Backpacking Culture and Mobilities: Independent and Nomadic Travel

The book explores new perspectives on backpacking and global backpacker cultures, examining contemporary backpacker culture and mobilities, and the value and worth of backpacking for individuals and destinations. It aims to understand backpacking's future and produce new directions for research.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 16 January 2023
Publisher: Channel View Publications Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the realm of backpacking research, encompassing diverse perspectives and disciplines. It offers fresh insights into the world of backpackers, examining their contexts, motivations, and behaviors. By critically analyzing over 40 years of research, the book aims to reorient backpacking research and introduce new perspectives on backpacking and global backpacker cultures. The chapters explore contemporary backpacker culture and mobilities, highlighting the value and significance of backpacking for individuals seeking alternative lifestyles and personal transformation, as well as for destinations and businesses seeking to harness their economic and cultural potential. The volume seeks to unravel the current state of research in order to pave the way for future conceptual, theoretical, and methodological advancements in the field. It will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers in tourism, sociology, and anthropology, shedding light on the captivating world of backpacking.

Introduction:
Backpacking has emerged as a popular form of travel in recent years, attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures. With its roots in the 1970s, backpacking has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry, offering opportunities for adventure, self-discovery, and cultural exchange. However, despite its growing popularity, backpacking research remains relatively limited, with most studies focusing on specific aspects of backpacking or particular regions.
Purpose of the Book:
The primary purpose of this book is to present new contributions in backpacking research from various disciplines, capturing the diversity of backpacker contexts, motives, and behaviors. By taking a fresh, critical, and reflexive look at over 40 years of backpacking research, the book seeks to reorient backpacking research and introduce new perspectives on backpacking and global backpacker cultures from previously unexplored perspectives.
Chapter Summaries:
Chapter 1:
This chapter provides an overview of the history and evolution of backpacking, including its origins in the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s, its growth in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, and its subsequent mainstreaming in the 2000s. It also explores the various motivations behind backpacking, such as seeking adventure, self-discovery, cultural exchange, and economic opportunities.
Chapter 2:
Chapter 2 examines contemporary backpacker culture and mobilities, exploring the ways in which backpackers navigate the complexities of modern society and travel. It discusses the impact of technology, social media, and globalized economies on backpacker experiences, as well as the challenges and opportunities that arise from these changes. The chapter also explores the role of backpacking in promoting sustainable tourism and environmental conservation.
Chapter 3:
Chapter 3 explores the value and worth of backpacking for individuals seeking an alternative life course and transformation. It examines the personal and social benefits of backpacking, such as self-empowerment, resilience, and cultural competence. The chapter also explores the role of backpacking in promoting social change and activism, particularly among marginalized communities.
Chapter 4:
Chapter 4 examines the economic and cultural potential of backpacking for destinations and businesses. It discusses the ways in which backpackers contribute to local economies through spending, volunteering, and entrepreneurship. It also explores the challenges and opportunities that arise from the growing popularity of backpacking, such as overcrowding, environmental degradation, and cultural insensitivity.
Chapter 5:
Chapter 5 concludes the book by summarizing the key findings and recommendations from the previous chapters. It highlights the need for further research in backpacking, particularly in areas such as the impact of backpacking on mental health, the role of gender and ethnicity in backpacking experiences, and the sustainability of backpacking in the long term.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book presents new contributions in backpacking research from various disciplines, capturing the diversity of backpacker contexts, motives, and behaviors. By taking a fresh, critical, and reflexive look at over 40 years of backpacking research, the book seeks to reorient backpacking research and introduce new perspectives on backpacking and global backpacker cultures from previously unexplored perspectives. The chapters examine contemporary backpacker culture and mobilities, and the value and worth of backpacking both for individuals seeking an alternative life course and transformation, and destinations and businesses who value their economic and cultural potential. The volume aims to make sense of current research in order to understand backpackings future, and produce new directions for conceptual, theoretical, and methodological development and future research. It will be useful for students and researchers in tourism, sociology, and anthropology.

Weight: 486g
Dimension: 233 x 156 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781845418069