No two people are the same. Like-minded individuals usually seek each other out, but even then, they rarely see eye-to-eye about everything. Generally, though, if you pick a few random people out of a crowd, they’re going to have dramatically different viewpoints, priorities, and ways of looking at the world.

Because of this, their lifestyles are going to be different as well. This might have something to do with the way their parents or other role models raised them, but it will have just as much to do with their inherent or natural traits. Some people will be introverts, for instance, while others will love socializing.

Two archetypal individuals are the stay-at-home type and the adventurer. Neither of these is necessarily superior to the other; they just each have a different idea of fun. While the first likes nothing better than staying at home and reading a book on the couch, the second might want to hop on a motorcycle and take off across the country.

This article will get into some advantages and disadvantages to both of these mindsets and lifestyles.

Highway and Roadway Dangers

Let’s say that you’re the adventurous type. You might like taking frequent trips across the US, and maybe you’ve been to most of the fifty states. Possibly you have been to some other countries as well.

If you drive a lot, or if you own a motorcycle and you ride it around frequently, you have a higher accident chance. There are always trucks and other larger vehicles out there, and whenever you share the road with them, they pose a danger to you.

For instance, you might encounter a reckless bobtail truck driver. It’s not that unlikely: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates the trucking industry, and they say that these bobtail trucks accounted for between 4 and 5% of the truck crashes reported on US roads in one recent year.

You might also run into a larger truck, like an eighteen-wheeler. These behemoths are all over the road, and if you encounter a drunk truck driver or a sleep-deprived one, you might be sorry you ever decided to go exploring.

You Can See Things and Meet People You Never Would Otherwise

Sticking with the adventurous lifestyle, there are some definite positives as well. Assuming you can avoid highway dangers, you can see things you never would if you stayed at home. Some individuals are born in one locale, and they never go more than a few hundred miles away for as long as they live.

If you do this, you’re probably not ever going to see some of the amazing things that the US has to offer. You’ll never visit incredible cities like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. You’ll never see the aquariums, zoos, art museums, or even some of the strange, out-there roadside attractions that you can locate all over the US.

You also won’t meet many people who are different than yourself. If you don’t have wanderlust, as some people call it, you’ll never meet other like-minded individuals. If you travel, camp out under the stars, and visit many different sights and sites, you probably won’t expand your friend group as easily and readily.

What About Being a Homebody?

Of course, for every person who wants to go check out street fairs, concerts, and all manner of other gatherings, others love nothing more than staying at home and not doing much of anything. They might enjoy reading novels or poetry. They may do some gardening or cooking.

Perhaps they have an active online life. If they play video games, they may have many friends from across the world, but they won’t necessarily ever meet them face-to-face.

It would not be accurate to say these people “have no life,” or anything cruel like that. Their life might be very rich and full, though it is dramatically different than the person who wants to physically travel around the US or the world.

If You’re a Homebody, You Save Money

One thing that’s nice about being a homebody and seldom leaving the house is that you often save a great deal of financial resources. The person who gets out on the road probably has to spend a great deal on gas money. They need to spend on vehicle upkeep and insurance.

If they stay at hotels or even cheaper hostels, they need money for that. They also might not be able to keep up with work as well, at least not a conventional job, if they’re always on the road. The adventurer may not have an easy family life, either, unless their spouse, partner, and kids don’t mind them being away for long stretches at a time.

Which Way is Better?

It would never be possible to say that one of the ways we’re describing is superior to the other. Each one might sound wonderful to a particular individual or awful to someone else. This shows you how different we all are from one another, and in a way, that’s what’s so miraculous.

The world would be a dull place indeed if we were all identical. You could argue that we need both intrepid explorers and the quiet, stay-at-home individual. Each one can contribute much to society.

Perhaps the most important thing, as you think about which lifestyle appeals to you, is that you surround yourself with individuals who feel the same way you do. If you’re an adventurous sort who never wants to put down roots, find a spouse or partner who feels the same way. If you involve yourself with someone who wants completely different things from what you do, it’s doubtful you can stay together for the duration.

If you like to stay at home and watch Netflix on a Saturday night rather than go bar hopping, make sure your romantic interest knows that. Often, romance and even friendships fail when two people like each other, but they have entirely different ideas of what’s fun.