[...]... to the study of this rapidly developing area In introducing the contributions in the rest of the volume, this chapter first considers the rationale for treating the backpacker as the global nomad An overview is then given of the research programme that stimulated the production of this volume, and finally the structure of the text and the individual contributions are outlined The Global Nomad In the. .. resulting instrument therefore combines both theoretical and applied perspectives on independent travel in general and backpacking in particular The survey combined the study of the social and cultural aspects of young travellers (their backgrounds, motivations and experiences) with data on the way in which the travellers purchased their travel and gathered information, as well as their destinations and. .. of backpackers before and after their travels in different countries, the effect of backpacking on destination image could be directly monitored Attitudes to travel can also be analysed, such as the awareness of environmental, social and cultural issues in the Drifting Towards the Global Nomad 9 destination and the impact of these on destination choice and modes of travel and accommodation The information... common strands of experience to be identified? In addition, backpackers can tell us a lot about how travel itself has changed The journals that many backpackers keep are crammed with experiential and cognitive information about the reasons for their travels, the way in which they travelled, the people they met and the destinations they visited By examining the travel diaries and stories of backpackers... backpackers They trace the books and novels that have acted as models for the travel behaviour of backpackers, outlining the development from ‘writers who travel to ‘travellers who write’ They argue that the major themes found in the writings of Ernest Hemingway, Bruce Chatwin, Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson and other key authors are resonant in backpacker culture Among these themes are the subcultural norms... groups, as they use the same tourism facilities but in distinctive ways A further widely-quoted feature of backpacker travel is the flexibility of the travel itinerary On the one hand, this may suggest that there is little planning of the trip, but it may also mean that backpackers need to gather more information about the destination in order to plan their own itineraries Young travellers tend to be information-intensive,... of backpacker travel are examined The second part of the volume deals largely with route 1 of the research programme It looks at the behaviour of backpackers ‘on the road’: how they travel, where and when, and examines the behaviour of backpackers in particular spatial contexts, drawing particularly on the rich backpacking experience of destinations in South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand These... work patterns The growing demand for backpacker travel has stimulated a dense infrastructure of services dedicated to their needs, from backpacker hostels to companies organising bus trips, and the backpacker s bible’; the Lonely Planet guide books As international conglomerates such as Accor begin moving into the backpacker market, the global nomad is also being incorporated into the ‘McDonaldised’... backpackers are not always influenced by the Internet in their choices and stress the importance of ‘word of mouth’ communication in backpacker information exchange The final two chapters in Part 3 look at the backpacker market in New Zealand, which is rapidly becoming an important backpacker destination in its own right rather than simply an extension of a trip to Australia In Chapter 13 Ken Newlands... communities and policy makers According to some authors (e.g Westerhausen, 2002) growing numbers of people are reacting to the alienation of modern society by adopting the lifestyle of the backpacker Their nomadic existence is supported by the increasing ease of international travel, a growing network of budget hostels and travel companies, and the increasing flexibility of life path and work patterns The . with experiential and cognitive information about the reasons for their travels, the way in which they travelled, the people they met and the destinations they visited. By examining the travel diaries and. Accor begin moving into the backpacker market, the global nomad is also being incorporated into the ‘McDonaldised’ system of conventional tourism. Academic interest in the motivations and experiences. create the BRG discus- sion group and Internet page. The Bangkok meeting at the International MBA school of Kasetsart University was a crucial step in bringing the group together and giving an impulse