or Rishikesh will do, though we recommend escaping to Japan's Mie Prefecture, where the Ise-Shima National Park juts into the Pacific. Two hours' drive from Kyoto, it's prime territory for recalibrating the soul between Shinto shrines (don't miss Ise Jingū) and dinners of seafood sustainably hand-harvested by Ama divers.

Stay: Amanemu

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