Overcome Fears: How Each Enneagram Type Travels

Travel isn’t just about seeing new places; it’s about self-discovery, growth, and stepping beyond your comfort zones. The Enneagram is a powerful tool that helps us understand nine different personality types, each with unique motivations, fears, and desires. By exploring how each type approaches travel, we can learn not only about our natural tendencies but also about how to challenge ourselves in ways that foster personal development.

Here’s how each Enneagram type might approach travel, with specific growth opportunities and tailored activities in Toronto to help each type thrive.

Type 1: The Reformer – The Principle-Driven Traveler

Type 1s are motivated by a desire to be good, ethical, and morally right. They appreciate purposeful travel that aligns with their values, such as eco-friendly trips, historical sites, or community service. For Reformers, travel is an opportunity to learn and grow in a way that improves both themselves and the world.

Growth Opportunity: Letting go of rigid standards and enjoying imperfect experiences can help you relax and appreciate the moment more fully.

Toronto Activities:

• Take Polaroid Photos in the Moment: Spend a day wandering through Toronto and snap 50 Polaroid photos without worrying about getting the perfect shot. The instant, uneditable nature of Polaroids will push you to embrace imperfection and find joy in capturing spontaneous, unplanned moments. Whether your photo is blurry or perfectly framed, each one is a unique memory that tells a story.
• Take a Pottery Class at Clay Space: Try your hand at pottery, a craft that requires patience and allows for mistakes. No two pieces of pottery are ever the same, and imperfections often add character to the final result.

Type 2: The Helper – The Relationship-Driven Traveler

Type 2s are motivated by a need to feel loved and appreciated. They are warm, empathetic, and thrive on meaningful connections with others. When they travel, they often seek experiences where they can interact deeply with locals or contribute to the communities they visit.

Growth Opportunity: Focus on self-care and solo adventures where you can recharge without needing to care for others. Learning to put yourself first can be a powerful experience.

Toronto Activities:

• Solo Afternoon at Body Blitz Spa: Dedicate a day to yourself at this water spa that encourages relaxation and self-rejuvenation. Leave your phone behind, and focus on enjoying the moment.
• Self-Guided Nature Walk at Evergreen Brick Works: Enjoy the trails alone, allowing yourself time to reflect without needing to engage with others. Take this time to explore your thoughts and recharge.

Type 3: The Achiever – The Goal-Oriented Traveler

Type 3s are driven by the need to be successful. They love destinations that offer opportunities to learn, grow, and achieve, and they find great satisfaction in accomplishing something noteworthy during their travels, such as mastering a new skill or completing a challenging itinerary.

Growth Opportunity: Embrace authenticity by engaging in activities that aren’t about achievement or status. You may find unexpected fulfillment in day-to-day experiences.

Toronto Activities:

• Chinatown Food Tour: The food scene in Chinatown is filled with restaurants with humble beginnings – often family run and down-to-earth. Try out some of these locations and (if you’re up for the challenge) get to know some of the owners and their stories.
• Volunteering with Food Banks: Spend a day at food banks like Daily Bread to meet new people. As of 2023, one tenth of Torontonians use food banks – making it a grounding experience to have.

Type 4: The Individualist – The Emotionally Expressive Traveler

Type 4s are motivated by a desire to understand their true self and be uniquely expressed. They love destinations that allow for introspection, creativity, and deep emotional experiences. Travel for them is about self-discovery and finding beauty in the world around them.

Growth Opportunity: Engage in group activities where you share your creativity with others. Stepping outside of self-reflection can open new avenues for connection and inspiration.

Toronto Activities:

• Art Class at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario): Join a collaborative art workshop where you can connect with other creatives, share ideas, and draw inspiration from the group dynamic.
• Drum Circle at Trinity Bellwoods Park: Participate in a drum circle. This communal music-making experience invites you to be fully present and engaged with those around you.

Type 5: The Investigator – The Knowledge-Seeking Traveler

Type 5s are motivated by a need to understand the world and feel capable. They enjoy destinations that allow for deep intellectual engagement, like museums, historical sites, and workshops. Travel, for them, is about exploration and gaining knowledge.

Growth Opportunity: Try activities that emphasize emotional engagement, collaboration, and creativity in a social setting. You’ll find that connecting with others can be intellectually and emotionally rewarding.

Toronto Activities:

• Improv Workshop at The Second City: Improv challenges your ability to think on your feet and engage socially. This type of activity requires emotional presence and collaboration in real-time, breaking you out of the comfort zone of observation and analysis.
• Group Cooking Challenge at The Chef Upstairs: Rather than simply learning a skill, this experience requires teamwork, collaboration, and communication to create a meal together. It’s a great way to practice being part of a group while engaging in a hands-on, creative process.

Type 6: The Loyalist – The Safety-Conscious Traveler

Type 6s are driven by a need for security and stability. They prefer travel that feels safe and predictable, with well-prepared plans and contingency measures. Loyalists value trips where they know what to expect and can rely on guides, friends, or trusted organizations.

Growth Opportunity: Trusting your ability to handle the unexpected can build confidence and reduce anxiety. Try spontaneous activities where you can practice being comfortable with uncertainty.

Toronto Activities:

• Last-Minute Theatre Tickets at Mirvish Productions: Go to a theater without a pre-booked ticket and buy whatever is available. This practice in spontaneity helps you let go of excessive planning.
• Toronto Islands Day Trip Without an Itinerary: Take a ferry and leave the day unplanned. There’s plenty of activities to do at Toronto Island, so trust the flow of the day, embrace surprises, and discover hidden gems without needing everything to be “just right.”

Type 7: The Enthusiast – The Experience-Loving Traveler

Type 7s are motivated by a desire to experience life to the fullest. They seek out adventure, excitement, and destinations that offer a wide variety of activities. They are spontaneous and love keeping their travel plans flexible to maximize their options.

Growth Opportunity: Practice slowing down and focusing on depth rather than breadth. Savoring fewer experiences more deeply can bring a new kind of fulfillment.

Toronto Activities:

• Kayak in Toronto Island: This is an active and adventurous way to explore Toronto’s scenic islands at your own pace. Paddle slowly and enjoy the natural beauty. Focus on the serenity of the water and let yourself be fully present.
• Cooking Class at St. Lawrence Market: Join a cooking class that takes you through a slow, deliberate process of learning to cook with local ingredients, focusing on the details.

Type 8: The Challenger – The Empowered Traveler

Type 8s are driven by a desire for control and self-reliance. They seek bold, adventurous experiences and enjoy testing their limits. They thrive in environments that allow them to take charge and push their boundaries.

Growth Opportunity: Benefit from softening defenses and opening up to trusting others. This involves stepping back from the front seat and discovering that true strength can also be found in collaboration and vulnerability.

Toronto Activities:

• Try White Water Rafting: Join a guided whitewater rafting experience where the group must follow the lead of the rafting guide. Each participant has a role, and you’ll need to work together to navigate the rapids safely.
• Learn Tango or Salsa: Take a partner dance class where both partners need to follow the instructor’s guidance, and at times, you need to let your partner lead in the dance.

Type 9: The Peacemaker – The Easygoing Traveler

Type 9s are motivated by a need for peace, harmony, and a sense of connection with the world around them. They enjoy relaxing, low-key travel destinations, often preferring to go with the flow rather than taking charge. However, growth for Type 9 comes from stepping into leadership roles and making active choices.

Growth Opportunity: Challenge yourself to step into the forefront by participating in activities that require decision-making and leadership. By taking initiative, you’ll gain confidence and find new ways to assert yourself.

Toronto Activities:

• Escape Room Challenge at Escape Manor: Join a team-based escape room where you’ll need to take an active role to solve puzzles. This experience encourages you to step up, make decisions, and engage with the group in a way that challenges your natural inclination to remain passive.
• Plan and Lead a Group Outing to the Toronto Zoo or Ripley’s Aquarium: Organize a day trip for friends or family, from picking the destination to coordinating logistics. Taking the lead in planning and decision-making can be a rewarding challenge.

Final Thoughts

Understanding your Enneagram type can be a powerful way to enhance your travel experiences. Not only does it help you choose the kinds of trips that align with your natural preferences, but it also provides a roadmap for personal growth. By embracing activities and challenges that push you out of your comfort zone—whether it’s slowing down, taking charge, or letting go of control—you can transform travel into a deeper journey of self-discovery.

The next time you plan a trip, consider how your Enneagram type might influence your approach. But more importantly, ask yourself: How can this trip be an opportunity for growth? After all, the greatest journeys are not just the ones that take us to new places—they’re the ones that bring us closer to who we are.