Cluster Descriptions (Also Visit Lifestyle Matrix Menu Bar):

Cluster 1: Family; Friends; Learn and discover
Family life is hectic these days; so, as a working mom, I use my vacation time to make sure we have some quality time as a family unit. That’s why my vacation doesn’t truly begin until I pack the husband and kids into the car and head out of town. We don’t always plan ahead…usually, we just get our trip info from friends & family, or the web. Sometimes we take our friends along– giving us the opportunity to do something different and reconnect with our friends. We usually like to do a lot of different things when we travel - something for everyone, so to speak: hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing…and even learning about history and culture. Actually, we often spend most of our vacation time exploring new areas and learning about the history and culture of the people who live there.

Cluster 2: Traveling to be with Friends
I’m not the “lone traveler” type. And hey, I get to see enough of my family every day. But my friends? We’re all spread out now so finding quality time together isn’t easy. If I see that a small window of time might open up for me, I start planning to get my friends together. It really doesn’t matter what we do as long as we have a chance to “relive” some of our old memories (or create new ones). I guess we usually end up hiking, cross-country skiing, or doing something outside. I also enjoy discovering what a community has to offer: local festivals and that kind of thing. For instance, the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is coming up, so there are bound to be lots of activities around that. I know I’ll be able to drag at least a couple of my friends for a long weekend to catch some of the events planned for that celebration!

Cluster 3: Family; Friends; Escape routine; Seek memories
What inspires me to travel? Connecting with my family and friends is what really gets me going. Every year at about the same time, we all head out to our usual spot – one we’ve gone to for around 15 years now. Wow – from the moment we arrive, we sink in to the comfort of a familiar place and relish the fact that we are miles away from the hum-drum, daily things that make up our busy lives. We don’t always have a long time to spend, so we pack the kids and then try to pack in lots of activities: 4-wheel driving, hiking, mountain biking, you name it. As long as it’s something we can do together, we do it! 

Cluster 4: Travelers escaping; Learn and discover; Engage in Outdoor recreation
Vacation! There are few words that inspire me to greater heights! I work a lot but somehow find I don’t have a lot of money to spend on vacations! But that doesn’t seem to matter. I have time, and the vacations that I take just don’t cost a lot!  Besides, I really have to get out of town and away from work and the demands of life, or I’ll go crazy! I just hop in my car and head out on the open road…ready to explore places I’ve never seen before. I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon; I’ve hiked Moscow Mountain. I’ve rafted the Salmon; I’ve rafted the Lochsa. Whatever can get me outside and on my own goes a long way toward rejuvenating my spirit.

Cluster 5: Friends; Escape workplace, Memorable things; Outdoor recreation
Yesterday, my friends and I decided to say “goodbye” to our families and our jobs & school, and set out for a long weekend in the canyon lands. That’s our “rendezvous” spot…we just love that place. It has changed a little, but never so much that it doesn’t look like home! It’s awesome to get outside and hike around. We’ll probably even try a little rock climbing this time. We’ll have some great stories to tell when we get home…we always do! And I guess, when it comes right down to it, that’s why we go. So we can look back on these wonderful times and cherish our time away and our time together… bonding with each other and the natural world.

Cluster 6: Traveling to be with Family
We bought the SUV so we’d be prepared to travel the country; instead, it seems like all we use it for is to shuttle back and forth to soccer matches and dance recitals! Now, that has to change! After all, our family really bonds when we travel together. Long drives are great for talking about things that get overlooked in our day-to-day conversations. We’ve been known to take off at the drop of a hat for a day or two, or plan a vacation three months in advance! Either way, we have a chance to get away from all that keep us separate and apart and lets us unite and get to know each other again. That’s why we go…time together: parents and kids.

Cluster 7: No Identifiable Motivation

Hey, I am the Business Traveler
I’m here on business. I don’t want to hear about the great rafting and the awesome hiking and the beautiful vistas and the amazing wildlife. I don’t want to hear about the rolling hills of the Palouse or the rugged terrain of the Frank Church. Please do not tell me what I am missing as I sit in a meeting room that could be a meeting room that sits in the middle of (heaven forbid) Albuquerque, New Mexico. All I know is that if I have a free minute, I’m going to try to get out and see the sights.

Hey, I am just a Traveling Being
I go where the wind blows me for no apparent reason. Maybe I’ll end up in Idaho or maybe I’ll end up in Alaska. It’s hard to say!

Cluster 8: Traveling to learn
I retired last year and I haven’t looked back. I love the freedom that retirement brings! Not only do I have more free time, but I’ve also saved up a little “nest egg” that allows me to travel in comfort and, sometimes, in style. I really enjoy traveling to places I’ve never been before and learning about the people who live there and what their lives are like. I’ll often take the extra time needed to explore the history of an area and try to imagine what it must have looked like so many years in the past. Heck, I’m already planning my trip around the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. That will be a once-in-a-lifetime event that I don’t plan to miss. You know, I don’t always spend a lot on these trips, and I don’t always have to be gone for days on end…but I do have to learn something. That way, I tell myself, I have a lot to offer my kids and grandkids when I take these trips. Learning keeps me young.

Cluster 9: Family traveling to escape routine; Learn; Engage in Outdoor Recreation
Wow, we need those few days a year when we can get away from the pressures of everyday life to reconnect as a family. We love to explore new territory and learn as we go. To tell you the truth, the kids usually do some research before we head out of town, which is great. Of course, they think it’s pretty cool to see this stuff “in person” rather than only through the internet. Last year, when we were hiking in the Sawtooths, my youngest saw a bald eagle for the first time. It was awesome! This year, she wrote a report on eagles and included a photo of the one she’d seen. Our vacations are a time for bonding, for sure. But they also satisfy our curiosity and our need to get outdoors and bond with nature!