Travelling connects people. Before the trip we were merely classmates sharing the same course and after our trip we shared amazing memories, like rushing up to the monastery in Petra and lying in the desert in the middle of the night to watch the stars. Not much (or none?) research has been done on the social relations between travellers. We seem to be much more open-minded and interested in other people’s stories. In this last blog entry I want to recapitulate and reflect on the entries I wrote. I reflected on the tourist gaze, a concept by Urry that includes the idea that memories and experiences influence the way you perceive and judge the things you see. I disagree with the idea that the tourist gaze in not a matter of individual psychology (Berger, 1972). I personally believe, after having numerous conversations with other travellers worldwide, that experiencing travelling is very much dependent on individual psychology. It is true that it is to some extent a socially constructed pattern, but there is and will always be the unexplained part, why people experience things differently, even though they have the same nationality, class or any other factor. It is hard to grasp the traces travelling leaves on people, the way they changed. I can hardly explain my thoughts to others when I think about my trips, much less to codify it and use it for research.
The influence of globalisation has been discussed, as well as the recent phenomena of increasing options for tourist. Interestingly, though my posts about these topics and the tourist resort development were written with the aim to focus on the discussed topic in particular, they do complement each other. Generally, all posts are related to each other in some ways, which shows why tourism is such an interesting topic – it is all encompassing! Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you could broaden your knowledge and feel the urge to experience these issues yourself. Grab a backpack & go!
The influence of globalisation has been discussed, as well as the recent phenomena of increasing options for tourist. Interestingly, though my posts about these topics and the tourist resort development were written with the aim to focus on the discussed topic in particular, they do complement each other. Generally, all posts are related to each other in some ways, which shows why tourism is such an interesting topic – it is all encompassing! Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you could broaden your knowledge and feel the urge to experience these issues yourself. Grab a backpack & go!
LLM
Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin.
The end of a great week in Jordan
My Crew
