The initial strain of the virus was a basic aversion to package holidays—a feeling that going alone was a superior way of traveling, a way of getting to know the local culture and injecting something into the local economy. "There is nothing unhealthy in that," I hear you mutter, and I’m sure more than a handful of you suffer from this light form of travel snobbery. I know I was diagnosed with it years ago.

However, the virus has mutated within the backpacker community, creating a number of subspecies amongst us. Now don’t be thinking that we’re talking about a third party here—I bet you’ll spot a piece of yourself in at least one of the five breeds of travel snobs. You’ve already met the “Luggage Snob,” so here’s a rundown of his most common counterparts.

“'Type Two' doesn’t seem to realize that another point of independent travel is to inject cash into the local economy.”

TYPE ONE: The Popular Destination Snob

RECOGNIZABLE BY: Obscure passport stamps from countries of which you’ve never even heard

MOST LIKELY TO SAY: "I’ve just booked a trip to Burkina Faso."

You’ll see derision all over his face when you announce your purchase of a six-stop around-the-world ticket, taking in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

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