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Motivation for Travel | Theory: Plog, Maslow, Hudman, Krippendorf, Nickerson, General Theory

  • Post last modified: 13 January 2023
  • Reading time: 33 mins read
  • Post category: Tourism

What is Motivation for Travel?

Travelers are motivated to satisfy a need, and they have a perception of what will satisfy their needs. At the same time, travelers have a perception of the attractions of the destination and whether the attractions satisfy their needs. If both sides are agreed, travelers are motivated to visit that destination.

Table of Content

  • 1 What is Motivation for Travel?
  • 2 Travel Motivations
  • 3.1 Economic Capacity
  • 3.2 Spare Time
  • 3.3 Psychological Factors
  • 3.4 Group, Family and Social Atmosphere
  • 3.5 Relaxation and Health
  • 3.6 Exploration and Risk-Taking
  • 3.7 Spirit and the Appreciation of Beauty
  • 3.8 Social Interaction
  • 3.9 Business Affairs and Official Matters
  • 3.10 Family Responsibilities
  • 4 Plog Theory
  • 5.1 Psychological Needs
  • 5.2 Safety Needs
  • 5.3 Personal Interaction Needs
  • 5.4 Esteem Needs
  • 5.5 Self Actualization Needs
  • 6.3 Pleasure
  • 6.4 Religious and Spiritual Appreciation
  • 6.5 Professional and Business
  • 6.6 Friends and Relatives
  • 6.7 Roots Syndrome
  • 7.1 Recuperation and Regeneration
  • 7.2 Compensation and Social Integration
  • 7.4 Communication
  • 7.5 Broadening of the Mind
  • 7.6 Freedom and Self-Determination
  • 7.7 Self Realization
  • 7.8 Happiness
  • 8.1 Physiological Needs
  • 8.2 Safety Needs
  • 8.3 Personal Interaction Needs
  • 8.4 Esteem Needs
  • 8.5 Self Actualization Needs
  • 9.1 Travel Personality
  • 9.2 General Personality

The Definition of “Motivation” A motivation is a wish that prompts people to take action, work hard to achieve a goal, and satisfy a certain kind of need. For example, when a person is hungry and there is a need to appease his or her hunger, a motivation to search for food is formed.

Therefore, people’s activities of all kinds are driven by their motivations, and they govern people’s actions.

Travel Motivations

  • Why do we go travelling?
  • Why do we choose to travel to a certain place?
  • Why do we participate in a certain travel activity?

These are essentially questions about tourists’ travel motivations. Travel motivations directly spur people’s travel activities.

A travel motivation is the psychological need of a person to participate in travel activities, and this kind of need will directly promote travel motivation; if you have motivation, a travel action will result.

However, in real life, the process from the formation of a travel motivation to the occurrence of an actual journey, action is a complex one.

During this process, when people have a need to travel, they must also have corresponding individual factors and external environmental conditions, such as physical fitness, financial status, weather and transport, etc Factors that Influence Individual Travel Motivations

10 Motivation for Travel

These are the motivation for travel which discussed below:

Economic Capacity

Psychological factors, group, family and social atmosphere, relaxation and health, exploration and risk-taking, spirit and the appreciation of beauty, social interaction, business affairs and official matters, family responsibilities.

Economic capacity is the basis on which all needs are formed. Because travel is a kind of consumer behavior, the ability to pay the various types of charges involved is of course necessary. When a person’s economic income can only support his or her basic living needs, he or she will not form a motivation to go traveling.

As an economy develops, in countries and regions where citizens’ income increases, the tourism industry becomes more developed, and the number of people who go traveling climbs, or drops when the opposite applies.

Spare time refers to the time that people can freely allocate to taking part in pastimes and entertainment or anything else they enjoy participating in after their daily work, study, living, and other compulsory time commitments.

Therefore, spare time is an important condition for the realization of travel activities. In developed countries, labor protection laws are relatively strong and workers have statutory holidays, both of which ensure that people can form travel motivations.

Travel motivations are a form of individual psychological activity and are inevitably influenced by various aspects such as individual interests, hobbies, profession, attitude to life, understanding of the surrounding environment, level of education, and family.

Social Factors that Influence Travel Motivations. It is only when the economy of a country or region is developed that it will have enough resources to improve and construct travel facilities, develop tourist attractions and promote transport development.

Road transport facilities, accommodation, catering, and service standards at a destination are important factors in the tourists’ choice of destination, and also affect their formation of travel motivations to a large degree, especially for tourists with relatively high hospitality expectations.

Group or social pressure can also influence people’s travel motivations. For example, travel activities organized by enterprises, or travel awards, etc. encourage people to form their own travel motivations involuntarily, and travel activities subsequently take place.

Social surroundings can also influence people’s travel motivations. Colleagues, friends, and relatives travel behavior and travel experiences can always influence others, or lead to the formation of comparative psychology, making people form identical travel motivations, and leading to the formation of a kind of imitative travel behavior.

People who have stressful or monotonous daily lives or work participate in travel activities such as relaxing travel and recuperation holidays in order to relax and loosen up, as well as keeping healthy and finding entertainment.

For example, natural scenery, historical monuments, parks, the seaside, hot springs recuperation areas, etc., are all tourist choices for this type of travel motivation.

Travelers who are curious, knowledgeable, and adventurous, such as the Himalayas climbing parties and North Pole explorers.

For travelers with this kind of motivation, their travel activities are mainly directed at distinctive, beautiful things and phenomena in the natural world, as well as to visiting museums, exhibition halls, and famous tourist attractions, and participating in various types of theme-based travel activities, etc.

People all go traveling to meet friends and relatives, to find their roots and search for their ancestors, and to get to know new friends, etc.

Travelers in this category require that the personal relationships they maintain in the course of their travels be friendly, cordial, and warm-hearted, and want to care for Religious Faith People who have a religious faith go traveling to participate in religious activities and take part in religious studies, and those who travel driven by religious faith motivations do so mainly to satisfy their own spiritual needs. Religious travel is divided into two categories: pilgrimages, and missionary work.

People go traveling for various types of business and official activities, such as special trips to buy goods or diversions to a certain place to go traveling; business trips to a certain place to take part in academic observation, communicate, etc.

Travel activities participated in by groups, government delegations, and business associations, etc., that go to a certain place for discussions, etc.

Because they are busy at work, people will normally neglect to take care of and look after their family members and friends. For these people, they go traveling to satisfy a responsibility or obligation to their parents, wife or children, or to relax and have fun with friends.

Therefore, every summer, the number of family-based tour groups will increase greatly.

Plog Theory

Based on Plog’s theory, travel motivations are related to a very narrow spectrum of psychographic types:

  • Educational and cultural motives to learn and to increase the ability for appreciation, scientific research; trips with expert leaders or lecturers.
  • Study of genealogy such as visits to their ancestor’s homeland to trace their root.
  • Search for the exotic, such as the North Pole and the South Pole, the Amazon, etc.
  • Satisfaction and sense of power and freedom such as anonymity, flying, control, sea travel, fast trains.
  • Gambling – Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo, Bahamas, Puerto Rico.
  • Development of new friendships in foreign places.
  • Sharpening perspectives such as to awaken one’s senses, heighten awareness.
  • Political campaigns, supporting candidates, government hearings.
  • Vacation or second homes and condominiums Near-Allocentric Motivations.
  • Religious pilgrimages or inspiration.
  • Participation in sports events and sports activities.
  • Travel as a challenge, sometimes a test of endurance such as exploring mountain climbing, hiking, diving.
  • Business travel, conference, meeting and conventions.
  • Theatre tours, special entertainment.
  • A chance to try a new lifestyle Midcentric Motivations.
  • Relaxation and pleasure travel just for plain fun and enjoyment.
  • Satisfying personal contacts with friends and relatives.
  • For health reasons such as to change the climate, sunshine, spas, medical treatment.
  • The need for a change for a period of time.
  • An opportunity to escape from life’s problems.
  • The real or imagined glamour of the destination.
  • Appreciation of beauty such as national and state parks, forests, lakes, wilderness areas, canoe trips, ocean shores.
  • Sensual indulgence such as food, comforts, luxuries for the body, romance, sexual.
  • Enjoyment, rest, relaxation.
  • Shopping such as souvenirs, gifts, expensive possessions like cameras, jewels, furs, cars, antiques, art.
  • Joys of transportation – cruise ships, gourmet meals, buffets, comfortable trains, buses, airplanes, autos.
  • Pleasure of pre- and post-travel includes planning the trip, anticipation, learning, dreaming. family or personal matters.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow (1971) distinguished five different levels of psychological needs ranging from physiological needs to self-actualization. According to his theory, the satisfaction of people’s basic needs is a prerequisite for the satisfaction of the higher needs.

Maslow argues that all behavior is motivated by psychological needs, for behavior serves to fulfill those needs physiological needs:

Psychological Needs

Safety needs, personal interaction needs, esteem needs, self actualization needs.

These are needs required by humans to sustain their existence and prolong their lives and are the minimum basic needs, including needs relating to food, water, oxygen, sleep, a place to live and warmth, as well as clothing, food, shelter, mobility, sex, and other psychological functions.

If these needs cannot be fulfilled, human existence becomes a problem.

These are needs that represent human desires to protect their own bodies and minds from injury and to guarantee safety and stability. For example, needs relating to health, a safe and orderly environment, a stable career, and the avoidance of unforeseen accidents.

When a person’s physiological needs have been fulfilled, he or she will want to fulfill such safety needs.

Personal interaction needs include the need for love and a sense of belonging. The need for love refers to the fact that people all hope to achieve harmonious relationships with friends and colleagues or to maintain friendships; everyone wants to love others and be loved.

In addition, the need for a sense of belonging refers to the fact that people all want to have a sense of belonging, and want to gain the acceptance of a certain group and to be included and valued by it, as well as for its members to care for and look after each other.

These are human desires to gain other people’s respect, a satisfactory status, due human rights, reputation, and prestige, and to realize a certain social position.

These are human desires for the need to give full play to one’s own potential and to realize one’s own ideas and aspirations, including the seeking of knowledge, the appreciation of beauty, creativity, achievements, etc.

Maslow considered self-realization to be mankind’s highest level of needs, which signify a full, enthusiastic, wholehearted experience of life.

Hudman’s Motivators of Travel

These are some hudman’s motivators of travel theories :

Religious and Spiritual Appreciation

Professional and business, friends and relatives, roots syndrome.

People travel for improving their health. They would go for leisure and medical treatment to relax and entertain themselves. Natural landscapes, historical sites, coastline, spas, and resorts are the destinations of these travelers.

Curiosity People travel because of curiosity, inquisitiveness, and adventure. Politics, culture, public figures, physical features, and disaster would attract these travelers.

People travel for sports to release their pressure and fantasize about being an athlete. Being a spectator could experience the atmosphere of the competition, and have social contributions such as connecting with other audiences and meet new friends.

Vocation relates to pleasure because it could give routine life a break. People would try new things and participate in activities that would make them feel happy, such as visiting art museums, watching operas and gambling, etc.

People travel for spiritual needs. They visit religious headquarters usually because of religious reasons. In this way, they could have a stronger belief in their religion. On the other hand, many travelers gain satisfaction by the appreciation of natural landscapes, art performances, and visiting museums and historical sites.

People travel for business such as scientific expeditions, business meetings, conventions and education.

People travel because they want to visit their friends and relatives; it shows their care of family and friends.

People travel to trace the root of their family or the culture of their homeland. Pedigree research and hometown exploration are the common activities of these travelers.

Many people travel for gaining respect from others and a satisfying social status because one with plenty of travel experience and knowledge of different countries is usually admired by others.

Krippendorff Reasons for Travel

Research on reasons for travel uncovers an endless list of travel motivations. Apparently, people want to ‘switch off, relax’. They want to ‘get away from everyday life, ‘recover strength’ and ‘experience nature’ ( Krippendorff, 1997 ). Krippendorff (1997) distinguishes eight reasons for travel:

Recuperation and Regeneration

Compensation and social integration, communication, broadening of the mind, freedom and self-determination, self realization.

People get tired during working weeks, and use vacations to replenish their ‘bodily and mental strength’.

Tourism compensates for everyday social failure by presenting another world next to everyday dreariness.

Everyday life contains more and more aspects of stress; people want to escape from this.

Traveling abroad gives people a chance to gain human warmth, to establish contact with other people.

People want to satisfy their interests in other cultures and nature.

Tourists are in a position to largely make up their own rules; they are free from any obligations.

An unfamiliar and strange environment offers a great chance for investigating and enhancing the Self.

Vacations are highly associated with joy and pleasure, so happiness becomes a reason for embarking on a holiday trip.

Travel is a complex social action, and tourists use to travel to satisfy their own various needs. At the same time, under the influence of external environmental conditions, motivations always change as the environment changes.

Therefore, the same tourist’s motivations for going on different trips will differ from each other. At the same time, a lot of travel motivations do not just involve one motivation but may include various kinds of motivations.

Nickerson’s Travel Motivations

Furthermore, following the above reasons for travel, tourism seems to serve psychological needs. Nickerson (1996) argues that deep psychological needs are the basic motivators for tourism. She uses Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”, a theory about psychological needs and motivation to describe people’s motivation to travel.

Nickerson applied the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to describe travel motivations as below:

Physiological Needs

This can explain why people go to the seaside or a mountain retreat to avoid the heat; these are all actions required to be performed by certain physiological conditions inside the human body.

To travelers, safety needs are expressed in terms of the safety of people’s life, property, and psychology. They hope that in the course of a journey, no vehicle or boat accidents occur, they don’t get sick, they’re not robbed, they don’t have things stolen, and that they safely complete the entire journey, etc.

They also hope to achieve a psychological feeling of security. For example, they hope there is no political upheaval or war in the country they go to and that social order is sound there, etc.

Although the natural scenery and human cultural landscape of some countries are extremely rich, tourists would lose the motivation to travel there if the country has been involved in a long period of upheaval or war.

Therefore, the need for safety is one of the most important factors that influence people’s travel behavior.

Tourists’ personal interaction needs have diverse characteristics. People who go traveling all want to be able to travel together with close friends, get to make new friends in the course of their journey, understand different cultures and customs through interaction with local people, or enhance their friendships by visiting friends and family.

Therefore, travel is one of the most effective activities for people to make new friends, meet up with old friends around the world, and promote contact between people.

A person who has experience of frequent travel and knows a lot about different countries and regions is often admired and respected by others, which helps to fulfill the need to be respected as an individual.

Travel can involve a search for stimulation, challenging oneself, and acquiring knowledge about new things, and this kind of travel involves expressing one’s own self-value to fulfill self-actualization needs. For example: climbing Mount Everest.

The Push-and Pull Theory In 1977, Dann, a U.S. academic, put forward the push-pull theory of travel motivations. He considered that travel behavior was influenced by both push factors and pull factors. People travel because they are “pushed” into making travel decisions by internal, psychological forces, and “pulled” by the external forces of the destination attributes.

Travel Personality and General Personality Theories

Travel personality, general personality.

As stated before, motivation, opportunity, and ability are not the only determinants of tourist behavior. Personality influences traveling behavior too. For example, people who want to climb Mount Everest, in general, have certain personality traits in common.

Most of those people will have a tendency to sensation seeking, for climbing mountains is performing risky behavior.

The personality dimensions used are commonly used in personality psychology. Therefore it seems relevant to explore a few basic aspects of these theories. Four personality dimensions are used to describe tourists in order to indicate motivations for different types of travel:

  • Activation: A guest’s level of excitement, alertness or energy.
  • Variety: The need for change or novelty.
  • Extraversion or introversion: The extent to which a person is outgoing and uninhibited in interpersonal situations.
  • External or internal locus of control: The way people perceive whether or not they themselves are in charge of the happenings in their lives.

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Tourism Beast

Travel Motivation

There is always a motive behind everything happens in this world. Always there is a motivation in doing any work or anything. There are mainly two factors in behind happening anything it may be pull factors or push factors. In tourism, behind the movement of tourist there are various motives, it may may be leisure, business, pilgrimage or any other.

As we know tourism is a people centric and one of the fastest growing industry. Assessing behavior and motivations of tourist is a critical task as travel decisions of tourist depends on it. Travel has been a nomadic urge in human earlier in quest of food. As humanity grows desire for shelter came into being and with the rises of civilization search of trade bundles with safety and security. The game changing moment for mass tourism comes with the rise of leisure time. Assessing motivations of tourist is a critical task as travel decisions of tourist depends on it.

Motivation is an intrinsic property of a human-being that arises from the inside or of psychological origin. A combination of internal and external forces that motivates to drive the tourism industry. To satisfy all the levels of needs such psychological, physiological, etc. humans travels. It tells of tourist attempt to satisfy their recognized need and strongly influence decisions made by tourist in every steps of decision. Various theories have been developed to reveal the most important question why people travel?

The answer to this question is influenced by the nature of the travel motives.

4.  Types of Motivation  

Motivation can be classified into categories:  

1.  Intrinsic Motivation:  

this type of motivation comes from the inside through the core of the heart and mind of the tourist to do any specific work. t is defined as the performing of an activity for its intrinsic motivation that emerges from an individual’s inherent satisfactions, enjoyment, challenge entailed, interest or the feeling of inner pleasure that drives from the task rather than for some external pressures, or rewards or any separable consequence.

2. Extrinsic Motivation:  

  All the external factors which tends and individual to do any specific work. Individuals performs certain activities in order to attain or receive something from the outcomes. It involves executing an action influenced by the outer stimuli, to attain an external reinforcements or rewards from others such as money, praise, status etc.

Travel Motivation Theories

The tourist selecting to travel for business, leisure, pilgrimage, adventure or for other reasons, depends on motivation to visit destination. There are some common factors influencing tourist travel decisions such as 

•      Availability free time

•      Disposable income

•      Age and status

•      Attractiveness of destinations

A. Gray’s Travel-Motivation Theory .

 Gray explains the motivation of individual and given two motives for travel:

Wanderlust:   

It describes the motive or the desire to go from a known to an unknown place. It is travelling from or leaving a familiar places to go and see different or unfamiliar places. It is about going to different destinations to experience monumental and socio-cultural heritage.

It is a type of travel to a destination that can provide the tourist with specific facilities or better amenities. It is travelling for particular purpose or facilities that are not available in place of residence of the tourist.

B. McIntosh and Goeldner Categorization of Travel Motivation 

McIntosh has stated that basic travel motivators may be grouped into four broad categories:  

1. Physical Motivators 

These types of motivation are concerned with the individual physical health and well-being involves physical relaxation and rest, sporting activities, medical care or treatment and specific remedial health management. It include physical motivators that are concern with health from recreation to attending yoga camp to medical treatment for upkeep of health. 

2.Interpersonal Motivators   

Human are social animal and always keen to make new friends, have a desire to visit and meet relatives and friends, or simply want to escape from the daily hassles of everyday life. These type of motivators are termed as interpersonal motivators.

3.Cultural Motivators

Cultural motivators are describe as curiosity that tourists have and want to experience different people’s cultures and lifestyle. These are related with tourists desire to travel to different destination, in order to know about other countries, people, their culture, tradition, life style, art, music etc.

4.Status and Prestige Motivators    

Tourists travel to secure respect among their friends or in family and recognition of education and knowledge or for pursuit of hobbies. These types of motivators are identified with the need for fame and status or of personal esteem and personal development. It also include travel for business or professional interests. 

C. Anomie and Ego Enhancement Motivation Theory

            Dann investigated two push factors and proposes that motivational factors can be grouped into anomie and ego enhancement. 

Anomie refers to the need and desire to rise above the feeling of loneliness and quarantine inherent in everyday life and to get away from daily hassles. It is associated with search for life’s meaning and interaction with family and friends and social communication. The anomic tourists are mainly young, married, male mostly repeat visitors. They are from urban and rural areas and are above-average socio-economic status.

2.Ego enhancement  

Ego-enhancement tourists are the opposite end of spectrum. It derived from desire and need for recognition. The individual’s desire and need for social recognition is mainly associated with it and is achieved through the status or ego enhance conferred by travel. Ego-enhancement tourists are likely to be female, married or single mostly first-time visitors. They are older than anomic tourists and typically from lower socio-economic group. 

Dann argues that push factors are logically, and often an antecedent to pull factors. The question that  ‘what makes tourists travel’  can only be recognized through the push factors. As the tourist to take two different difficult decisions at two diverse times i.e. “whether to go” and “where to go”. 

D. Push and Pull Theory

Crompton identified two different levels of socio-psychological motivation. The first level of motivation is the desire to travel, that drives the initial decision for a trip or a vacation. It subsequently facilitates individual’s decision for destination. The second level of motivation drives the decision of selection of destinations. After the initial decision for making a trip, various motivation factors comes into being that impact the selection of destination. Crompton proposes two groups of motives among pleasure vacationers, one that push for a trip or tour are socio-psychological motives, while another factors that pull are cultural motives. 

travel de motivators examples

1.Push Factors.   

Push factors are those factors which motivate people to travel. Push factors are initiating travel desire of an individual to engage in recreational activities or tourism. .Push factors are the inner motives which tends tourists to seek activities for needs fulfillment. Some push factors of travelling are:

•      Exploration and evaluation of self.

•      Escape from a perceived mundane environment.

•      Relaxation.

•      Health and fitness.

•      Re-experiencing family.

•      Facilitation of social interaction.

•      Enhancement of kinship relationships.

•      Novelty.

•      Cultural experiences.

•      Education.

•      Prestige.

2.Pull Factors 

All the external factors that pulls or attracts and individual towards some specific things or any destination. Pull factors appear due to the attractiveness and the attributes associated with the destination. It is related to the external condition, cognitive aspects or choices available on a destination such as attractions, climate, culture etc. Everyone has unique taste and choices which attract or pull individuals experience the destination. Identifying a set of pull factors that can be applicable to all sites is possible as different destinations have different or unique set of pull factors. 

Pull factors were characterized by  facilities ,  core attractions  and  landscape features .

•      The  facilities factor  encompasses all tourism facilities of a destination including fooding, lodging, roads, hospitality and security. 

•      The  core attractions  factor includes all those activities and services available for tourism. It includes sports activities, night life, entertainment and amusement and shopping facilities. 

•      The  landscape features  pull factor strongly relates to the geographical and sociocultural features of destination i.e. natural and cultural environment of destination. 

E. Escaping and Seeking Motivation of Mannell and Iso-Ahola

Mannell and Iso-Ahola   defined the motivation in socio psychological perspective. A two-dimensional model of tourist motivation where both the forces simultaneously influence tourists’ behaviour. The theory consists of both personal and interpersonal escape & seeking motives together. An individual perceive that satisfaction can be feel from leisure related activities, for two major reasons 

Escaping  – the desire to get out from the monotonous environment of work.

Seeking  – the aspiration to get intrinsic psychological rewards from other or self through traveling 

Tourist are motivated for leisure or tourism related activities in order to get away from the personal and/or interpersonal problems of day to day hustle and bustle of life and get personal and/or interpersonal rewards from passive and active tourism activities.

Personal rewards  are more about individual satisfaction includes exploration and relaxation; learning, challenge, a sense of competence etc.

Interpersonal rewards  are arising from social interaction with family and friends or with other people in destination.

Intrinsic rewards  arise from the activity that provide certain feelings, such as a feeling of mastery and escape from the monotonous environment. 

F. Travel Career Ladder (TCL)

The travel career ladder approach was proposed by Pearce. The approach is based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory of motivation. 

Following Maslow theory, the proposed model sees the needs of travelers is organized into a hierarchy or ladder model. Biological needs including relaxation at the foundation level, followed by safety needs and relationships needs, and in line selfesteem and development needs, and fulfillment needs at the highest level.  

The model identified five steps of hierarchy affecting tourist behaviour. It suggests that a group of needs in the ladder steps or level can be dominant at a particular time but travel motivation of tourist may derive from the different level of ladder. It emphasizes all the motives for traveling of a tourist, rather than a single motive. TCL proposes that every individual or tourist headway upward through hierarchy levels with accumulated travel experience and psychologically maturity. 

This shows that travel motivation changes as tourist acquire experiences in tourism developmental and dynamic motivations process. An individual can descend or ascend on the ladder as the direction of the change in level may vary with the experience. Some individuals may undergo every steps or level on either side of the model or may ascend the ladder on one side of the schema. Each individual every time not seek the similar type of experience or fulfillment from travel.  For example: First time visitor may be more cautious of safety and security then repeat visitor due more knowledge and experience about the destination or of trip. 

G. Travel Career Pattern (TCP)

The TCP model is modification of the earlier Travel Career Ladder (TCL) approach. The TCP emphasis on motivations patterns of tourist over their life cycle because of different motivation and its impact on their travelling experience. Travel experience plays a driver role for changing travel motivations which has crucial part in

TCP model. Travel experience is the collective changes in an individual’s perspective about self and environment due to tourism activities and events that individual passes through in course of travelling. 

Pearce suggested three layers of travel motivation:

Layer 1-  It is the core of the TCP and includes common motives such as escape, relaxation, health and fitness, social interaction etc. 

Layer 2-  It comprises series of moderately important motivators that surround core layer of motivations. It related to self-actualization and interaction of guest with the host society and environment. 

Layer 3-  The outer layer of model embraces motives with lesser importance such as social status and nostalgia.

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Travel motives

Understanding tourists travel motives is crucial in several respects. Partly for tourism business owners who need to understand which needs their experiences should fulfil for tourists, but also for the various authorities planning for tourism development. It can also explain tourists’ (unsustainable or sustainable) behaviour on holiday and make it possible to counteract or encourage that behaviour.  

It’s important to clarify the definition of travel motive, especially in relation to the purpose of the journey. Motive isn’t the same thing as purpose. Motives are the underlying psychological reasons why we travel, and are often not openly taken into account, unlike the purpose of the trip. They reflect the needs of the individual and can often be hard to put into words.

One example: The purpose of my last trip to Stockholm was to meet friends and acquaintances as well as go to a music event. Those were my desired experiences and the purpose of the trip. Motive explains why we want to travel for that purpose and can in this case, for instance, be escapism (i.e. getting away from it all), relationships (strengthening and nurturing relationships with nearest and dearest) or nostalgia (seeing the band I’ve loved since I was a teenager). That it was Stockholm in particular that I travelled to was because I have friends there and the band was playing there that weekend. But it could just as easily have been another destination. In this context it’s also common to talk about push or pull factors , in other words factors that push you away from your home area and factors that pull you to various destinations. The former often includes motive, like the desire to escape day to day life (escapism) or to try and find something different (novelty seeking), whereas pull factors are specific attractions in destinations (read more about that later under Destinations’ Offers ).

Research on travel motive has discovered a number of different motivating factors and patterns, that often change depending on context and destination. Two theories have been important for the understanding of travel motive; Travel Career Ladder and Travel Career Pattern , which are partly based on Maslow’s well known Hierarchy of Needs. The latter progresses the former, and focuses on motivation patterns , in other words the many different motives that cluster together to form a tourist’s motivation to travel to a particular place. The Travel Career theory is important here, as well as motivation pattern. Someone who has visited every corner of the earth and travelled continuously for long periods has other motives than a first time traveller. The motives overlap each other but research has shown that in general there is a significant difference that is derived from a tourist’s prior experience of travelling.

Research shows that tourists with high travel experience want to distance themselves from other “tourists” (read: charter tourists) and see themselves as “travellers” and “explorers”. Consumption of (different kinds of) journeys consequently becomes an important strategy, which is used to differentiate themselves socially and culturally from others. In the table below we can see examples of which motives arise in connection to how experienced a tourist is.

Table 1: Motivational factors, travel career patterns (adapted from Pearce & Lee, 2005)

The table shows that there are four main motives which arise whatever the travel experience; Novelty Seeking , Escapism/Relaxation , Relationships and Self Development . The last two motives pull in different directions depending on the travel experience; internal or external ( personal developmen t versus host site involvement and security versus strengthen relationships ). The table also shows motives that are generally specific to those with lower travel experience.

Research on travel motives is often carried out on Western tourists. There’s a certain degree of variation in how strong the different travel motives are, but studies of Asian tourists, for instance, show bigger differences. For example prestige or self-actualization , and strengthening family relationships have been shown to be of greater importance in studies of Japanese tourists, and novelty seeking is less important in comparison. Other cultural contexts are said to be the largest reason for these differences.

Sources: Crompton, J. L., & McKay, S. L. (1997). Motives of visitors attending festival events. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(2), 425-439. Iso-Ahola, S. E. (1982). Toward a social psychological theory of tourism motivation: A rejoinder. Annals of Tourism Research, 9(2), 256-262.  Kim, S. S., & Prideaux, B. (2005). Marketing implications arising from a comparative study of international pleasure tourist motivations and other travel-related characteristics of visitors to Korea. Tourism Management, 26(3), 347-357. Munt, I. (1994). The ‘Other' postmodern tourism: Culture, Travel and the New Middle Classes. Theory, Culture & Society, 11(3), 101-123. Pearce, P. L., & Lee, U.-I. (2005). Developing the travel career approach to tourist motivation. Journal of Travel Research, 43(3), 226-237.  

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What Motivates People to Travel

There is no right or wrong way to live. The very concept of being right or wrong is based on the circumstances you find yourself in when you are called upon to make a judgment. But what about traveling? Do people who dare to walk on unusual paths know some tricks to stay motivated? Or maybe it is a kind of sport or activity that gives them these extreme emotions? Have you ever wondered what keeps them motivated? What motivates people to travel the world rather than spending time at home? Reasons are plentiful.

The reasons why we travel are as varied as travelers themselves. Someone may need a break from the hustle and bustle, look at things from a different angle. Make some new friends or get someone to fall in love with. It is no secret that occasional change of scenery is certainly necessary due to inevitable emotions any traveler experience on every trip. Making better decisions in your life often requires switching attention backwards and forwards between different tasks and focusing on something else. So there is nothing better than a two-week stay away from home to reboot your brain and start focusing on self-improvement, get rid of things you know don’t add value to your life.

In this post I’m trying to comprehend how does one stay motivated to travel, not to think about and regret going home because of homesickness, and why travel is so important in life.

What Motivates People to Travel

1. The Need for Change

My original motivation for travel some 10 years ago was the need for change. I was aware of a whole world that existed outside of my comfort zone . I was striving to find a passion and start thinking and being more positive. At the same time, I realized reinvigorating my thinking would be impossible without taking myself away from the present, familiar environs to something that is new and unfamiliar and because it is new, gratifyingly stimulating and thrilling.

The entire thing wasn’t just about escaping from the dull daily routine. Though once I stepped out of my comfort zone, the joy and happiness from exploring new destinations became addictive. It didn’t take me long to realize I wanted to change myself in a way that will make me a better person. Furthermore, I wanted to get an unfiltered view of the world. I wanted to try traditional Thai food dishes , get lost in Beijing and see the most bizarre trees on the planet.

There’s nothing stale or banal about the psychology of tourism. I think you’ll agree with me when I say it’s a completely different experience to journey to Shanghai than to watch it on a NatGeo documentary. Exploring the winding streets of Hong Kong is drastically different from swiping HK photos on Instagram feed.

Adjusting to new surroundings, immersing myself in entirely different cultures, and hearing someone speaking an unfamiliar accent is something that makes me feel alive.

2. The Romance of Travel

Let’s face it, romance is a strong travel motivator. Apart from other cultural motivators in tourism, romance, and pleasure of the trip are the primary characteristics and qualities of the travel experience. Since loneliness and the need to escape unpleasant circumstances can drive some to extreme measures, the romance of travel and some indulgence are the best ways to overcome difficult personal circumstances.

Practicing pleasure travel gives rise to the satisfaction gained only by such experiences. And satisfaction often leads to reducing tension and anxiety. The pleasure trip thus becomes even more important and primarily learned a form of reducing stress and stopping anxiety.

Even the most committed solo travelers or digital nomads can relate to feelings of loneliness . After spending more than 10 years on the road I can admit, I have been succumbed to moments of feeling alone. Discussing the nuances of your trip with friends or relatives can have a big impact on the way you see the world and think about yourself. Few are immune to missing family and friends or feeling homesick at some time and have felt the need to seek interaction with other human beings. Dealing with loneliness is one of the greatest challenges solo travelers face .

3. Travel for Health

As I already said, there are many reasons why people love to travel. After a decade on the road, I’ve had my share of illnesses. However, I’ve always been prepared and controlled the risks by keeping in mind what should I do to stay healthy on the road .

Traveling is generally considered as an investment in health. When you travel, you get to visit healing sites like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, the Pamukkale Hot Springs in Turkey or the Dead Sea. Hot springs and mineral-rich lakes can help you improve your skin, relieve pain, and reduce stress. Yup, hot geothermal springs can’t heal every kind of disease. But soaking in them may provide a range of conditions, from rashes to digestive disorders, improved after a visit.

Recently, I found myself standing on top of the Singuttara Hill admiring one of the most beloved and well-known holy sites in Asia . Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon was in front of me with its incomparable architectural design and shimmering gold plated dome. I found myself pulled to this spot with no clear understanding of what has happened.

Shwedagon Pagoda is the reason I am here, the backdrop to the myriad golden and painted lesser-known pagodas and temples I am photographing. And the reason so many people chose this place full of magic and mystery. The truth is that this golden stupa has a powerful vortex of spiritual energy. No one knows why this is, but the Pagoda is the most important religious site and place of pilgrimage.

travel motivation

4. Travel to Learn Life Skills and Life Lessons

The two months I spent traveling around Thailand during my big trip were some of the most intense and interesting months of my life. Every day was a new adventure. I challenged myself to learn new things, as a result, I learned so much during that time I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I mastered my inner peace, learned a lot about foreign language and culture, about Thailand in general, and about humanity.

With all the exciting moments we face each day abroad in a foreign place it’s hard not to come away with more than a souvenir.

What I love most about traveling (and hiking there) to new places is the chance to develop a better sense of direction. While I always thought that I had a good sense of direction, it was not until I went trekking in Thailand that it was really put to the test. Traveling on your own means you’re the only one who chooses what to explore next. There is no better opportunity to test and/or develop your sense of direction.

What I’ve learned from that trip I must create an awareness of my surroundings based on the four points of the compass. If you know where north is, you can easily determine the direction and navigate your way through. By constantly connecting your walking route to the north by using a compass (try not to use GPS!), you are exercising your natural sense of direction.

5. Travel for Pleasure

In most cases, traveling gives me a unique feeling of the present moment. When I’m entangled in my thoughts of past or future or imagination, finding the pleasures can help me shift the perspective. The very concept of traveling for pleasure is subjectively relative to many unexpected circumstances.

Life exists only at this very moment. Thus focusing on many things at a time may generate dissatisfaction and the feeling of a missed opportunity. The kind of people you meet on your way often can help you concentrate your mind on the present moment. Therefore broaden your horizons. So having pleasure in traveling is not per se in the movement from destination to destination , rather the things that give you the story to tell.

When I was traveling from Cairo to Dusseldorf, the aircraft flew me through Rome and certain parts of Italy . Upon reaching a particular point, the pilot swerved the plane to give the passengers a view of the terrain. Though this twist was not a part of my original itinerary, it spiced up a good memory.

After that particular flight I realized, we don’t travel for pleasure. We travel to seek pleasure. Travel isn’t about short-term pleasures, it is rather about a long lasting pleasure that creates tangible memories both past and present.

What is your motivation for traveling?

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travel de motivators examples

9 to 5 Voyager

Excellent post! And truly unique. I think finding the right motivation is key to getting out of the house and seeing the world.

travel de motivators examples

Angella Shin

A lot of people ask me this question…and how I manage to save the money to travel. Well…I just tell them, I’ve been sheltered all my life because I was busy building up my nursing career. I finally met my husband who was already well traveled and he began to show me the world. We traveled to 7 countries in the last 2 years and I am just now blogging about them. We travel to get away from comfort and take a break from the norm. It just feels refreshing to visit a new country and learn a unique culture.

If you agree, please check out my travel blog as well…would love your feedback!

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7 Ways to Stay Motivated to Travel

A man sitting near the beach during sunset

Motivated people can achieve anything they set their minds to. But how does one stay motivated, especially to travel, when you are busy working and living life while your family and friends disparage your ideas , you’re overwhelmed planning your trip , or maybe just burnt out from being on the road already?

Motivation is not an unlimited wellspring but a battery that needs to be kept charged. All too often, life gets in the way and hinders our plans or throws us off track. If we don’t pay attention, that battery becomes depleted and our travel goals fall to the wayside. All of a sudden, years have gone by and you’re still nowhere near reaching the travel goals you’ve dreamed about.

For example, my trip to Iceland had been years in the making. I always talked about it but it kept getting delayed because “stuff came up.”

It wasn’t until I finally said “enough” and booked my ticket right there that the trip became a reality.

And it’s not just the waiting to travel that requires motivation. You can burn out and get off track while on the road too. It’s something that happens to a lot of long-term travelers.

Years ago, I burnt out when I was on the road. To recover, I went to Cambodia to recharge my batteries. I stayed in one place, watched movies, read books. Alone. No wandering or sightseeing. Just rest. It was relaxing, and one day I woke up and said “I’m ready to go again.”

When you plan your trips, you don’t think about the long boring hours on a bus, the delays, the annoying airports, dealing with snorers in hostel dorms, fending off tours and scammers, and all the other things that will suck the energy and joy out of your experience.

Eventually, you need to stop and recharge your batteries. To is stay in one place, watch Netflix, and relax.

Whether you’re planning a trip or already on the road, it’s important to find ways to stay motivated. Today, I want to share seven tips on how to stay motivated to travel — whether you are planning your trip or feeling a little burnt out on the road:  

1. Hold yourself accountable

The best thing you can do to stay focused is to be held accountable. Being accountable to others will help make sure that you don’t fall off the wagon. They will help keep you focused on your goal, and the social pressure to stay on track will provide some extra motivation to follow through.

Whether that is betting money, having someone check in on you, keeping track of goals, or having someone help you plan, just being held accountable will force you to stay focused, even on those days you don’t feel like it!

Accountability ensures action and can force you to follow through when a lack of energy would otherwise hold you back.

Here are some other apps that might help you hold yourself accountable:

  • Coach.me – Personal coaching to help you stay on track and build better habits.
  • GoalsOnTrack – Goal-setting and personal-productivity app that guides you through the process of setting (and reaching) goals.
  • How to Stop Making Excuses When it Comes to Travel
  • 13 Non-Travel Books That Changed My Life
  • How to Change the “I’m Too Poor to Travel” Mindset

2. Devote time

Stuff always seems to come up, doesn’t it? Sure, I was planning to visit Iceland in May and then suddenly, May was here and I was busy.

Or maybe you decide today’s the day you’re going to plan your trip but then you forget you have laundry to do. My solution? Pick a day and time you are normally not busy (i.e., on Facebook) and devote that time to planning your trip.

Make it a consistent part of your schedule and develop a habit so that it doesn’t feel like a task you “have” to do; it becomes just something you do automatically.

Set aside thirty minutes each day to focus on travel. Turn it into part of your everyday routine. This time can be used to do research or read books and blogs. This will help you stay inspired and interested while helping you plan your next adventure. Schedule it into your calendar so you never let the day get away from you. It’s in your calendar. You can’t skip it.  

3. Read travel blogs

Reading about other travelers’ adventures can show you that it is easier to travel than you thought, provide advice and tips on the art of travel, and teach you about places you’ve never heard of. One day you’ll get sick of living vicariously through others, and you’ll go out and create your own travel stories. They will show you that yes, travel is realistic, practical, and financially possible.

Here is a list of my current favorite travel blogs that can help you out.  

4. Read travel books

A book resting on a table

While reading travel blogs is great, travel books are even better because they cut deep into a destination and open it up in a way a short blog post can’t.

And in that same vein, be sure to read books about the destination you are visiting so you can get a deeper understanding of the place. You can’t understand the location’s present if you don’t understand its past.

Here are a few travel books to help get your inspiration flowing:

  • Tracks , by Robyn Davidson
  • The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca , by Tahir Shah
  • A Year of Living Danishly , by Helen Russell
  • In A Sunburned Country , by Bill Bryson
  • Looking for Transwonderland , by Noo Saro-Wiwa
  • Ten Years a Nomad , by me!

5. Learn a language

Join a class and pick up a language you might use on the road. Once you’ve started learning the language, you’ll hate to waste your new skill. And the only way to use it is to travel to where they speak it! Here are some apps and resources to help you learn:

  • Spanish and Go

And here are some blog posts from language experts I know to get you started:

  • How to Learn the Basics of Any Language in Four Steps
  • How to Master Life, Language, and Travel

6. Take a break

If you’ve been on the road for a while, you’ve probably burnt out a bit. Travel isn’t always rainbows and unicorns, and spending a lot of time on the road can lead to burnout . That’s going to sap your motivation and might even have you thinking about home.

It did for me once (I got burnt out on my first trip and went home early), and the second I got home I face-smacked myself and said, “What was I thinking!”

I learned my lesson and found that a much better way to get your mojo back is to take a break. Instead of moving on to your next destination, stay where you are for as long as you need.

Volunteer .

Work at your hostel.

Start a blog .

Sit by the beach every day.

Whatever relaxes you, do that.  

7. Meet other travelers

Sometimes it can be hard to stay motivated if the people around you aren’t supportive of your desire to travel. If you’re struggling, here are some suggestions:

  • Connect with others on social media
  • Use the “Hangouts” app and local events on Couchsurfing to meetup with locals and travelers near you
  • Find like-minded travelers on Meetup.com

Additionally, tune out the naysayers who don’t believe long-term travel is possible because you’ll see from all these people encouraging you that it really is.

An encouraging environment is a better environment! And a community of travelers telling you aren’t crazy and this is possible will drown out all the naysayers in the world.

If you’re like me, you go through bouts of motivation. You get super excited about a trip and then your mind moves on to something else, or the challenge of planning saps some of your motivation and you put it off until later.

But there’s only today, so use these tips to help stay motivated about your next trip.

Because one day, you’ll run out of tomorrows.  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

  • SafetyWing (best for everyone)
  • Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
  • Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, travel motivation: linking theory to practice.

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

ISSN : 1750-6182

Article publication date: 9 October 2009

The purpose of this paper is to review the relevant literature on travel motivation and provides a scenario‐based discussion on the applications of travel motivation theories in the industry practice. The paper offers an invaluable practical interpretation of travel motivation and related management issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review on travel motivation is conducted to acknowledge the major theories. Two scenarios are presented and discussed by linking two motivation conceptual schemes, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Plog's allocentrism/psychocentrism model, to practical issues in travel management.

The literature review discloses that travel motivation theories have evolved over time. By linking theories to industry practice, the paper advocates that travel managers be more conscious of travelers' internal psychological needs when designing travel services/products.

Originality/value

This paper offers a good understanding of travel motivation by discussing theoretical applications in real‐world situations.

  • Tourism management

Huang, S.(S). and Hsu, C.H.C. (2009), "Travel motivation: linking theory to practice", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research , Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 287-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994505

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Role of Travel Motivations, Perceived Risks and Travel Constraints on Destination Image and Visit Intention in Medical Tourism

Mohammad j. khan.

1 International Business Section, School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

Shankar Chelliah

Mahmod s. haron.

2 Department of Marketing, School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

Sahrish Ahmed

3 Department of Organizational Behaviour, School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

Travel motivations, perceived risks and travel constraints, along with the attributes and characteristics of medical tourism destinations, are important issues in medical tourism. Although the importance of these factors is already known, a comprehensive theoretical model of the decision-making process of medical tourists has yet to be established, analysing the intricate relationships between the different variables involved. This article examines a large body of literature on both medical and conventional tourism in order to propose a comprehensive theoretical framework of medical tourism decision-making. Many facets of this complex phenomenon require further empirical investigation.

Medical tourism commonly refers to the act of travelling to a foreign country in order to seek healthcare services. 1 Until recently, the concept of medical tourism was relatively unknown as it was difficult to envisage a connection between the two very different areas of international travel and medical care; however, the rate of medical tourism has sharply accelerated in the last two decades. 2 Modern medical tourism is characterised by an influx of middle-class patients from industrialised countries and affluent patients from less economically developed countries making use of the medical services available at foreign destinations. Although medical tourism is an economically successful business venture for many countries, exact data regarding its market size and revenue remain largely unavailable. 3 According to the medical tourism guidebook Patients Beyond Borders , approximately 14 million medical travellers travelled abroad for treatment in 2015; as such, it was estimated that the medical tourism market was worth USD $45.5–72 billion. 4 Another source reported that over 19 million trips for the purposes of medical tourism were made in 2005 for a total value of USD $20 billion, amounting to 2.5% of the total annual tourism volume; this was estimated to increase to 40 million trips per annum and comprise 4% of the total annual tourism volume by 2010. 5

Economically, medical travel has benefited several southern countries, including India, Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Africa, where the cost of medical procedures is extremely low compared to those of more northern countries. 6 It is estimated that the annual number of Americans travelling abroad for healthcare services will increase to 23 million by 2017. 7 However, the number of medical tourists moving between southern countries is also extremely high; approximately 500,000 medical tourists travelled to South Africa from other African countries in 2009 and over half of the medical tourists in Malaysia (670,000) and Singapore (850,000) in 2012 were from Indonesia. 8 , 9 Thailand also receives a large number of medical travellers from neighbouring countries (2.5 million in 2012). 10 Moreover, approximately 100,000 people from East Africa are estimated to travel to India every year for medical purposes. 11 Among all global medical tourists, 40% travel due to a lack of advanced technology in their own country, 32% travel to seek better quality services and 12% travel for lower-cost treatments. 12

Although a number of studies exploring different aspects of medical tourism have recently been published, empirical insight into medical tourism is still lacking. 6 , 9 Much of the available literature is exploratory, anecdotal in nature and highly speculative or comprised of review articles exploring different aspects of medical tourism. 13 – 16 Some studies have attempted to establish relationships between various factors, such as motivation, service quality, service satisfaction and revisit intention. 10 , 17 , 18 Recently, models to explain destination selection by medical tourists have been proposed; however, these models are limited to a specific source or destination and are not comprehensive. 19 , 20 Fetscherin et al . developed a scale to validate the causative factors in destination decision-making, but failed to explain these factors from the traveller’s perspective. 6 Other models to explain the decision-making processes of medical travellers do not consider geographical location, country of origin or socioeconomic status. 6 , 8 , 14 , 16 , 18 These models are mainly based on travel motivations, perceived risks and destination image and characteristics, factors which are then linked to destination selection and visit intention. 21 , 22 Other researchers have also proposed travel constraints among the factors influencing individual decision-making. 23

Based on a thorough review of the literature, the current article introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework on medical tourism decision-making, combining causative factors related to the characteristics of both the destination and the tourist [ Figure 1 ]. This proposed framework may help in enhancing understanding of the behaviour of medical tourists and assist destination marketing specialists in formulating specific strategies to attract medical tourists.

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Object name is squmj1702-e11-17f1.jpg

Theoretical model of medical tourism decision-making. Note the unidirectional arrows which indicate the complexity of the relationships between the factors in the model.

Travel Motivations

Motivation can be defined as an internal psychological force arising from an unsatisfied need, which subsequently pushes individuals to engage in a specific need-fulfilling behaviour or activity. 24 In tourism research, motivation is considered a major force in compelling tourist behaviours. 25 Psychosocial motivations in tourist behaviour can be divided into ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors leading individuals to travel. 22 , 26 Motivations in medical tourism differ from those in leisure tourism, based on the specific needs of these types of travellers.

Medical tourists from northern countries often travel for a variety of reasons, including cost-saving purposes or because of the prohibitive expense of healthcare services in their own country; access to procedures banned in their home country; cultural or family reasons; in order to combine a minor medical procedure with leisure travel; and the long waiting lists for procedures in countries with publicly-funded healthcare systems, such as the UK and Canada. 2 , 16 Crooks et al . categorised the travel motivations of tourists from northern countries as either procedure-related, travel-related or cost-related. 27

In contrast, the travel motivations of medical tourists from southern countries differ. Medical tourists from Southeast Asia often travel abroad because of their mistrust in the quality of local medical services or the level of staff professionalism. 28 On the other hand, medical tourists from the Middle East reportedly travel abroad due to family pressure and the misconception that services at home are inadequate. 29 In most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, health services are entirely government-funded and free to nationals; for this reason, patients may not value the services available. 30 Rokni et al . found that Irani patients were highly motivated to travel to a particular destination because of their emotional attachment to the doctors, hospitals or the destination. 31 A decision to undergo treatment abroad can reflect broader social values and experiences; for instance, it is a common view in the Yemeni community that individuals have a responsibility to ensure the health of their family members, even if doing so is very expensive. 32 Travellers from Africa often visit other countries for medical purposes because of the unavailability of modern procedures and diagnostic services, a mistrust of local service providers and the poor state of public healthcare systems. 8 Individuals from various East African countries travel to India because they cannot afford the high medical fees at home. 11 Overall, most tourists from southern countries travel principally to obtain medical care, with a very minor leisure component to their trip. 3

Perceived Risks

The perceived probability that an action may expose an individual to danger can influence travel decisions if the perceived danger is deemed to be beyond an acceptable level. 33 In tourist decision-making, perceived risks hold the greatest influence in terms of destination selection. 34 Medical services are considered to be credence goods as their quality cannot be accurately ascertained, even after usage; as such, the associated risk of utilising medical services is high. 35 Furthermore, patients may be vulnerable to other risks when using medical services outside of their own country, including health, service quality, destination, travel and pre- and postoperative risks. 36 While staying at their travel destination, medical travellers may contract an infection before or after the medical procedure, develop thrombosis during long-haul flights which might slow down wound healing or be affected by the unavailability of blood transfusion components during the recuperation process. 37 Specifically, taking long-haul flights while in poor health can result in both physical and psychological pain; for many patients, existing conditions may worsen if they undertake journeys with multiple stopovers. 32

The likelihood of compensation in the case of complications has also been researched. 38 Most healthcare service providers willing to provide services to medical tourists are private and, as such, there are no enforced guidelines or control mechanisms in place to monitor treatment practices. 38 This can lead to a situation whereby unnecessary treatments are prescribed for reasons of monetary gain rather than medical necessity. Undergoing a procedure that is illegal in their home country can also expose medical travellers to unknown risks. 2 More importantly, making medical tourism decisions primarily as a result of cost-related motivations can be risky and may lead to negative outcomes. Some patients have been known to suffer from psychological and emotional distress while recovering from a procedure in a foreign destination. 39 Medical tourists from southern countries are usually considered more vulnerable to certain risks, given their often insufficient knowledge, limited resources and the potential prejudices they may face, as well as their vulnerability to various crimes, such as robbery or physical and sexual assault. 40

Another risk of medical tourism is an increase in patient-physician mistrust. After treatment, medical tourists often return to their home country with new and potentially hazardous prescriptions without effective guidelines or monitoring of use. Alternatively, they may return just as their disease becomes more advanced and/or incurable, at which point fewer treatment options are available. 39 , 40 As such, patients subsequently compare the late-stage treatment received in their home country to the early-stage treatment received at the foreign destination and form negative perceptions of their local healthcare services. 41 , 42

Travel Constraints

Travel constraints are defined as factors which inhibit either initial or further travel, constrain an individual’s ability to maintain or increase the frequency of travel and/or negatively affect their quality of travel. 43 Hung et al . argued that the existence of travel constraints does not necessarily result in a lack of travelling; their findings indicated that most individuals adopted negotiation measures to counter travel constraints. 43 Indirect evidence shows that medical tourists face different types of constraints; however, there is a lack of empirical research exploring the travel constraints of medical tourists.

The travel constraints of individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities have been categorised as intrinsic (e.g. lack of knowledge, health-related problems, social ineffectiveness and physical or psychological dependency), environmental (e.g. attitudinal, architectural, ecological or transportation-related problems) and interactive (e.g. skill/challenge incongruities and communication/language barriers). 44 Short-term illnesses can also restrict the movement of individuals and alter their mental and psychological abilities. 45 Medical tourists travelling to other countries with the sole aim of acquiring medical services may also face constraints similar to those of individuals with disabilities; a few anecdotal examples in the medical tourism literature support this claim. 44 One study of Yemeni medical travellers found that many individuals did not possess appropriate knowledge and simply followed advice from their relatives and friends who had travelled earlier. 32

Existing ailments may also restrict certain patients from travelling, for instance in cases of cardiac, respiratory or orthopaedic conditions. Additionally, current literature on this topic indicates that travellers from southern countries face further constraints in the form of air connectivity, visa processing, local transportation and language barriers. 42 , 46 Some medical tourists may also be concerned about the opinions of their friends and family if they choose to use medical services in less economically developed countries. 2 , 47

Perceived Destination Image

Destination image reflects the sum total of an individual’s ideas, beliefs, and impressions of a travel destination. 48 According to Echtner et al ., destination image consists of two components: attribute-based and holistic. 49 Destination image covers attributes common to all destinations, as well as the unique attributes of a specific destination. In a tourism consumer behaviour model, three components of destination image formation are incorporated: awareness formed after acquiring information about a destination, attitudes formed as a result of beliefs and feelings regarding a destination and expectations formed based on the benefits associated with a destination. 50 Gallarza et al . mentioned that destination image is a mental representation of the attributes and benefits on the part of the traveller. 51 Two major factors, attributes and benefits, then combine to form the overall destination image.

The attributes of a destination are of the utmost importance in influencing the destination image. 52 The evaluation of a destination is multidimensional and both general as well as specific attributes are important in its promotion. 53 Tasci et al . argued that the image of a destination can be conceptualised in terms of cognitive components based on the attributes of that destination. 54 Measurements of a cognitive image vary according to the destination; however, descriptiveness, direct observability and measurability of a cognitive image have been established as the best tools to assess the uniqueness of a destination. 55

Medical tourism destination images are formed from the various tangible characteristics—both medical and non-medical—of a destination. Tangible attributes can include the price, quality of medical services, type of services offered, accreditation of the institutions or hospitals, credentials of the doctors or healthcare providers, supportive services, quality of the infrastructure, the socioeconomic environment and determinants of personal safety and security. 2 , 56 , 57 As such, some destinations are recognised for their cheap and high-quality services (e.g. India) whereas others are known for combining medical procedures with leisure, such as Thailand and the Caribbean; some destinations, such as Singapore, offer expensive but highly sophisticated services. 58 , 59

Destination image formation can also be affected by word-of-mouth. Most travellers, especially from southern countries, select medical tourism destinations and doctors based on personal recommendations from their friends and relatives. 60 Yu et al . have reported that medical tourists emphasise cost-saving, sociocultural factors, medical facilities and professional and leisure tourism opportunities when selecting a destination. 61 Musa et al . found that excellent medical and support services were important pull factors in destination selection. 28 Other studies have indicated that religious beliefs and emotional attachments can also influence the destination choices of medical tourists, especially among those from southern countries. 28 , 29

Destination image formation is not necessarily solely influenced by tangible destination attributes; researchers have noted that the benefits associated with a destination can sometimes drive tourists to destinations with negative attributes. 62 In one study, individuals reported liking one country and disliking another even though the two countries were very similar. 63 Moutinho argued that the physical attributes of a destination work only as stimuli consistent with certain pre-existing associations, thereby leading to a destination image which is subjective rather than objective. 50

According to Lefkoff-Hagius et al ., products have symbolic aspects which determine the degree to which ownership or consumption of the product enhances the image of the consumer. 64 The theory of consumption value focuses on the consumption values of product and services and explains why consumers either choose or do not choose to buy/consume a particular product or service. This theory has previously been tested in areas such as the dining industry, eco-friendly products and visit intentions and choices of tourism destinations. 65 Tapachai et al . found that the consumption value theory was fit to measure the beneficial image of a destination. 66 The conditional value dimension of the consumption value theory denotes a specific situation which leads individuals to buy a product or service. In medical tourism, patients travel outside of their home country due to their medical condition.

A heart bypass surgery that costs around USD $100,000 in the USA can be performed to the same level of quality for around USD $10,000–20,000 at five-star hospitals in various destinations worldwide; 2 this demonstrates the functional consumption value (i.e. the perceived value for money) of destinations. Kangas also noted epistemic value (i.e. curiosity, novelty and knowledge-seeking behaviours) in the medical tourism decision-making process, as medical tourism can also provide opportunities for patients to explore new regions. 32

Relationships between Model Factors

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is a theoretical model designed to elucidate the relationships between consumers’ beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviours. Various studies exploring visit and revisit intentions and the consumption behaviours of tourists based on travel motivations, risks, constraints and destination image have used the TPB hypothesis to support their models. 67 , 68 Motivation has been found to have a direct and positive relationship with behavioural intention, indicating that the motivations of medical tourists positively influence their visit intentions. 69 – 72 Researchers have also found a strong negative relationship between the perceived risks of travelling and visit/revisit intentions. 73 – 75 Disinterest has also been reported to have a significant negative impact on revisit intentions. 76 Hung et al . argued that higher travel constraints reduces the likelihood of a person travelling. 43 Lee et al . found that travel constraints and learned helplessness significantly negatively influenced the travel intentions of people with disabilities. 77

As the sociopsychological motivations of tourists strongly influence the cognitive and affective evaluation of a destination, medical tourists’ motivations are assumed to have a positive influence on destination image. 25 , 78 Chew et al . identified a significant relationship between perceived risks and destination image. 55 Bearing in mind that perceived risks directly influence visit intention, this construct can also be argued to negatively influence destination image; however, further studies are needed to fully explore this relationship. While the role of travel constraints on destination image requires further research, an initial study by Chen et al . found a significant negative relationship between travel constraints and destination image in early decision-making. 23 Destination image has also been noted to have a strong direct relationship with tourist behaviour. 79 – 82

Different factors play important roles in medical tourism. Motivations encouraging patients to travel to a foreign country for treatment vary based on different needs, while perceived risks can influence medical tourists to avoid certain destinations or decide not to travel altogether. Travel constraints may also influence the decision-making of medical tourists and are dependent on factors such as nationality, expense, destination and the presence of existing health conditions. Moreover, the attributes and image of a particular destination can also influence the visit and revisit intentions of medical tourists. This article provides a comprehensive theoretical model of medical tourism decision-making in an attempt to provide a frame of reference for future studies in this field. However, the relationships in this model are relatively complex and many aspects of this complex phenomenon require further empirical research.

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10 reasons to love travel

What does travel mean to you here are just 10 of the many reasons i love to travel….

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In today’s tech-obsessed world, social media may well be the perfect platform to showcase the world’s beauty to armchair travellers across the globe, but travel is so much more than just getting that perfect Instagram shot. Travel should be meaningful. It should excite and inspire you, rejuvenate and ground you, educate and challenge you, and most of all, it should humble you.

Travel gives us our greatest stories, our most cherished memories and countless irreplaceable learnings that we can choose to pay forward to others. It teaches us about ourselves and each other, it broadens our horizons and, just like a reset button, it forces us to refocus on what really matters.

Here’s what travel means to me…

For me personally, travel is a way of life. I was born into a travel-obsessed family and had already lived on three different continents by the time I started school, so wanderlust (and an often ridiculed hybrid accent) was inevitable for me. My sister and I are incredibly fortunate to have parents that insisted that travel was the best classroom and, thankfully, our school holidays were spent exploring fascinating places, both near and far.

Upon graduating university (and turning 21), I was given the greatest gift: the gift of travel. Armed with a round-the-world plane ticket and a sense of adventure, I took off on a six-month solo backpacking trip through Europe, Southern Africa and Australia and, without a doubt, it changed the way I saw the world. So, as a self-confessed travel addict, here are the 10 reasons why I love to travel.

1. Travel to leave our world a better place

I have been fortunate to work and travel with &Beyond for more than 13 years now and what inspires me most is our company ethos and unwavering commitment to care for the land, wildlife and people. Travelling with &Beyond has given me the rare privilege to actively take part in so many unforgettable and truly meaningful experiences, such as: witnessing endangered rhino being safely translocated; observing an elephant cow being collared for research and monitoring purposes; helping to relocate a vulnerable nest laid by an enormous and highly endangered sea turtle; spending a night in a traditional Maasai manyatta (homestead); and so much more. &Beyond ’s authentic, experiential travel not only enables travellers to participate, engage and learn, but it also allows them to travel with purpose and to help leave our world a better place.

2. Travel to meet different cultures

Travel exposes us to different cultures and ancient traditions and through these authentic encounters, we learn to embrace and celebrate both our similarities and our differences. Travel teaches us about humanity and gives us an appreciation, understanding and respect for different points of view and ways of life.

3. Travel to learn

Not all classrooms have four walls and travel is the best way to immerse yourself in geography, history, culture, gastronomy, languages, biology … you name it. Travel enriches the mind and educates us far beyond any textbook or travel guide. Not only do curious travellers learn about different landscapes, languages and lifestyles; glean fascinating facts while observing wild animals in their natural habitat; delve into a region’s history and taste the local flavours; but they also learn about themselves (and each other) along the way.

4. Travel to escape reality

We all need to fall off the radar and escape reality every once in a while. Travel allows us to enjoy complete anonymity in new and unexplored territories. It gives us absolute freedom to live in the moment and it allows us to be anyone, to go anywhere and to do anything. The best part of my six-month trip around the world, way back when, was the freedom of being able to just wake up and pick a spot anywhere on the map and find a way to get there. Travel enables us to be spontaneous and seek new experiences.

5. Travel to relax

Our lives are time-starved and technology-driven and, let’s be honest, it’s not often that we actually take the necessary time to de-stress and truly switch off. Travel allows us to escape life’s daily demands, dramas and deadlines and enables us to clear our minds. It encourages us to recharge our batteries and to truly disconnect (from our phones, Wi-Fi, emails, laptops, social media, etc.) in order to reconnect (with ourselves, each other and the natural environment).

6. Travel to explore

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste and try new things. It constantly challenges us, not only to adapt to and explore new surroundings, but also to engage with different people, to embrace adventures as they come and to share new and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones. Whether you seek adrenaline and non-stop activity, or unapologetic siestas and ultimate relaxation, travel gives us the opportunity to explore with an open heart and an open mind.

7. Travel for humility

Without a doubt, travel is a crash course in humility. As we cross borders, and oceans, we gain true perspective. We learn to recognise and be grateful for all of the things we take for granted in our own lives, and we also gain an appreciation and respect for how others live. Travel teaches us to be tolerant, flexible and open-minded, and most of all it makes us humble.

8. Travel to eat

One thing you’ll never find on a suggested packing list is a diet. Leave it at home! Just make sure you bring a healthy appetite and a willingness to taste new flavours and sample all of the local delicacies. Remember, mimosas are totally acceptable at breakfast and dessert is always a good idea. Indulge, go back for seconds and exercise when you get home.

9. Travel to be transformed

Don’t just travel for travel’s sake. Travel to seek adventure and feel alive. Take part in authentic experiences that will not only change the way you see the world, but that will also encourage self-reflection, environmental awareness and global action to help protect and conserve our planet.

10. Travel to live out your bucket list dreams

Every traveller’s bucket list is different. Whether you long to watch the sun set over the Taj Majal, snowshoe on the side of an active volcano, witness Africa’s Big Five and the Great Migration, or find your Zen on a yoga retreat in the Himalayas, if you can dream it, you can do it. Travel is the best medicine and long may it continue to take our breath away and turn us all into storytellers (and committed custodians of our precious planet).

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COVID-19, Tourist Destinations and Prospects for Recovery pp 137–156 Cite as

Tourists’ Travel Motivations During Crises: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Rasha Kassem 4 &
  • Chanaka Ganepola 5  
  • First Online: 02 March 2023

179 Accesses

This study seeks to explore tourists’ travel motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents findings from an online questionnaire sent to 166 tourists in various regions, including Europe, America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. This study identified seven travel motivators but found that the COVID-19 vaccine and guaranteed refund schemes are the prime motivators of future travel in all regions. Most younger participants consider the vaccine a prime motivator for post-COVID-19 travel. Although not as significant, hygiene is also identified as a travel motivator and is appreciated more by females than males. Moreover, the majority of participants in the age group (20–29 years old), those living with dependents and relatively low-income earners (income <$20,000), identified discounts on accommodation and travel as travel motivators. Understanding what may motivate tourists to travel is essential as it would help government agencies, travel agents, tourism marketers, transport systems and hospitality services cope with the current crisis more effectively. Additionally, this study summarises recovery strategies used to manage previous health crises as reported in the literature. This summary can be used as a toolkit or guide to managing health crises by practitioners and policymakers. Therefore, this study provides timely information about a recent and fatal crisis and can thus serve as part of the knowledge base in crisis planning.

  • Travel motivation
  • Crisis management

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Kassem, R., Ganepola, C. (2023). Tourists’ Travel Motivations During Crises: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Dube, K., Nhamo, G., Swart, M. (eds) COVID-19, Tourist Destinations and Prospects for Recovery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22257-3_8

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What Inspires You To Travel? | 10 Inspirational Resources

travel de motivators examples

People often ask us, What inspires you to travel? Where do you get your travel inspiration from? There are a lot of resources that inspire us, so we made this top-10 list to help you get inspired to go traveling!

Resources that inspire to travel;  1) Travel Videos 2) Documentaries 3) Books 4) Stories From Friends And Other Travelers 5) Cultures 6) Local Festivals 7) Food 8) Nature 9) Wildlife 10) Intrinsic Motivation

The above list is the resources we use most to find new inspiration. #10 is actually our most valuable resource, our intrinsic motivation. We just love to explore the world and learn more about other cultures. People often say; 

“Once you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, you stay infected for the rest of your life.”

We still use these resources to get new inspiration for travel destinations. Ready to find out more? Let’s dig in! 

Inspirational Travel Resources

We’ve basically been fulltime travelers since early 2018, and since then, we visited many countries. While being on the road, we’re writing for this website and a few other informational websites we own. Also, we do a lot of filming to create inspirational travel videos and documentaries. 

2020 is a year where we planned to travel less. We’re expecting our first child! So this year is all about getting used to a new family life. However, for 2021, our plan is still to discover new countries in the world. Until then, we use these resources to find inspiration for new destinations. 

1) Travel Videos

We love to watch and make travel videos! I feel it is one of the best resources to find new travel inspiration. A travel video can tell you so much about a destination. On YouTube, you can find them in many different formats.

One of the best inspirational travel video channels I love to watch is Sam Kolder’s channel, Kold. He makes relatively short, cinematic videos. Often with a lot of drone footage and as a drone pilot myself, it inspires me every time! Check out his compilation video of 2019; 

We also make travel videos and documentaries ourselves, which you might find interesting. Our videos are more focused on telling more about a countries culture. We have both shorter videos, which are more like an impression of a destination. These videos are our ‘travel guide videos.’ And documentaries, which I’ll show you in the next part of this article. 

You can learn more about our travel videos on our travel show page, or watching one of our videos below. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, would be awesome! 

2) Documentaries

Let’s stay in videos for a while, travel documentaries can be very inspiring to awaken your wanderlust. I really love watching, and also making travel documentaries. Travel documentaries are often longer than an inspirational travel video. And thus there’s more time to tell an in-depth story about a particular subject. For travel documentaries, usually, that’s telling more about the culture, traditions, or nature of a country or specific place. 

One of the travel and nature documentaries that inspired me the most was the planet earth series of BBC. Also, the boy-to-man documentary series made by Tim Noonan is very inspirational, but sometimes a bit more extreme. He also produced  “the extreme engagement”  series for Netflix, which is fun to watch and also interesting if you want to learn more about indigenous and sometimes extreme cultures, check out the trailer below; 

Travel Show ‘LeKi On Travel’

So, I mentioned just a few documentaries that inspired me to travel more. But we also love to film and try to capture the unique cultures that cross our paths during our travels. The most significant difference between the documentaries and productions I mentioned earlier, and our video productions, is that we merely film and produce videos as a hobby. We named our show  LeKi op Reis (Leki on Travels).  Leki simply is the first letters of our names, Léon and Kirsten. 

Luckily for me, Kirsten worked as a producer for several TV Shows in The Netherlands, so when we started a few years ago, we had some knowledge of how things worked. But, we’re still learning every day! It’s just a fun experience. 

What I like most about creating travel documentaries is that the purpose of traveling changes. It is not just sightseeing, we get to know countries, cultures, and local people in a different way. Which is very inspirational! 

Two documentaries we filmed were for us making our dreams come true. We were able to swim with humpback whales in Tonga. And when we were in New Zealand, we captured the story of the Māori culture, which is a very unique, indigenous culture. 

You can find our documentaries on our travel show page, or watch our Māori Documentary on YouTube; 

Reading books can be very inspirational. Not only to awaken your wanderlust, but also many other things in life. 

Over the years, I read many travel-related books. The book I most recently finished was Ikigai, about the Japanese secret to a long and happy life. Maybe it’s not directly related to travel, but traveling for me is also learning about new cultures, and adapting the things that improve my life. I really recommend reading the book, it also made me curious about visiting Japan, I feel it can be such an inspirational country! 

travel de motivators examples

The Ikigai book is available on Amazon. Click on the image or link to see the latest price on Amazon.

A classic book in travel literature is  Il Milione,  the story follows Marco Polo during its journey through the ancient Silk Route. A journey that took over 24 years, and made him the first Western traveler that reached many outskirts in the world. The most interesting about this story is learning more about the different cultures at that time (13th century AD) and how Marco Polo changed his lifestyle following the traditions of different cultures. 

travel de motivators examples

Il Milione is available on Amazon. Click on the image or link to see the latest price on Amazon. These books are also available as an e-book via Amazon Kindle. If you want to use Amazon Kindle, you can use this link to subscribe. You can easily use the kindle membership on different devices with the Kindle app or using an e-reader ;

travel de motivators examples

Coffee Table Books

Other books that inspire to travel are  Before They Pass Away   from  Jimmy Nelson.  A unique coffee table book, where he showcases unique tribal cultures from over the world. 

travel de motivators examples

Land of Giants   made by  Will Burrard-Lucas  is the newest inspirational book we’re reading. It’s a real artwork about the last wild African great tuskers (elephants). 

travel de motivators examples

These unique and inspirational coffee table books are an excellent gift for every traveler, or to buy as an inspirational guide for yourself. 

4) Stories From Friends And Other Travelers

As full-time travelers, you might think we’ve seen it all, but that’s actually not true. I love talking about traveling with friends and family, and also other travelers who we meet while we’re on the road. It’s great sharing travel experiences. It’s also fun to make music together. I always bring my ukulele, which is a perfect travel instrument and easy to take with you.. 

It is inspiring to listen to other stories and travel adventures of fellow travelers. When we’re on the road, we meet so many different people. The funny thing is that most conversations with other travelers start kind of the same. Subjects like; ‘ where you from ,’ ‘ where have you been,’  and ‘ where are you going .’ Are like the basic questions to start a conversation among travel-minded people. 

Sometimes these conversations turn into real friendships, but most of the time, I find it just inspirational to listen to other people. Learn from there stories, and get inspired by their adventures. 

Travel Must-Haves For Every Traveler

These items are must-haves for every traveler, and I can highly recommend them without any hesitation: Travel Hammock : This lightweight hammock is made of ultra-light parachute silk material. The hammock fits in a small portable bag and is very-easy-to you use. You can relax comfortably anywhere: on the beach, by the lake, in the forest, campsite, your hotel, Airbnb and even at home!  The North Face Backpack : This is a high-quality, versatile, and practical daypack from one of the best brands in the world. It is a perfect choice, no matter what kind of travel plans you have. Oasis Kindle E-reader : A waterproof E-reader for unlimited reading while traveling. It is a must-have for every traveler that enjoys reading. This E-reader has an adjustable warm light to shift screen shade from white to amber. It also works with Audible, so you switch effortlessly from reading to listening. Sony Noise-canceling headphone : A world-leading noise-canceling headphone to make your travel trip more comfortable and less exhausting. One of the best travel products out there. Either for listening to music, podcasts. Or to block all the noise during traveling, for example, when you’re in an airplane.  GoPro HERO 8 :  We’ve been using a GoPro camera since the first generation came on the market. It is our go-to travel camera ever since. Perfect for making the best pictures and memorable videos. It’s easy to use, waterproof and fits in your pocket or daypack. The new generation has a built-in stabilizer so that videos will be even better quality!  Check out our  recommendations page  for more travel gear and recourses. 

5) Cultures

I’m a cultural addict. I really love to learn about traditions and different cultures. How certain things developed over time, and how specific events in history influencing the daily life of different cultures. 

I find it all inspirational, and it is one of the main reasons I love to travel. Not only the basic stories about culture, one can easily find when Googling. Sure these facts are also interesting, but I’m specifically interested in the people. Is life really that different within specific cultures, how do people cope with cultural traditions and expectations. 

During our travels, we learned that there are many differences within cultures all over the world. But the most important things in life are the same everywhere you go. 

Happiness, Health, Safety, Family, and Friends. These are the important factors you find in every culture around the world. 

6) Local Festivals

When I start learning more about a new culture, I always look for local cultural festivals. Events that are celebrated annually throughout a community. Sometimes there are many differences in cultural events in the world. Like with Easter celebrations. A catholic event that is celebrated at many places in the world, but differs in each country. These cultural differences are, for me, the most inspirational. 

In our own country, we also celebrate unique cultural festivals. We’re from The Netherlands, and the two most significant cultural events in the country are not related to religion. The largest cultural festivals in The Netherlands are  Kingsday  and  Liberation Day. 

Kingsday is the day that we celebrate our King’s birthday. It is a public holiday, with many cultural festivities throughout the country. Everyone dresses up in orange, which is the national color of The Netherlands. The Dutch Royal Family visits a different city in the country each year to celebrate Kings Day among the locals. Read more about Kingsday in our article  What Is Kingsday in The Netherlands?  

Liberation Day is the other unique cultural Dutch festival. During Liberation Day, we celebrate our freedom after World War II. Each year many festivals and celebrations are taking place on the 5th of May. The day before, on the 4th of May, is the national remembrance of the death. You can find out more about these cultural events, and other unique things of our country, in our article  What Is The Netherlands Famous For?

Cape Verdean Culture

I got inspired by many cultures during our travels. However, the Cape Verdean culture is one that inspires me very much. We traveled for 10 weeks through the archipelago, and it surprised me how positive and friendly the people are. 

Cape Verde is one of the youngest and most stable democracies in Africa. But it is also a very poor country. Since the discovery of the islands in the 15th century, and until 1975, Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony. Without the possibility to thrive as an independent nation. 

Despite the economic adversity, the Cape Verdeans always stayed positive. They always found a way to celebrate life and be happy. The Cape Verdean lifestyle is the best way described as  no stress.  In Cape Verde known as  Morabeza.  A way of life that is best experienced on the island of Santo Antão. 

But they also find a way to celebrate the beauty and happiness in life. Cape Verde islands are actually one of the best places to celebrate tropical carnival. The island São Vicente is known as the cultural heart of the archipelago. Check out the tropical carnival celebrations in Cape Verde in our travel video; 

When you’re inspired to visit this African archipelago, I recommend reading some of our articles about Cape Verde . An interesting article to start with is  What is Cape Verde Famous For?

Another great way to learn more about a culture is by exploring the local cuisine. By finding unique local restaurants and eating local food, you can learn a lot about the cultural heritage of a country. 

For example, in Cape Verde, their local, national dish, is Cachupa. A stew of basic ingredients like corn, meat, and some local vegetables. For a long time, it was food for the poor people of the country. But today, the Cape Verdeans are proud of their national dish. It’s interesting to learn how things develop over time. 

One of the most inspirational figures, when you talk about exploring culture food, was Anthony Bourdain. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2018, but his travel documentaries are still exciting to watch. The series  Parts Unknown,  and  No Reservations,  where he, in a brilliant way, combines cultural food, with everyday life. You get a great insight into learning more about specific cultures. 

We love being outdoors and explore the beautiful and remote parts of the world. However, we’re not extreme travelers. We just drive around in our small Toyota Yaris with a rooftop tent on top . Looking for places off the beaten track. Getting away from the rat race, being outside, and live within nature. And even as full-time travelers, we still have dreams and a bucket list. Exploring the northern lights, visit the Amazon Jungle, visit Patagonia, and many other things. 

When you love to visit nature, I recommend reading more about New Zealand. This beautiful country has it all and amazed me every day when we traveled through the country. It’s such a beautiful environment! 

9) Wildlife

Nature and wildlife are two things that are closely related. We love to explore wildlife, but always respectfully. We don’t want to disturb the wildlife but visit certain parts, merely to explore and experience. And let the animals be in their natural habitats. 

During the last years, we made some inspirational wildlife trips. When we were in Indonesia, we visited the island of Sumatra. Here we could visit one of the last wild Orang-Utans. A unique experience, in a very remote part of the island. 

We also visited the Kingdom of Tonga, where one of our biggest dreams came true. We went swimming with humpback whales. These gentle giants come to the island of Tonga annually to have their young. A great experience and something we’ll never forget. I would recommend everyone planning such amazing trips. But always in a respectful way for nature and wildlife. Remember that we are just visitors in the natural habitats of these animals. 

10) Intrinsic Motivation

When it comes to traveling, we are our biggest inspirators. We have that urge to learn more about cultures, to see unique countries, and meet other people from all over the world. Explore the beauty of nature and wildlife. 

Like we started this article, we are infected with the travel bug. 

I can’t really describe where it’s coming from. Maybe it has something to do with my mixed cultural background. My family comes from Indonesia, which makes a part of me Indonesian. So a mix of different cultures. During our trip to Indonesia, I also visited my family’s heritage on the island of Java. I created this video about it; 

Our urge to travel has definitely something to do with the fact that we don’t want to participate in the western rat race. I think it is one of the biggest reasons why we all travel and go on vacation. To get away from the busy moments in our daily life. The most significant difference for us is that we didn’t want to get away from those busy moments for only a few weeks per year. We didn’t want to be in that rat race at all. 

We participated in several office jobs, and made our first steps on the western ‘career ladder.’ Still, quickly we discovered that’s not the lifestyle that suits us. 

We want to create memories and live our lives in the happiest way possible. For us, that means traveling to enrich ourselves with the knowledge of different cultures. And also being at home, together with our family and friends. 

So, these are the things where we get our travel inspiration from. Of course, sometimes, we also look at Instagram to get some inspiration. But honestly, the travel related images and stories there are most of the time to picture-perfect for me. It doesn’t reflect reality. 

When you’re looking for some travel inspiration, I recommend reading our destination articles . We love to inspire you to go travel more. Check out the different articles here . Of course, you can also watch our videos on our travel show page . If you like our videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel ! 

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travel de motivators examples

What Motivates People To Travel | Top Reasons

  • September 21, 2023

What Motivates People To Travel

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste, and try new things .

Travel is a deeply ingrained and universally cherished human activity. It can inspire, educate, and transform us in countless ways. 

Whether it’s an adventure to distant lands, a leisurely escape to a tropical paradise, or a cultural immersion in a foreign city, travel beckons us with promises of exploration, growth, and unforgettable experiences.

But what fuels this wanderlust? What compels individuals to embark on journeys far and wide, leaving behind the familiar for the unknown? 

The motivation behind travel is a complex interplay of personal desires, interests, and aspirations. It varies from person to person, often reflecting the intricate tapestry of our lives.

Exploring the motivation for travel, we delve into why people embark on their journeys.

From the pursuit of adventure and the quest for relaxation to the thirst for cultural enrichment and the desire to forge deeper connections, each traveler’s motivation is as unique as the destinations they seek.

Join us on this journey through the diverse landscape of travel motivations, where we unravel the underlying forces that drive us to explore the world, learn from it, and, ultimately, find meaning and fulfillment in our travels.

Motivates Of People For Travel 

What Motivates People To Travel? People are motivated to travel for a wide range of reasons, and these motivations can vary from person to person. 

Here are some common factors that motivate people to travel:

  • Adventure and Exploration 

Many people have a natural curiosity and desire for adventure. They seek to explore new places, experience different cultures, and embark on exciting journeys. The thrill of discovering the unknown can be a powerful motivator.

  • Relaxation and Escape

Travel provides an opportunity to escape the routine and stresses of daily life. People often travel to relax, unwind, and recharge. Vacationing in a peaceful or picturesque location can be a great way to de-stress.

  • Cultural Enrichment

Travel allows individuals to immerse themselves in different cultures, traditions, and histories. They may be motivated to learn, grow, and better understand the world and its people.

  • Food and Culinary Exploration

 Food enthusiasts often travel to sample local cuisines and delicacies. Trying new foods and experiencing the flavors of a region can be a significant motivator for travel.

  • Nature and Scenic Beauty

Natural beauty, such as stunning landscapes, beaches, mountains, and wildlife, can be a powerful draw. Many people are motivated to travel to witness and connect with the beauty of the natural world.

  • Social and Interpersonal Connections

Visiting friends and family, attending weddings or other social events, or simply spending quality time with loved ones can strongly motivate travel. Human connections are an essential part of many people’s lives.

  • Hobbies and Interests

Individuals often travel to pursue their hobbies and interests, such as sports, music festivals, art exhibitions, or historical reenactments. Traveling for these specific activities can be highly motivating.

  • Self-Discovery and Personal Growth

Travel can be a transformative experience, leading to personal growth and self-discovery. It challenges individuals to step out of their comfort zones, overcome obstacles, and learn more about themselves.

  • Bucket List and Dreams 

Many people have a list of places they dream of visiting before they die, often called a “bucket list.” These dreams and aspirations can be strong motivators for travel.

  • Work and Business 

Travel is not always for leisure. Some travel for work-related purposes, such as conferences, meetings, or assignments. Business travelers are motivated by professional goals and responsibilities.

  • Spiritual and Religious Reasons 

Pilgrimages and spiritual journeys to sacred sites and religious destinations are typical motivations for travel among individuals seeking a deeper spiritual connection.

  • Education and Learning

Another motivating factor is traveling for educational purposes, such as studying abroad or attending workshops and seminars. Learning about different cultures, languages, and academic subjects can be a powerful motivator.

  • Wellness and Health 

Some travel to destinations known for their wellness and health benefits, such as spa retreats, yoga retreats, or destinations with natural healing properties.

  • Celebrations and Milestones

Traveling to commemorate special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, or retirement is a common reason for trips.

  • Volunteer and Charity Work

Some individuals travel to volunteer their time and skills for charitable causes, such as humanitarian aid, environmental conservation, or community development projects.

  • Photography and Art

Travel provides endless opportunities for photographers, artists, and creatives to capture the beauty of landscapes, people, and cultures.

  • Sports and Events

Attending sporting events, festivals, concerts, or other cultural events in different locations can be a thrilling reasons to travel.

  • Literary and Film Inspiration

Traveling to places featured in books, movies, or TV shows that have inspired one’s imagination can be a meaningful journey.

Exploring markets, boutiques, and shopping districts in various cities or countries is a popular reason for travel, especially for fashion enthusiasts and collectors.

  • Family Reunions

Traveling to reunite with extended family members who live in different parts of the world is a strong motivator for some.

  • History and Archaeology

History buffs and archaeology enthusiasts may travel to explore ancient ruins, historical sites, and museums.

  • Adventure Challenges

Taking on physical challenges like climbing mountains, embarking on long-distance hikes, or cycling cross-country can be a compelling reason to travel.

  • Learning New Skills

Traveling to enroll in workshops, classes, or retreats that teach new skills, such as cooking, yoga, or a new language, is an educational motivator.

  • Space and Astronomy Tourism

With advancements in space tourism, some people are motivated to travel to space for a unique and out-of-this-world experience.

  • Honeymoons and Romantic Getaways

Traveling for a romantic escape or honeymoon is a common reason for couples looking to celebrate their love and create lasting memories together.

  • Retirement Adventures

After retiring, many individuals embark on long-term travel adventures to explore destinations they’ve always dreamed of visiting.

  • Digital Nomadism

The rise of remote work and digital nomadism has encouraged people to travel while working, allowing them to explore new places while maintaining their careers.

  • Recovery and Healing

Some travel for physical or mental health reasons, seeking specialized medical treatments, wellness retreats, or therapeutic environments.

  • Geocaching and Treasure Hunting

Enthusiasts of geocaching and treasure hunting use travel as a means to discover hidden caches and treasures around the world.

  • Adoption and Family Matters

Traveling to adopt a child, meet biological family members, or handle legal or family-related matters in different countries is another important reason for travel.

  • Pilgrimages

People of various religions undertake pilgrimages to sacred sites and holy places as an act of devotion and spiritual growth.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Travelling

Traveling offers numerous advantages, including personal growth, cultural enrichment, and memorable experiences. However, it also comes with disadvantages, such as costs and potential challenges. Here’s a breakdown of both:

Advantages of Traveling

  • Personal Growth
  • Memorable Experiences
  • Inspiration
  • Food and Cuisine
  • Health Benefits

Disadvantages of Traveling

  • Time Commitment
  • Safety Concerns
  • Culture Shock
  • Language Barriers
  • Logistical Issues
  • Environmental Impact
  • Health Concerns
  • Home Sickness
  • Over-Tourism

Best Places To Travel

Determining the “best” places to travel depends on your interests, preferences, and the type of experience you’re seeking. 

Here are some diverse destinations that are often highly recommended by travelers:

  • Paris, France 
  • Kyoto, Japan 
  • Rome, Italy
  • Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Santorini, Greece
  • New York City, USA 
  • Bali, Indonesia
  • Cape Town, South Africa 
  • Prague, Czech Republic
  • Banff National Park, Canada
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates 
  • Barcelona, Spain
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Marrakech, Morocco
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Munich, Germany
  • Cairo, Egypt
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Queenstown, New Zealand
  • Dubrovnik, Croatia

What Motivates People To Travel? In conclusion, the motivations for travel are diverse and deeply personal, reflecting each traveler’s unique desires, interests, and circumstances. Whether driven by a thirst for adventure, a desire to explore new cultures, a need for relaxation, or any of the countless other reasons, travel holds the potential for enriching experiences, personal growth, and unforgettable memories. Understanding your motivations for travel is essential in planning and enjoying your trips. It allows you to tailor your journeys to align with your goals and preferences, ensuring each adventure becomes a fulfilling and transformative experience.

What are the Most Common Motivations for People to Travel?

Common motivations for travel include adventure and exploration, relaxation, cultural enrichment, food and cuisine, and connecting with loved ones.

However, motivations can vary widely from person to person.

How Can I Determine My Travel Motivations?

Determining your travel motivations involves self-reflection.

Consider what excites you, what experiences you seek, and what personal goals you want to achieve through travel.

Assess your interests, desires, and priorities to identify your unique travel motivations.

Are There Specific Destinations or Types of Travel that Align with Certain Motivations?

Specific destinations and types of travel experiences may align with specific motivations. For example, if you’re motivated by adventure, you might seek out destinations known for outdoor activities like hiking or scuba diving.

If you’re interested in cultural enrichment, historic and culturally rich locations might be appealing.

How Can I Ensure my Travel Plans Align With my Motivations?

To ensure your travel plans align with your motivations, it’s essential to research destinations and activities that cater to your interests.

Create an itinerary that includes experiences related to your motivations and set clear goals for what you want to achieve during your trip.

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Traveler motivations revealed

travel de motivators examples

Click. Magazine Writer

We all have unique motivations to travel. From discovering new places and trying new food to getting away from demands at home, there are many reasons travelers book trips. Understanding these motives can help you appeal to and meet the needs of prospective guests. We delve into data from Booking.com’s recent travel trends survey to reveal what motivated travelers’ last vacations. 

Travel motivations 

Following years of uncertainty, it’s no surprise that the primary reasons for travel across the board were rest and relaxation. Giving myself time to relax (84%), taking time to mentally unwind (78%), and boosting my mood (78%) were the top three motivators globally. 

Two other themes also emerged as primary motivators: New experiences and human connections, with many travelers eager to experience new places (74%) and spending time with family (72%).  

Destination motivations 

The survey found that there are five main themes that inspire travelers when choosing a destination: The “essentials,” entertainment, culture, beach, and budget. Considered an essential, cleanliness topped the list as the most important factor when choosing a destination, with 84% of global respondents basing their decision on how clean the destination is.   

Other factors included beautiful natural scenery and personal safety (both 83%), followed by friendly people (79%) and tasty local food (78%).  

Domestic travel motivations

With borders around the world closing as a result of the pandemic, domestic demand paved the way for travel’s recovery. Even as international travel becomes accessible again, travelers plan to continue exploring destinations closer to home in 2022 and beyond. Almost eight out of ten (78%) travelers feel encouraged to continue traveling domestically in the future, with 76% saying that doing so has given them a new appreciation for their own country and 74% saying they enjoy traveling domestically more than they expected. 

Travel worries

Just as motivations play a key role in bookers’ decision-making process, so do travel concerns. Overall, safety is the biggest worry for travelers, which is consistent with pre-pandemic trends. But compared to survey data from 2019, worries over quarantine and cleanliness are unsurprisingly more relevant this year. Having to quarantine upon arrival and a lack of cleanliness and hygiene measures at the accommodation were travelers’ second and third biggest travel worries, respectively.

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What do you think of this page?

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Nicola Donovan

  • Research was commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who’d taken a trip in the last 12 months and planned to take another in 2022
  • The sample comprised 48,413 respondents from 31 markets 
  • Respondents completed an online survey in January 2022

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US traveler trends and behaviors revealed

Mapping Megan

If there’s a question I’m asked most frequently, it’s what motivates me to travel. What motivated me to start, and what continues to motivate me today.

And it’s an interesting thing to consider. To pin-point exactly what makes us leave our homes and journey to far flung corners of the earth, sometimes halfway around the globe. What pushes us to sit in an aluminium tube for sometimes 20 hours + and endure in-flight food. 3 billion of us do it every year, though have you sat down and actually asked yourself why?

Some people do it to taste exotic dishes, and to dive into history. Some people travel for the ultimate tan. But for me, it’s always been about adventure and exploration. About the chance to experience and discover something new, whether that be a new taste, sensation, culture, or even an undiscovered city. (I figure Hiram Bingham did it, so surely there’s one just waiting for me too!)

What Motivates Me to Travel: Personal Reflection After 10 Years

You can hover over these (or any image) to quickly pin it.

If there’s a question I’m asked most frequently, it’s what motivates me to travel. What motivated me to start, and what continues to motivate me today.

Adventure and Exhilaration

My original motivation for travel was curiosity. I was aware of a whole world which existed outside of my bubble, and I was itching to discover it and explore. To experience a change of atmosphere and reinvigorate my thinking. To challenge my perspectives and renew my spirit.

Though once I broke free from my comfort zone, the adventure and exhilaration from experiencing something new became addictive. It didn’t take me long to realize I wanted to see the world in living color as opposed to watching it on a television screen. I wanted to actually feel, taste and experience the world instead of settling for the version I was reading in books.

There’s nothing stale or unimaginative about travel. It’s a completely different experience to journey to the Pyramids of Giza than to watch it on a History Channel documentary. It’s a completely different emotion to watch the sun set over the African Plains while on safari than it is to see someone else’s photo and think “wow!”

Thrust into entirely new environments, immersed in entirely new cultures, hearing the English language spoken with an unfamiliar accent; I realized this feeling of new discovery was what it meant to truly be alive.

Kayaking Lake Titicaca

At Which Point Does the World Stop Being New

However after 10 years of travel, does the same thing which motivated you at the beginning, continue to motivate you now?

I remember being told at age 18 that I needed to slow down. “You’ll have nothing left to achieve if you do it all now” which at the time I thought was ridiculous advice. After all, live as if there’s no tomorrow, dance as if there’s nobody watching and all that. But 45 countries later, that advice does ring partially true.

While I was once motivated to travel for exploration, the more you tick off your list, the less experiences which are truly new. A waterfall becomes just another waterfall, historic monuments all blur into one, and you lose appreciation of your surroundings. When you’re in such a rush to conquer the world before you hit 30, you hit 30 and wonder what’s left for you to do!

#ThisIsEpic

Galapagos

Our New Years Resolution: Seek Out Experiences Which Are New

So in looking to 2017, we’ve made the resolution to slow down. Take fewer trips, and appreciate them more. Make each trip epic, instead of an epic whirlwind. To do our best to seek out experiences which are new.

While it can sometimes feel as though you’ve seen it all, there are in fact many, many experiences which await us which are still new. Many more exciting opportunities to explore. For instance, we’ve never been skiing or snowboarding before. So a vacation to the snow in 2017 will be a fantastic opportunity to recreate that feeling of adventure and exhilaration.

We have a trip to Antarctica planned for February , and have then been looking at a vacation within the portfolio of Vail Resorts . Both fall within our definition of epic, and prove that there’s still a whole new world we have to explore.

I’m still motivated to travel by adventure and exhilaration, and by a curiosity of the world I haven’t yet explored. For the sake of continuing to experience something new, let’s hope that world doesn’t become too small!

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Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook , Twitter ,  YouTube , Pinterest and Instagram .

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vail Resorts. The opinions and text are all mine. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

66 Comments

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Your post made me think.

From my perspective, there are many things in life that traveling actually prevents you from experiencing. I need to think about this some more and maybe write about it too.

Thanks for a thought-provoking post and Happy Holidays!

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Like anything in life, there’s always a balance to be achieved, and sacrifices to be made along the way in pursuing a different lifestyle.

Let me know when you publish your post Anne :) Happy holidays!

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A really great post Meg! It definitely is completely different seeing things in person and know how the air feels and the scale, I felt that way about Petra! I think slowing down and picking the perfect spots for you will be great and make you more present. I can’t wait for your Antarctica trip!!!

Thanks Anna! Yes, we’re looking forward to spacing our trips out more, and enjoying the anticipation of the lead up, and the excitement of re-living the trip after you get back. They’re some of the best parts of travel, but are lost when you try to fit too much in :)

I’m definitely counting down to February for Antarctica instead of Christmas this year :D Happy travels!

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I think over time, this is so true. We all have our favorite places and yet we do return. When we set our own pace and decide how we want to spend our time, the experience really wins and makes for a happy traveler. Happy traveling in 2017!

Absolutely Sara :) Happy holidays & happy travels in 2017!

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Antarctica will be epic! I’m definitely guilty of trying to see everything, so slowing down a bit would do me some good as well.

I can’t wait!! I’ve been counting down to February instead of Christmas this year!! :D

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Great perspective! The more I travel the more the realize the importance of slowing down. As long term traveler I find it a contast battle to make things feel new. When epic adventures become your daily life I sometimes forget how lucky I am.

Thanks Stephen! You really do forget how lucky you are, and it’s difficult to fully appreciate experiences when you’ve become spoiled for them.

Here’s to slowing down in 2017!

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It is a good question, that one must ask themselves. The answer will be different every time like 2 persons are never alike. For me, I want to travel more and more. That desire of more travel motivates me. Slowing down is like every evening even the bird’s return back to their home, so why can’t we?

Absolutely Vishal – everyone’s motivation for travel will be different, as it’s a very personal thing. And each person has their own journey of internal growth.

Wonderful analogy of birds returning home – I think that’s so apt for this! Because birds do migrate right around the world, but they always make their way back to the same starting place. I had never thought about it like this before. Thankyou!

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There are so many things that resonate with me in this post! I am addicted to learning about and exploring new places. Kudos to you for going after it for 10 years! I can’t wait until I hit that milestone myself! I am personally excited for your trip to Antarctica as if I were going myself! I have never been to Vail, but it’s another one of the beautiful destinations we have to see for ourselves one day! Have an awesome 2017 and can’t wait to follow along your journey!

Thanks Megan! Yes, 10 years is a long time looking back on it! I can’t wait to celebrate with you once you hit that milestone too!

All the best in 2017 … so glad to be connected with you! X

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I’ve always loved travelling because my parents did and do, and I grew up from very young age used to doing so. Not only did we go back to India (from the UK where I was born after my parents emigrated here) and to the USA where we also had family, we also explored many other countries during my childhood. That wanderlust stuck, I think it’s in my DNA. So like you, I’ve been to many countries. But I don’t feel any less excited and there’s still so much to see. The Antarctic was a highlight for us in 2004, and we thought it would a once in a lifetime kind of thing but we went back in 2008 and then back again to just The Falklands for a few weeks a couple of years after that. More recently, we have “found” Japan and been three times in five years, and will certainly go back many more times – there is so much left to see. And there are still hundreds of countries we’ve not been to, despite all that travelling. IT’S SO EXCITING!

So glad to hear that your enthusiasm and motivation for travel stays strong Kavey! And WOW, Antarctica 3 times!! Incredible! I can imagine that’s probably one of those adventures which you could return for multiple times!! I’ll have to stalk your site for inspiration before we go :)

You are right, there is always more to see, and it’s especially interesting traveling back to destinations we visited at the start of our travels and noting how they have changed.

Can’t wait to follow your travels in 2017!

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Loved reading this perspective Megan as it is a journey I’ve been taking myself. I feel so lucky to be able to slow down and take things in on my travels. I think when I was younger I thought I needed to rush around and see all the highlights as I might never return to a place. Now,like you, am seeking those amazing experiences I can share with the family and friends I travel with. Wishing you many wonderful travel moments in 2017 and I look forward to reading about them on your blog

Hi Katy, thanks for reaching out – I’m glad to know that our perspectives and this point in our journey do resonate with people. It’s always nice to know you’re not the only one who feels a certain way!!

Wishing you all the best for 2017 & an action packed yet laid back year of adventure!

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That was really motivating. The trip to Antarctica in Feb is really going to be great and can’t wait to read about what you find there. I am just starting up with my travels with my first Solo Trip outside my country set for Feb as well. Merry Christmas and Happy Travels ahead.

I’m so glad Gokul! Congrats on your first solo trip coming up! The first is always an incredibly exciting trip – and one you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Hope you have the best time!

Merry Christmas & wishing you a happy new year :)

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So true! Seeking new experiences seems to be the way to cope with the lack of thrill. The more you visit the world, the more it gets harder to get impressed. I guess it just pushes the thrill further! Happy holidays and cheers to more travelling!

Absolutely – we keep pushing the boundaries and aiming higher still!

Happy new year Nat!

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youth and trips. That was always a very exciting feeling. I also have traveled quite extensively and felt no remorse about his youth. Do whatever you like when you can

Very good attitude, I agree with you :) The worst thing to have in life afterall is regret!

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This is such a great post! Everything changes when you visit a place personally. Whether for good or bad, to experience something first hand is truly incredible. Sometimes that exotic dish that you really wanted to try doesn’t really turn out to be that exotic after all. But I sincerely do hope that you discover a new city. Once done, invite all your followers there and we will create our own settlement and name it, Blog! Then all we have to do is to ask people to visit our blog, literally!

Thankyou Gagan! I agree, that first hand experience is always key to any kind of knowledge or understanding, regardless of whether for the good or bad.

Haha I will let you know if we find a new land to settle – would be a pretty fantastic settlement to have a community of world travelers actually!

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Great article Megan! I’ve even started noticed this lack of thrill for the new places we visit in my kids. We’re taking a step back this year and looking for new experiences and trying things we haven’t done in awhile.

Thanks Dana :) I’ve found it’s a delicate balance to living life to the fullest but still keeping things saved so it’s exciting in the future.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from our family to yours :)

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Too many continue to “continue” without discerning the new reason why each and every time. Whether it’s travel or performing one’s career, the considerations are the same.

Good luck with your new focus.

Absolutely Roy – I think it’s important to take stock every now and then of why we continue (as you said, whether this is in our travels, or other areas of life like a career). It’s easy to get into a habit over time of just repeating the motions having lost our original motivation for doing so.

Personal reflection every now and then seems to help with this :)

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Wow I can only imagine how many experiences and amazing opportunities you had during these years of travelling! Great resolution for the new year! Sometimes we get so concentrated on visiting many countries and exploring more that we do it in a hurry. Unfortunately, when you travel part time in between working or studying this is even worse. Wishing you an amazing trip to Antarctica! Sounds so exciting (and cold)!

Thanks Sia, yes, we’ve definitely been blessed with many amazing experiences over the past 10 years; absolutely no complaints, I’m extraordinarily grateful :)

I can absolutely understand the temptation to cram as much of a whirlwind in as possible when you have limited vacation days in-between work or study. That was me for many years too!

Wishing you all the best in 2017 – happy travels!

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I am motivated to travel for the same reasons as you, to experience and to see something different and something new. My problem is that I feel that a lifetime isn’t enough for me to experience all the things I want so I feel I ned to speed things up instead of slowing down.

And that’s fair enough too! If the excitement and motivation is still there, that’s awesome!

Happy travels in 2017 – here’s to a wonderful new year full of adventures and new experiences :)

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This resonates very much with what I feel these days. I used to travel to a new country every single month, chasing after new sights and experience but after a few years, I decided to slow down and reflect more on each trip that I make. Regardless of this sentiment, I definitely wouldn’t change what I’ve previously done and experienced. I guess they make me what I am today. Anyways, looking forward to reading about your trip to Antartica! That surely would be an epic one!

I’m the same, I definitely wouldn’t change anything we’ve done to date. But at the point in our journey now, it’s nice to say we’re going to take it slower and settle down :)

I can’t wait for Antarctica! Have been counting down to February instead of Christmas this year lol!

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I started traveling nine years ago, first as a student with no money, now as a married girl with a full time job. It’s nine year and still I can’t get enough. I also considered to leave everiything behind and start a new life somewhere else, because my desire to discover and taste new places and cultures is growing bigger day after day. Of course I can completely understand what you are saying, the world is your home, you have seen so many places that the unusual probably is to stop somewhere to rest! What is good for you now is not what it was the best for you 5 years ago and what will be in other 5 years. I am sure you’ll go through this topic again! :) Happy Antarctica!

Absolutely Alice, I think that as one lifestyle becomes normal to us, we then crave the opposite. The grass is always greener on the other side kind of mentality!! I wouldn’t change or trade the experiences we have had to date for anything, but I’m happy at the point we are now at to now experience a lifestyle which is a little more mellow! And then I’m sure in 5 years we’ll probably be all guns blazing again :D

So glad to hear that you’re a fellow travel addict too – if you’re considering moving abroad I would urge you to do it; one of the best things we chose to do!

Happy new year! & happy travels :)

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I was born into a travelling family – my father travelled with us all through my childhood and I honestly don’t think I could imagine anything different.

Oh and I am REALLY jealous about Antartica!

How fantastic it would have been to have that kind of upbringing Fiona! I’ve always said that exposure to the world is one of the best gifts a parent can give.

Watch this space for updates on Antarctica – I’ve been counting down to February instead of Christmas lol!

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I really think you summed it up when you said “To challenge my perspectives and renew my spirit”. I think traveling for me is about the people I meet and the cultures I can explore. Traveling really gives me a different perspective on the world. It’s great stepping out of your comfort zone, you truly do learn so much. Good luck with the Antarctica trip. I hope you guys get to hit the slopes sometime after that!

Thanks Mar! I agree that the perspective gained from travel is one of the most amazing things in the world – you can’t learn or experience anything like it in a classroom or from reading the news. Something very different about being there in the middle of everything and seeking out experiences first hand :)

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I agree that there’s no great rush to travel! I’ve been taking extended trips for most of my life but I love equally spending time at home on a regular schedule, being with family and friends. There’s balance and you have to see what works for you, then be open to it changing!

Absolutely Elaine – we’re always evolving and seeing personal development along the way. And each person’s journey is different from the next. Accepting change when it come and when it’s right for you is probably the biggest key.

Happy travels!

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It is heartening to see your story of last 10 years. You have achieved so much and still counting. I think being a blogger your followers and their association and expectation from you also keep you motivated as it is our obligation to keep bringing new stories for them. I look forward to c how Antarctica unfolds for you. Keep challenging you self and surely you will evolve everyday. But trust me, we dont need to slow down as there is always so much to explore and experience in one life time.

Thankyou Himanshu :) I agree – I think having established this platform for telling our stories, means that it’s an extra incentive to continue searching for adventure, if not just to inspire and share with our audience too!

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Loved reading this Megan! For me, my motivation is to learn and to get out of my comfort zone. I think all too often we get too comfortable and need a bit of a shock which is probably why I went to India last year and am about had to the Middle East in a couple of weeks haha! I cannot wait to hear about your trip to Antarctica, it’s going to be amazing!

Thankyou Anita! I agree with you that it’s important to continue pushing ourselves outside our comfort zone. Sometimes it’s that shock which wakes us up from auto pilot.

Enjoy the Middle East! It’s a region we haven’t really explored yet, but are dying to! You’ll have to report back & forward photos :)

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Such a great post Magan. I completely agree, travel is such an amazing experience and once that desire is in you I don’t think it ever leaves. When I had my son I had a slight blip and didn’t leave the country for about a year. Now though I just want to explore the world with him in tow and my desire to travel is probably stronger than ever. I took him to India for the first time this summer and it was amazing. Now need to plan my next big trip! Polly :)

Thanks Polly! I agree, having children shouldn’t stop you from discovering and exploring the world – just take them with you! I’ve always said that travel is the best education you could possibly give a child, especially in today’s day and age where we desperately need a greater appreciation of cultures and diversity.

All the more power to you!

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That is exactly what I would have said when I was your age if I had the courage to do what you are doing. But I didn’t and lived a conventional life building a career to raise a family. So now I am doing it to relive my life, differently.

Never too late to live the life of your dreams Carol – you’re doing it now and that’s the main thing!

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It’s great to hear what motivates others to travel! Totally agree with you–my motivations for traveling were the same, first for curiosity and then the adventure became addictive! We are also trying to slow down more and make the trips we take epic in their own right. Have an awesome time in Antarctica and hope you can make it to Vail–both sound like amazing trips!!

It’s nice to hear that there are others on the same page too , that we’re not the only ones! Thanks Jenna … counting down to February for Antarctica for sure!!

Happy travels in 2017 :)

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I totally hear you – I can’t ever imagine getting bored or tired of traveling! There are always new experiences, places, cultures, and people to meet. Antarctica is a total dream trip and it’s incredible that you’re going! Can’t wait to read about it! :) And Vail, too!!

Watch this space come February! And will let you know once we organize the Vail trip too :)

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Antarctica?! That’s awesome! I can’t wait to follow along. Your blog is definitely one of my favorites :)

Thankyou Carmen! That means a lot!! Watch this space in February for Antarctica updates :) Happy new year!!

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” It’s a completely different experience to journey to the Pyramids of Giza than to watch it on a History Channel documentary. It’s a completely different emotion to watch the sun set over the African Plains while on safari than it is to see someone else’s photo and think “wow!”” This is my favorite part! Keep doing what u love! :)

I’m so glad that you could connect with the post Ollie! Yes, I always wanted to witness the world for myself – nothing beats experiencing it first hand!! Happy travels :)

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I do think you need to redefine what motivates your travel once in a while. I find that what motivated me 10 years ago isn’t the same as today. I get a lot of different type of enjoyment out of my experiences and I definitely choose my destinations differently.

Absolutely Laura – we all change, and our interests and personalities evolve as we grow, so I find it’s very important to take time for self reflection every now and then, and to admit that it’s OK that we’re not who we used to be!

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Adventure is addictive. Once your hooked, it’s hard to stop. But after a while, the challenge becomes finding “new” unfamiliar experiences.

Totally agree with you, we should never be afraid of changing things up and continuing to push ourselves … what was once outside our comfort zone becomes comfortable after a little while, so it’s definitely important to keep seeking new experiences.

Happy travels Mitch, thanks for your comment :)

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An interesting perspective Megan; as I am much older than you I learned this a long time ago which is while I travel every year but not all the time. That being said we have 10 weeks in Yorkshire hiking next spring and then 8 weeks in Italy in the fall ended by 2 weeks in Germany.

Sounds like an incredible 2019! I hope you have an amazing time in Yorkshire, Italy and Germany :)

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I am Megan Jerrard, professional travel blogger/journalist with a focus on adventure, discovery, immersion and inspiring you to explore!

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    Travel Motivations. Motivation can be defined as an internal psychological force arising from an unsatisfied need, which subsequently pushes individuals to engage in a specific need-fulfilling behaviour or activity.24 In tourism research, motivation is considered a major force in compelling tourist behaviours.25 Psychosocial motivations in tourist behaviour can be divided into 'push' and ...

  12. The exploration of travel motivation research : A scientometric

    There are various methods and perspectives to answer this question, but few studies focus on the development of travel motivation research. As a result, by investigating 1675 publications from 1990 to 2019, we provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the status quo and emerging trends of tourist travel motivation research.

  13. The importance of understanding travelers' motivation

    Why understanding travelers' motivation matters. By seeking to understand and act upon travel motivations, the industry has an opportunity to foster greater loyalty with a more personalized and creative proposition. How can the travel industry adapt. We examine how the industry can become more dynamic, collaborative and connected.

  14. 10 Reasons to Love Travel

    1. Travel to leave our world a better place. I have been fortunate to work and travel with &Beyond for more than 13 years now and what inspires me most is our company ethos and unwavering commitment to care for the land, wildlife and people. Travelling with &Beyond has given me the rare privilege to actively take part in so many unforgettable and truly meaningful experiences, such as ...

  15. PDF The importance of understanding travelers' motivation

    Travel companies targeting the gap year market may want to consider some of these drivers. If they focus only on the price of a low-cost round-the-world flight ticket, or hostel accommodation, the true purpose and motivation for travel could be overlooked. However, despite the complexity of traveler motivations, eliminating or reducing

  16. The impact of travel motivation on emotions: A longitudinal study

    For example, although a family of four spends the same vacation together, the travel motivation of each family member might differ significantly. Thus, future studies should explore the dynamics of travel motivation within a travel group and how actual travel behavior might mediate the relationship between travel motivation and the consequent ...

  17. Tourists' Travel Motivations During Crises: Lessons from ...

    Abstract. This study seeks to explore tourists' travel motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents findings from an online questionnaire sent to 166 tourists in various regions, including Europe, America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. This study identified seven travel motivators but found that the COVID-19 vaccine and ...

  18. What Inspires You To Travel?

    10) Intrinsic Motivation. The above list is the resources we use most to find new inspiration. #10 is actually our most valuable resource, our intrinsic motivation. We just love to explore the world and learn more about other cultures. People often say; "Once you've been bitten by the travel bug, you stay infected for the rest of your life."

  19. PDF FACT SHEET MOTIVATIONS OF TRAVEL

    1100 New York Avenue, NW Suite 450 Washington, D.C. 20005 | TEL 202.408.8422 | ustravel.org 2 FACT SHEET Avoiding Burnout Married or living with partner 59% Unmarried 55% Divorced 64 % Children under 18 64 % No children in household 54 % Children under the age of 5 60% Friends or Family Ask You to Come

  20. What Motivates People To Travel

    Food enthusiasts often travel to sample local cuisines and delicacies. Trying new foods and experiencing the flavors of a region can be a significant motivator for travel. Nature and Scenic Beauty; Natural beauty, such as stunning landscapes, beaches, mountains, and wildlife, can be a powerful draw.

  21. Travel trends: Traveler motivations revealed

    Travel motivations. Following years of uncertainty, it's no surprise that the primary reasons for travel across the board were rest and relaxation. Giving myself time to relax (84%), taking time to mentally unwind (78%), and boosting my mood (78%) were the top three motivators globally. Two other themes also emerged as primary motivators: New ...

  22. What Motivates Me to Travel: Personal Reflection After 10 Years

    Adventure and Exhilaration. My original motivation for travel was curiosity. I was aware of a whole world which existed outside of my bubble, and I was itching to discover it and explore. To experience a change of atmosphere and reinvigorate my thinking. To challenge my perspectives and renew my spirit.

  23. Motivations for travel.factors that motivates for travell

    1. Physical Motivators : Which are related to physical relation, rest, specific medical treatment etc. All this activities are connected with individuals broadly health and well being. 2. Pleasure : It is perhaps the most important motivation and it is the individuals desire and need for pure pleasure which is very strong.