An Ethnography of the Backpacking Culture: Life on the Road

In contemporary society, tourism and other forms of travel have become increasingly common. Tales of exploration, travel and discovery are also vigorously circulated in popular culture and on social media. In keeping with this, personal narratives of transformation and growth through travel have become especially salient for young independent travelers or backpackers. With these trends and the compulsive acquisition of life experience as a backdrop, this book examines the role that leisure travel plays in the lives of young people.

This volume draws on media analysis, interviews with young travellers, and extensive fieldwork observations of backpackers around the world. Adopting the structure of a journey, the book examines travel as it is imagined and then moves to providing an ethnographic account of the backpacking culture as it is lived. Finally, it reflects upon the influence that travel experiences have on individual backpackers and the communities that they pass through.

Drawing attention to backpackers’ ideas about travel, their in-destination behaviours, attitudes, and world and self-perceptions, Matthews provides a comprehensive, insider account of the global backpacking scene. She explores how backpacking has been constructed as a contemporary rite of passage, the influence that it has on young peoples’ identities and life trajectories, and the ethical implications and ongoing effects of their travel practices.