Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants
An Exploratory Investigation Into The Effects Backpacker Travel Can Have On Graduates' Future Employability
Department
Hospitality & Tourism Management
College
College of Community and Public Service
Date Range
2010-2011
Abstract
There has been an increasing desire for independent travel over recent years (O'Reilly, 2006) and backpacking is one form of this phenomenon that has seen a big increase in popularity. The backpacker market is predominantly made up of youth travellers, namely students and graduates who have a desire to see the world before entering into the workplace (Hecht & Martin, 2006). The skills that can be developed through backpacking have been researched in recent years (Kuh, 1995) and the idea that this form of travel is status-enhancing has also been studied (Loker-Murphy & Pearce, 1995; O'Reilly, 2006; Pearce & Foster, 2006). Whether or not those who decide to experience the freedom of backpacking before they venture into the world of work, actually benefit from the experience, however has been the subject of only limited research. The purpose of this study therefore, is to identify what aspects of extended youth travel (if any) can be of benefit to the individual as well as to the employers.
Conference Name
International Journal of Arts & Sciences (IJAS) National Conference for Academic Disciplines
Conference Location
Las Vegas Nevada
ScholarWorks Citation
Stansbie, Paul and Nash, Robert, "An Exploratory Investigation Into The Effects Backpacker Travel Can Have On Graduates' Future Employability" (2010). Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants. 11.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/fsdg/11
