Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Joelle Soulard is an Assistant Professor in the Recreation, Sport and Tourism Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA. Her research focuses on investigating sustainable solutions to community-based tourism development and designing empowering travel experiences.

Nancy McGehee is Head of the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Virginia Tech. Her research focus is rural tourism development. She received the 2014 Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research and 2017 Outstanding Woman in Travel Research, Women in Travel and Tourism International (WITTI).

Abstract (150 Words)

Note: We previously submitted this abstract, and it was accepted for the 2020 International TTRA Conference. When the conference was canceled, we were given the option to retract our abstract and resubmit this year.

Abstract:

We apply the Interaction Ritual Chains theory (Collins, 2004) to examine how transformative travelers use symbols when narrating their transformation. Transformative travel is a form of travel that encourages travelers to develop more tolerant worldviews and become agents of change in their community by promoting cross-cultural understanding and social empowerment (Reisinger, 2013). More precisely, the study uses an original multi-methods approach that includes drawings, sentence completions, and in-depth interviews to investigate how and in what ways are transformative travel narratives symbolized by travelers? We interview thirty-five transformative travelers and asked them to draw themselves before and after their transformative trip. Transformative travelers are the ones interpreting their drawings. Through their interpretations, their reveal deep and powerful symbols that are at the heart of their transformative journey. Transformative travel practitioners can use those symbols to attract prospective transformative travelers because those symbols align with their aspirations.

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Drawings as a way of expressing transformation after a trip

Note: We previously submitted this abstract, and it was accepted for the 2020 International TTRA Conference. When the conference was canceled, we were given the option to retract our abstract and resubmit this year.

Abstract:

We apply the Interaction Ritual Chains theory (Collins, 2004) to examine how transformative travelers use symbols when narrating their transformation. Transformative travel is a form of travel that encourages travelers to develop more tolerant worldviews and become agents of change in their community by promoting cross-cultural understanding and social empowerment (Reisinger, 2013). More precisely, the study uses an original multi-methods approach that includes drawings, sentence completions, and in-depth interviews to investigate how and in what ways are transformative travel narratives symbolized by travelers? We interview thirty-five transformative travelers and asked them to draw themselves before and after their transformative trip. Transformative travelers are the ones interpreting their drawings. Through their interpretations, their reveal deep and powerful symbols that are at the heart of their transformative journey. Transformative travel practitioners can use those symbols to attract prospective transformative travelers because those symbols align with their aspirations.