Travel and Life: A Developmental Perspective on Tourism Consumption Over the Life Course
Keywords
Biographical interviews; Erikson's stages of psychosocial development; Life; Life course; Life stages; Travel
Abstract
In contrast to existing studies which tend to examine a unidirectional relationship between tourism and life, this research is a stride toward understanding how travel and life inform and shape each other during one's life course. Drawing on Erikson's stages of psychosocial development and going beyond cross-sectional designs, this study utilized biographical interviews with 25 U.S. residents to capture the mutual relationship between tourism and life course. Both longitudinal cross-case and within-case analyses were conducted, bringing to life the functions that travel fulfils at each of Erikson's developmental stages. This study is novel in that it illustrates how travel is made sense of in the context of life and how life is made sense of in travel. It marks a theoretically meaningful addition to the existing studies, attesting to the importance of a life course perspective on the travel/life spectrum. Practical ramifications and future research agenda are discussed.
Publication Date
5-1-2022
Original Citation
Fu, X., Kirillova, K., & Lehto, X. Y. (2022). Travel and life: A developmental perspective on tourism consumption over the life course. Tourism Management, 89, N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104447
Document Type
Paper
Language
English
Source Title
Tourism Management
Volume
89
Copyright Status
Unknown
College
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Location
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
STARS Citation
Fu, Xiaoxiao; Kirillova, Ksenia; and Lehto, Xinran Y., "Travel and Life: A Developmental Perspective on Tourism Consumption Over the Life Course" (2022). Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 1093.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar/1093