Transformational tourism as a hero's journey

Abstract

Transformational tourism is an emerging form of tourism that deserves better attention from researchers and reviewers. This article provides a better understanding of the phenomenon, its varieties and its different stages, drawing on the metaphor of Campbell's archetypical journey of transformation: hero's journey. Using a phenomenological approach, the article tries to shed some light upon the conditions of the touristic experiences that foster transformation. Eight factors were identified: personal situation, being away doing unfamiliar activities, interaction with people, live the moment, difficulty, setting, reflection and integration. The three stages of the hero's journey (departure, initiation and return) are subsequently applied to describe the transformative travel process. The paper concludes with implications for research and professional practice.

Transformative experiences via Airbnb: Is it the guests or the host communities that will be transformed?

“…However, the degree to which Airbnb actually can foster personal transformation is questionable. Although tourists seeking transformative experiences may be attracted to Airbnb, and Airbnb stays may contribute toward broader transformative travel experiences, transformational travel is a holistic experience (Robledo and Batle, 2017) that should generally require more than a particular type of lodging. In other words, whereas Airbnb lodging may provide memorable experiences on its own, the lodging typically should only play a contributing role (at most) toward a genuinely transformative experience.…”

The enchanted snake and the forbidden fruit: the ayahuasca ‘fairy tale’ tourist

“…In the scheme of sensemaking and identity work, it is rare for psychedelics to be investigated, or for pharmacological explanations to partially account for who we believe we are. Yet, it is commonly accepted by both shamanic and Western accounts, that there is more at work in identity work and sensemaking than this potent potion, as shamans argue for additional supernatural explanations, and Westerners for socio-cultural influences (Corley & Gioia, 2004;Robledo & Batle, 2015). To the author's knowledge, this is the first study to have examined the role of magical helpers within identity work and sensemaking, where for example, exorcising evil spirits is a means for tourists to remove who they do not want to be.…”

“…While this might suggest that the participants were stepping back into the profane, some caution must be taken with this notion, as in most cases, the participants were seeking to engage with less intense forms of spirituality to continue their exploration of personal truths (Singleton, 2014;Smith, 2003). Perhaps there is some synergy here with the journey of the literary fairy tale protagonist who completes their magical adventure and must find a way to live back in the mundane world, often hiding their experiences from those around them (Davidson & Chaudhri, 2006;Robledo & Batle, 2015).…”

“…However, and before this study, little was known about the fairy tale elements of ayahuasca tourism, and the extent to which tourists try to remember or forget about their experiences when they return home (Holman, 2011;Marcoux, 2017). From the author's seven-year experience as an ayahuasca tourist (Kottak, 2006), it seemed that single tourist journeys rarely guarantee long-term transformations (Chandler, Holden & Kolandar, 1992), and might just be a temporary escape from everyday life (Cohen, 1996;Lean, 2009;Robledo, 2015;Robledo & Batle, 2015). Considering that identity change is a key motivation for ayahuasca tourists (Dean, 2018), unpacking this journey may allow strategies to be developed to allow tourists to more easily reintegrate into their former mundane lives and potentially undertake further tourism.…”

New directions in the sociology of tourism

“…Closely related to the discussion of existential authenticity is the recently burgeoning literature on 'transformative travel' (Kirilova, Lehto and Cai 2016;Lean 2012;Lean, Staiff & Waterson 2014;Reisinger 2015;Robledo & Batle 2015). In a broad sense, transformative travel refers to the role of travel as an agent of personal (or social) transformation (Lean et al 2014), in some instances leading to far-going changes in an individual's lifeways.…”