Journeys of non-arrival in response to trauma : influences of emotion on leisure & tourism choices

Traditional understanding of tourism as a leisure activity implies a journey from a point of departure to a point of arrival based on individual choice. Tourists choose destinations, activities and travel goals with their principal motivator being the expectation of a pleasurable leisure experience. However, where journeys of non-arrival occur in response to an emotionally traumatic, critical event, travellers carry out no specific vacation planning or choice processes. This grounded theory study investigated participants’ lived experiences of survival escapist travel. Such journeys are defined whereby participants experienced an emotional reactional trigger that provided the energy underpinning the motivation to travel that enabled the participants to escape the traumatic situation and survive the challenges of their journeys. Through the journey process, participants experienced transformation within themselves that allowed physical and mental distance from the trigger event. Throughout their journeys, the participants continued to experience significant emotional responses to the initial catalyst that impacted directly on their continuing motivation to travel and their choice processes.