Ignorance or Arrogance: The risks backpackers are willing to take for the experience of a life time.
Author: Matti Seila
2 Commentries
Since Cohen (1972) introduced and published the definitions for these backpackers - the explorer and the drifter -, the industry and the research conducted on them has seen a substantial increase of interest. These drifters, act and behave with almost no regard to the well being, raises the question about their motivations and reasons for these risk-taking adventures. Therefore there is a need of defining their motivation and the risks that might occur, and what is there to gain from it.
These backpackers are mostly defined by being pleasure seeking tourists, who withhold the control over their actions, rather than giving it away to specific travel agents. They also tend to travel to multiple different destinations during their very lengthy and flexible journey, whilst offering them a firsthand experience of the local culture and providing something of a local look.
The backpackers typically in today's world travel alone, or with one other person, but enjoy the company of many whom he or they have familiarized with throughout their journey. They then continue to visit locations outside of their normal periphery, which help them to shift and forget their domestic responsibilities and constrains. Similarly Desforges (2000) enforced these assumptions, as he notes that, when travelling independently or with a friend, the backpacker feels as though he was, for the first time really living and a part of something unique. They actively continue to form connections between different groups and societies, in which the backpacker will then spends his or hers majority of the time, when visiting and residing in particular road stops and destinations. Here they continue to practice and court different types of risks and adventures (Maoz, 2007; Elsrud, 2006).
The motivations for these journeys play the most important factor for backpackers, as these motivators guide and persuade them to take part in very risk-taking endeavours and force them to ignore their instincts of self preservation. They act against their own cultural norms and values by constructing different priorities and responsibilities, as well as convince themselves to be more 'freedĀ“ from their normal domestic constrains. But because these backpackers are outside of their normal 'comfort zone' and are surrounded by other individuals with the same perceptions, they begin to perceive the daily risks and dangers less threatening and continue to participate in risky activities. They also forget or become ignorant towards the simplest dangers, such as health issues when consuming unfamiliar foods.
In order to win, one must risk something, thus acting and facing a threat has the potentiality of bestowing the risk-taker with a preferred identity and value (Elsrud, 2001).
Risk plays an increasingly important element for the modern societies, while providing something exceptional. And as seen in many different occasions, the concept is manufactured into nearly everything and anything. It is portrayed that participants generally accept the presence of risk, while taking part in different activities, and that the value of it, is an important factor to grasp (Hunter-Jones et al, 2007; Cater, 2006). But the risk is not there for a single reason of providing excitement, it is there sometimes to provide a learning experience as well. And as stated by Cater (2006), without risk you will not know and / or appreciate fully the activity you were getting into. The adventures take intentional risks to fulfil their need to experience something self-constructive, and new, while at the same time alter their perception danger. Even when disasters strikes close by or minor injuries diminish their capabilities, their behaviours are not affected. And as the travellers in most cases know the full extent of the dangers and risks associated with the activity, they are partly considered to be voluntary risks (Elsrud, 2001; Elsrud, 2006).
In conclusion, each year the backpackers continue to experience numerous different disasters from minor injuries to fatal accident, from tidal waves to tsunamis, with no regard to the consequence of them. They begin to be oblivious to these accidents and the destinations where they have occurred, and do not take almost any actions to prevent or avoid further trips to them. Ultimately their behaviour does not change according to their domestic actions but rather advance to another level, where they consider the risk to be a part of the solution. These risks and actions they are willingly take part in, give them so much more, and help them to 'nullify' their sense of safety and lowers their defences in order to experience something worthwhile. These backpackers underestimate the consequences and consider themselves to be more experienced and have the fairytale idea of nothing ever happening to them (Lepp and Gibson, 2003 Richards and Wilson, 2006; Uriely and Belhassen, 2006).
Realistically, for the backpackers to control these risks which they participate and to cancel out the consequences of them is without a doubt an impossible task. But even so, they continue to risk their health and security in the search of profound experiences and stories to use when constructing their self-identity. They became ignorant of risks and endanger their well being for thrills.
References:
Desforges, L. (2000) TRAVELING THE WORLD Identity and Travel Biography, Annals of Tourism Research, 27 (4) pp. 926 - 945
Elsrud, T. (2001) RISK CREATION IN TRAVELING Backpacker Adventure Narration, Annals of Tourism Research, 28 (3) pp. 597 - 617
Maoz, D. (2007) BACKPACKERS' MOTIVATIONS The Role of Culture and Nationality, Annals of Tourism Research, 34 (1) pp. 122 - 140
These backpackers are mostly defined by being pleasure seeking tourists, who withhold the control over their actions, rather than giving it away to specific travel agents. They also tend to travel to multiple different destinations during their very lengthy and flexible journey, whilst offering them a firsthand experience of the local culture and providing something of a local look.
The backpackers typically in today's world travel alone, or with one other person, but enjoy the company of many whom he or they have familiarized with throughout their journey. They then continue to visit locations outside of their normal periphery, which help them to shift and forget their domestic responsibilities and constrains. Similarly Desforges (2000) enforced these assumptions, as he notes that, when travelling independently or with a friend, the backpacker feels as though he was, for the first time really living and a part of something unique. They actively continue to form connections between different groups and societies, in which the backpacker will then spends his or hers majority of the time, when visiting and residing in particular road stops and destinations. Here they continue to practice and court different types of risks and adventures (Maoz, 2007; Elsrud, 2006).
The motivations for these journeys play the most important factor for backpackers, as these motivators guide and persuade them to take part in very risk-taking endeavours and force them to ignore their instincts of self preservation. They act against their own cultural norms and values by constructing different priorities and responsibilities, as well as convince themselves to be more 'freedĀ“ from their normal domestic constrains. But because these backpackers are outside of their normal 'comfort zone' and are surrounded by other individuals with the same perceptions, they begin to perceive the daily risks and dangers less threatening and continue to participate in risky activities. They also forget or become ignorant towards the simplest dangers, such as health issues when consuming unfamiliar foods.
In order to win, one must risk something, thus acting and facing a threat has the potentiality of bestowing the risk-taker with a preferred identity and value (Elsrud, 2001).
Risk plays an increasingly important element for the modern societies, while providing something exceptional. And as seen in many different occasions, the concept is manufactured into nearly everything and anything. It is portrayed that participants generally accept the presence of risk, while taking part in different activities, and that the value of it, is an important factor to grasp (Hunter-Jones et al, 2007; Cater, 2006). But the risk is not there for a single reason of providing excitement, it is there sometimes to provide a learning experience as well. And as stated by Cater (2006), without risk you will not know and / or appreciate fully the activity you were getting into. The adventures take intentional risks to fulfil their need to experience something self-constructive, and new, while at the same time alter their perception danger. Even when disasters strikes close by or minor injuries diminish their capabilities, their behaviours are not affected. And as the travellers in most cases know the full extent of the dangers and risks associated with the activity, they are partly considered to be voluntary risks (Elsrud, 2001; Elsrud, 2006).
In conclusion, each year the backpackers continue to experience numerous different disasters from minor injuries to fatal accident, from tidal waves to tsunamis, with no regard to the consequence of them. They begin to be oblivious to these accidents and the destinations where they have occurred, and do not take almost any actions to prevent or avoid further trips to them. Ultimately their behaviour does not change according to their domestic actions but rather advance to another level, where they consider the risk to be a part of the solution. These risks and actions they are willingly take part in, give them so much more, and help them to 'nullify' their sense of safety and lowers their defences in order to experience something worthwhile. These backpackers underestimate the consequences and consider themselves to be more experienced and have the fairytale idea of nothing ever happening to them (Lepp and Gibson, 2003 Richards and Wilson, 2006; Uriely and Belhassen, 2006).
Realistically, for the backpackers to control these risks which they participate and to cancel out the consequences of them is without a doubt an impossible task. But even so, they continue to risk their health and security in the search of profound experiences and stories to use when constructing their self-identity. They became ignorant of risks and endanger their well being for thrills.
References:
Desforges, L. (2000) TRAVELING THE WORLD Identity and Travel Biography, Annals of Tourism Research, 27 (4) pp. 926 - 945
Elsrud, T. (2001) RISK CREATION IN TRAVELING Backpacker Adventure Narration, Annals of Tourism Research, 28 (3) pp. 597 - 617
Maoz, D. (2007) BACKPACKERS' MOTIVATIONS The Role of Culture and Nationality, Annals of Tourism Research, 34 (1) pp. 122 - 140