You know those Facebook profiles that are absolutely cram-packed with applications: Wall, Super Wall, Fun Wall, quizzes, compare-your-friends tools, What Kind of Car Are You? assessment, and so on? They’re the visual equivalent of a noisy construction site, a virtual brain dump that doesn’t really tell you a lot about a person besides revealing their propensity for accepting every application invitation they receive. These junked-up online profiles are my latest pet peeve. But while I don’t really care which of my friends was voted #1 hottie or which Disney princess everyone is, I’ve long held that knowing how someone travels is an excellent indicator of personality.

Incredibly, Facebook counts 421 travel-related applications in its roster (who else had only heard of the “Where I’ve Been” application?). Some are humbling (I’ve only been to 8% of the countries in the world); some are affirming (my result on the “What City Should You Live In?” quiz: New York, natch); and some are just fun (I’ve spent a good hour or two on the Traveler IQ Challenge). Among other travel applications, there’s a way to flag your profile with the countries you’ve visited, a way to track your friends’ spring break plans, even a way to test your “travel personality” by where you’ve gone.

What is it about travel that makes it at once a badge of honor and a powerful way to connect people? For me, travel goes beyond preferences in the vein of favorite TV shows or other interests; it’s a window into a person’s identity. As someone who grew up in a place where it’s not uncommon to meet people who have never been beyond the state line, I have always considered travel a lifeline to a greater capacity for understanding (and greater personal sanity). Experiencing different landscapes, both physical and philosophical, and dipping into unfamiliar ways of life is an inimitable thrill, and I know that someone who shares that sentiment, regardless of how high or low our “movie compatibility” is, is someone with whom I’ll get along. Conversely, there are travel-personality traits I just can’t get down with: a love of Señor Frog’s and the destinations it occupies, an aversion to foreign foods, or an affinity for cruising.

Can I tell all this from an online profile? Of course not, but I’ll take one nugget of information about what kind of traveler a person is over all the personality tests on Facebook (and that’s saying something). What tip-offs to someone’s personality do you find based on his or her travel preferences? What clinches a connection for you, and what are your deal breakers?