Interrailing: extended train journeys as tourist experience

1
Inter-railing extended train journeys as tourist
experience

• james.johnson_at_sunderland.ac.uk

2
Backpacking in Europe

• (Non)Institutionalised travel
• Rail tickets and passes
• Tradition of making tours by train

3
Inter-railing and Travel Time

• Backpacker transportation decisions
• Utility as Derived Demand Utility as Dynamic
• Mobilities activities occur on the move and that
  being on the move includes a series of occasioned
  activities (Sheller and Urry 2006)
• Problematising the A B (Hannam et al 2007,
  Cresswell 2006)

4
Mobile Ethnography

• participation in patterns of movements while
  conducting ethnographic research (Sheller and
  Urry, 2006 217).
• Mobile
• movements, actions and activities
• locations
• respondents

5
Travel as Experience

• Freedom and adventure
• Esteem and Identity
• Mundane mobilities
• Communication
• Creating experience
• Information
• Story telling

6
Conclusion

• Travel time as fundamental to experience
• Time spent traveling is used to create ties and
  bonds with travel partners
• Travel time provides opportunity for a number of
  activities and interactions
• Creative engagement with space