"If I was going to die I should be having fun": travel blogs, meaning and tourist experience

Bosangit, Carmela; Hibbert, Sally; McCabe, Scott

Abstract

Travel blogs are an under-utilised resource for researchers of tourism experiences. They can provide rich insights on how tourists express the transformational effects of their experiences for the self. This study of travel blogs by nineteen British bloggers reveals how elements of the narrative relating to self-reflection and emotions are central to the process of transforming their travel experiences into personally meaningful experiences. Bloggers implicitly and explicitly express how travel contributes to self-identity, signalling self-development. The study contributes to knowledge about the lasting impact of long term travel on people, adding meaning symbolic of an evolving self.

Citation

Bosangit, C., Hibbert, S., & McCabe, S. (2015). "If I was going to die I should be having fun": travel blogs, meaning and tourist experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 55(1-14), doi:10.1016/j.annals.2015.08.001

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 11, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Sep 2, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jun 25, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 5, 2019
• Print ISSN: 0160-7383
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 1-14
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2015.08.001
• Public URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2015.08.001
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738315001024?via%3Dihub