Gender creation in travelling, or the art of transforming an adventuress.

Abstract

This chapter looks at the idea of adventure and risk taking among backpackers. Beginning with the observation that women are as likely as men to go backpacking, the chapter also notes dominant narratives that frame adventure as predominantly masculine. The adventuress therefore is a transgressive figure who, by virtue of her gender alone, is viewed as exceptional. The adventuress crosses more than the boundaries of space; the act of travel is seen in these cases as an 'identity project' but one where the adventuress crosses the boundaries from feminine modes of behaviour to modes of behaviour more generally thought of as masculine. It is noted that the act of journey itself, as time away from the usual norms, acts as a period of reflexivity and an area in which the norms and expectations that accrue to gendered roles can be challenged, even if the challenge is concealed under a protective layer of irony.

Tourist Identities in Narratives of Unexpected Adventure in Madeira

“…Nevertheless, travel and tourism experiences of all kinds have the potential to place tourists in unfamiliar and unexpected situations and to create (real or perceived) challenges to be overcome. These tourism experiences may not be as intense or ultimately as impactful as those of the long‐haul/long‐term travelers, but they nonetheless provide the opportunity for tourists to learn about themselves and recreate their identity (Li, ; Elsrud, ; Meethan, ; Wearing et al ., ). Narratives of travel not only capture these experiences (i.e.…”

“…This can range from discomfort and hardship to illness and danger (Elsrud, 2001;O'Reilly, 2005;Bosangit et al, 2012). However, Elsrud (2001Elsrud ( , 2006 finds that, while some risks in such narratives are 'real', many are constructed for the purpose of telling a good story. This allows the narrator to reinforce the identity that he/she has established and therefore gain credibility as a true 'traveler'.…”

“…Although long‐term travelers' narratives are described as more ‘intense’ than those of short‐term tourists, all categories of tourists tell stories of their ‘adventures’ away from home (Noy, ; Meethan, ). Even package tourists may reimagine their identity in the context of travel and gain increased status at home (Li, ; Elsrud, ; Meethan, ; Wearing et al ., ). Tourists are considered to ‘have specific, well‐stylized forms of narrating their intense travel experiences’ (Noy, , p. 79).…”

Life Planning and Habitus: Opportunities and Constraints Among Unaccompanied Young Refugees in Sweden

“…Such circumstances make the conditions of his and many other ‘unaccompanied’ young refugees’ lives different in comparison to those of the lives of many ‘middle-class’ young ‘Swedes’ who, after secondary school and before university, often are able to live up to late-modernity ideals (cf. Giddens, 1991) that promote ‘finding’ oneself and investing in one’s life projects and identity work (Elsrud, 2004). Interpreted through Jordan’s habitus, harbouring sediments from growing up in a society with a weak welfare system, time is limited.…”

Performing Cannabis in the Light of the Backpacker Discourse

“…the photographic gaze which the tourist, and in this case a specific form of tourist, backpackers, will be searching for (Urry, 1990). These narratives often describe other countries as much different from countries in the West: they are "genuine" and "authentic," which actually is the point in marketing backpackers' places (Cohen, 2004;Elsrud, 2004;Andersson-Cederholm, 1999).…”