The Psychology of Travel

Why do we travel? Are holidays good for our health? What are the social and psychological factors that drive us to move? The Psychology of Travel provides an eclectic introduction to the range of travel experiences from commuting, to going on holiday, to studying abroad. Travel is a near-universal experience and manifests itself in various forms, from everyday experiences to exotic adventure, although it varies across time and cultures. The book unpacks the concept of travel, and engages with topics including migration, wellbeing, acculturation, wayfinding, slow travel, place attachment and nostalgia, and brings them into sharp focus in relation to globalisation and climate change. By asking what drives us to journey and offering key insights into the psychological factors behind different kinds of travel, The Psychology of Travel introduces the reader to new ways of thinking about global mobility and movement.

Andrew Stevenson is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a Cultural Psychologist, with a particular interested in Social and Visual Anthropology and Cultural Geography, which he has explored through ethnographic documentary films and soundscapes. He is the author of Cultural Issues in Psychology (Routledge, 2020).

1. Departure: Towards a Psychology of Travel  2. Directions of travel: Cognition, Wayfinding and how to avoid getting lost  3. Influencers and trip advisors: A Social Psychology of travel  4. Travel fever: A worrying World of Fear, Phobia, and Anxiety  5. Hedonism and Self -Improvement: How does Travel make us Happier?  6. Unforgettable journeys: Nostaglia, Homesickness and other Travel Memories  7. Culture Shocks and Border Crossings; Travel and Intercultural Encounter  8. Detour: Psychogeography and the Art of Slow Travel  9. Where do we go from here? Travel in an Age of Eco-Anxiety  Further Reading  References