The effect of memorable travel experiences on autobiographical memory regarding the self and personal relations

Abstract

According to a 2017 report published by the World Travel & Tourism Council, there has been a rapid increase in the number of individuals who travel. In this dissertation, I explored the participants personal travel experience and the effects these memorable events had on their autobiographical memory. Particular focus was given to the effects on the self and personal relationships. I used snowball sampling to recruit six participants, all between the ages of 20 to 30 and having significant travel experiences. I took on a qualitative approach and conducted semi-structured interviews. The produced transcriptions were then analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA) (Braun and Clarke 2006), where three themes were identified from raw data. The results suggest that the participants perceived their travels as positive experiences which make it memorable. The participants also expressed the effect these travel experiences had on shaping their identity and with maintaining and forming new relationships.