Picture a distracted research librarian up to her elbows in tourist guides, travel literature, and brochures.  She prioritizes and rearranges complex "hit lists" using convoluted timetables in an effort to "chart a course" that will maximize sightseeing activity.  This is a typical portrait of the INFJ traveler preparing an upcoming trip.

INFJs are interested in *everything* about their destination -- thus they will explore fine arts museums, unusual architecture, any interesting attraction -- everything unique about the locale  -- and they will try to cram everything they can into one visit.  They are not inclined to linger long over too many details at the museum and historical society or take a leisurely, exploratory hike, unless that is their primary purpose for going there.  You will not often find them at the amusement park or sports arena.  Neither are they huge fans of hot night spots or fashionable restaurants, unless there's a good reason for it (which is not to suggest that INFJs don't love dressing up occasionally and stepping out in style!).  Even shopping will be overlooked in favor of racking up points on some mental DO List.  INFJs are more inclined to tick off the Monets, the Modiglianis, the Frank Lloyd Wright structures, the historical sites, the dinosaur footprints and the meteor crater -- in a single day if possible!

A typical way for an INFJ to approach a trip is to read up whatever is available on the location, either in print or via the Internet.  Free AAA guides are particularly prized, later cross-referenced against whatever tourist literature the hotel might offer.  One INFJ I know is especially fond of the Where magazine, offered free in hotels -- with its tidy organization of monthly current events, attractions, available tours, and area maps.  Trying to derive an "overview" of the destination is critically important to the INFJ, and until they have a sense of the "big picture," it is difficult for them to make choices about exactly what they prefer to do or how to best expend their time, and it also helps them manage a sense of overwhelm from so many new possibilities.

Because of their attention to Time and Task, and a nagging superstition that such an opportunity may never come their way again, INFJs attempt to wring as much potential as possible from the event, even if that means skipping over parts and only tasting the highlights.  (I know an INFJ who "did" the Louvre in an hour!)

Despite this tendency, an experienced (or self-aware) INFJ makes provisory arrangements to cope with sensory overload by scheduling some "down time" if the duration of the visit permits it.  This may include an afternoon relaxing by the pool, a quiet walk in a park, or luxuriating in a hot-tub or whirlpool bath -- self-indulgences they might otherwise neglect in favor of vigorous sightseeing.

In a nutshell, INFJs tend to be highly goal-focused about their traveling (same as they are about most everything else!).  (However, if the INFJ is travelling with another and approaches the experience as an opportunity to please them, this description goes right out the window.)

INFJs favor travel bargains, and thus may be on the lookout for discounts, coupons, and multiple venue passes that maximize their travel dollar.  I know one INFJ who wouldn't be caught dead traveling without her AAA card handy for discounts, and she frequently displays her museum membership card and requests reciprocal privileges.  Certainly INFJs love those half-price theatre ticket booths!

INFJs are reluctant to "bother" people with pesky questions unless they have a specific inquiry such as which tube line to take -- and even then they only ask after they've attempted to figure the solution out on their own.  They are especially pained by disturbing people in a foreign country whose language they do not speak, since they feel this adds insult to injury!  In fact, INFJs can be rather anti-social while traveling.  They may appear cordial, but they truly dread the taxi driver's, "So where are you from?" or the bellman's rote inquiry, "Are you traveling on business or is this a vacation?"  They would prefer to be ignored entirely.  Occasionally, INFJs might "pick the brain" of a friendly concierge regarding a good restaurant, which bus tours represent the best value, which museums are most worthwhile, and what time venues might be least crowded -- but having already done copious research, sometimes they know more than the concierge about what they are asking!

Once they have arrived at their destination, one favorite activity is to indulge in a general tour -- either via double-decker bus or trolley car, which many metropolitan areas now offer (London particularly comes to mind).  This helps orient them to the locale, and a general overview of the area gives them a better "feel" for the big picture.  They greatly enjoy the personalized "patter" of a tour guide offering general history alongside interesting trivia about the area.  Anecdotes are particularly enjoyable to them, and bring a city and its culture to life.  A bus or trolley tour offers the INFJ "research librarian" an unparalleled opportunity to "soak up" information while effortlessly enjoying sights at the same time (a real-life travelogue!), and INFJs greatly enjoy being chauffeured around a new area and learning all about it in this fashion.

In fact, INFJs revel in long scenic car trips where they are allowed to enjoy "eye candy" along the way, while also being able to introspect without distraction.  Their inferior extraverted Sensing fuels their dominant introverted iNtuition, and a car trip which favors both will leave them feeling refreshed and inspired, in contrast to how it often depletes and depresses other types.

Being Catalysts, INFJs are particularly moved by locations that "speak" to them on some unfathomable level.  Statues and monuments may spark a reaction both unexpected and archetypal.  They imagine empathizing with owners of historic homes (like Eleanor Roosevelt), Stonehenge "resonates" in some unspoken way, and the beauty and grandeur of national parks may bring them to tears and touch them in a mystical, spiritual fashion they can't easily verbalize. 

INFJs may fall into one trap while traveling, which is accidentally spending more time reading the placards posted about an item on display than enjoying the display itself.  INFJs are attracted to words -- and the words sometimes unintentionally upstage the exhibited item.  This is why audio and guided tours often represent an advantage over wandering through a venue alone where, despite her best efforts, an INFJ might actually lapse into spontaneous viewing and linger unintentionally!  (Which is fine until time runs out and the INFJ berates herself for not sticking to her schedule better.)

With their demonic introverted Sensing, INFJs may neglect to schedule meal-times around the monument-hopping or battleship-touring.  More often they snatch a banana as they blow past a 7-11 on their way to the water taxi, or grab a container of soup from the museum cafe to wolf down before inhaling the Picassos and van Goghs.  The majority of eating is done on the run, if it is remembered at all.  Moreover, many INFJs are wary of unusual local food or strange ethnic dietary selections -- some even prefer bland or ordinary "comfort" food, particularly if they are feeling stressed by the travel experience.

The INFJ is inclined to spend some portion of the trip writing postcards, letters, or email to send to friends to share the journey with them as an expression of extraverted Feeling.  No doubt some time will also be devoted to buying ideal "tokens" to carry home to bestow upon loved ones, and seeking the perfect "souvenir" that will *symbolize* the visit in some unique fashion.  Photographs may be taken to "show around" when the traveler returns home, and the INFJ prefers familiar faces be captured amongst the glorious scenery or alongside famous monuments.

A bad habit of INFJs is a tendency to purchase interesting books at local venues whilst they are travelling, and they often lug huge tomes aboard the plane at the end of their journey in order to read and research even MORE about their destination after they return.

When the INFJ comes home from a typically whirlwind trip, they are likely to crave a "vacation from their vacation," because they invested so much energy into trying to "do it all."  There is often a sense of frustration that they did not accomplish as much as they would have liked, and a nagging feeling they must someday return and do all the things missed on this trip in order to do the locale "justice."  (Of course, the irony is that "justice" never occurs, no matter how many repeat visits are made.)  Moreover, INFJ that she is, this traveler is seldom inclined to return to a vacation destination when offered the option of "conquering" a brand-new venue in its stead.

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