The Relationship of Control and Sensation-Seeking Behaviors to Travel Motivations

Travel is an aspect of life that most people will eventually experience in one form or another. Recent studies have demonstrated that one’s motivations for travel can affect their final choice of a travel destination and that there are many factors that influence one’s travel motives, such as age, gender and certain personality traits. The present study was designed to focus on the topic of whether traits such as the need to be in control or one’s tendency towards sensation-seeking behaviors are related to travel motivations, and also to explore age and gender differences in travel motivations. Approximately 180 participants were recruited from undergraduate and graduate courses at a small, private university in California. Volunteers received a link to an online survey which will include various demographic questions and questions regarding the participants’ travel history. In order to determine whether certain personality traits are related to participants’ travel motives, participants completed the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking Scale and the Desirability of Control Scale, as well as a survey about their reasons for travel. It is predicted that the motives of people who exhibit a higher need for control will be motivated to travel for individuality and personal-growth, while people who exhibit sensation-seeking behaviors will be motivated to travel for exploration and adventure. It is also predicted that women will be motivated to pursue travel for social reasons (i.e. seeing loved ones, meeting new people, shopping), while men will be motivated to pursue travel for self-growth (i.e. challenges, developing self-confidence, or pursuing new interests). TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS 3 The Relationship of Control and Sensation Seeking Behaviors to Travel Motivations Organized travel in the west dates all the way back to the great empires of the Persians, Assyrians, Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. Using donkeys, camels, and horses with wagons or chariots, travel emerged for military, trade and government purposes. However, it was not until the rise of sea voyages in the late 15 century when travel began to resemble what it is today. Passenger ships stopped at multiple ports picking up people that had both the time and the money to experience another country. These passengers soon became known as “tourists”, and it was these tourists who would go to different countries to shop, to explore and to experience. Countries, cities and even governments started relying on tourists to contribute to their economy (Coltman, 1989). Being that North America was not officially explored until the 16 century, travel was not introduced to the Native Americans until the Spanish settled in Florida. With the aid of horses, the settlers curiously travelled the newfound land. During the rise of steamboats and river cruises in the 1800s, tourists from all over came the world to gamble and to enjoy other forms of entertainment. In the early 1800s railroads and roadways were constructed all along the east coast of the United States; this allowed for first-class resort hotels to be built in the large cities like New York and Philadelphia. Populations in these cities thrived and tourists soon travelled year round to escape the realities of their daily lives. After World War I, changes in the government and the economy encouraged Americans to travel to attractive destinations throughout Europe, and with the introduction of the automobile, tourism soon became more easily accessible for many Americans. But it was not until after World War II that travel in North America became what it is today. World War II exposed thousands of military personnel to TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS 4 other cultures, environments, and people throughout Europe and Asia. Word soon spread and many other Americans became intrigued by the European culture, and with the improvements in the air travel industry, travel to European countries was made possible (Coltman, 1989). Looking at travel today, it is amazing to see how far society has come. Travel is now one of the world’s most efficient exports and imports. In the United States alone, travel is responsible for 2.8% of the GDP and has created more than 7.8 million jobs (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2013). People from all over the world travel to the United States every day, which has created an industry worth $165.6 billion. In 2012 alone, over 16.6 million tourists from overseas travelled to the United States, while another 37.2 million tourists came from Mexico and Canada. While many people come to the U.S. as a vacation and travel destination, Americans also enjoyed travelling abroad for the exact same reason. In 2012, Americans spent over $28 million on travel, and the top five travel destinations for Americans were Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom and Brazil (World Tourism Organization, 2013).