Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change
Editors: Prof. Mike Robinson (Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, Leeds Metropolitan University) and Dr Alison Phipps (University of Glasgow)
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Volume: 1 Number: 2 Page: 95–110
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Backpacking: Diversity and Change
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Erik Cohen
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Backpacking, a relatively little studied form of tourism, is a rapidly expanding phenomenon. This article follows the transition from the tramp to the drifter, and from the latter to the contemporary backpacker,
and points to the diversity within this general category of tourists. The discrepancy between the ideal and the common practice of backpacking, and the mechanisms of bridging it deployed by contemporary
backpackers, are discussed. It is claimed that backpackers tend to profess modern ideals of tourism (e.g. the quest for 'authenticity') but are 'post-modern' in the praxis. While it is accepted that the
model of a 'rite-of-passage' is a useful heuristic device for the study of backpacking, some significant qualifications regarding the applicability of the model are pointed out. The article concludes by
stressing the importance of the historical and national contexts of the backpackers' origins for the diversity of their motivations and conduct, and proposes future directions of research.
Keywords: BACKPACKERS, DRIFTERS, TRAMPS, RITE-OF-PASSAGE, TOURIST ENCLAVES, POSTMODERNITY
© Multilingual Matters 2003
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