Finding Yourself: How Travel Shapes Identity - Full-Time Travel

Finding Yourself: How Travel Shapes Identity

Finding Ourselves: How Travel Shapes Identity  

Karen Stein's book 'Getting Away From It All: Vacations & Identity' examines the ways travel facilitates the exploration and development of the self...

Though it's a well-worn cliché, people really do go traveling to “find themselves.” When we step out of our everyday environments and routines we undergo a temporary rearrangement of our identities — one that lets us imagine other possibilities for ourselves. We can escape our at-home personas and live unbound, or widen our perspectives and make big-picture plans for future iterations of us. We can mark the transition from one chapter of our lives — one version of ourselves — to another.  

This week FTT spoke to Karen Stein, author of Getting Away From It All: Vacations & Identity — a book that evolved out of her graduate school dissertation. As a life-long traveler, Karen has always been fascinated by the way travel allows us to shift our identities, bringing some facets of ourselves to the forefront while pushing other facets to the back. We caught up over Zoom to discuss all the ways that geographical and internal exploration are interlinked, why Americans should use all their annual vacation days, and what our post-pandemic travel choices say about who we are now. 

By Farsai Chaikulngamdee

Esme Benjamin: We like to think of our identity as being fixed, but when you give it a lot of thought, it’s very much influenced by context: What space are you in, who is with you, and what are their expectations of how you should be? How does traveling with others impact the way we explore or perform our identity? 

Karen Stein: We’re all made up of multiple identities and so the people we are around and the environments we’re in — those things contribute to whatever identity is having primacy in the moment. One of the people in my study was a mother who left her kids behind and she went on this international travel experience. She was able to shift those facets of her identity associated with being a parent to some extent, and bring forward other aspects of her identity that she couldn’t explore during her everyday life with her three young kids — the more adventurous parts of herself. 

EB: Another thing you write about is this idea of a vacation being a moment of pause from our everyday lives. I’m interested in how we use that moment of pause to explore who we want to become. The conversations we have on vacation might be very different from the ones we have while enmeshed in our daily routines and responsibilities at home. We might reflect deeply on where we’re at and where we want to go rather than catching up on what happened at work that day, for example. 

KS: We pause the day-to-day things that bind our experiences and that allows for other things to come in. You could use that time to do identity-building work in terms of thinking about your future self. When you’re traveling you have the flexibility to do that work which you might not be able to do when you’re stuck in your quotidien routine. Other people do the opposite and shut all of that out. For them it’s more about escapism rather than self-building. 

EB: Why do you think travel is so well suited to self-building? 

KS: You have more time but you are also in a different place, which can lead to a shift in perspective. Certain constraints are taken away and you can see things differently — especially if you have the ability to visit places that are very different from home, where people are living very different lifestyles to yours. It’s an opportunity to be exposed to different possibilities for yourself.

By Atikh Bana

EB: On the Full-Time Travel podcast I like to ask people, “What’s the one thing everybody should experience in their lifetime?” The most popular response is solo travel. Could that be because we are unconstrained by other’s expectations of us? It’s easier to rebrand ourselves, so to speak, when nobody who knows us is watching.

KS: I’m a big proponent of solo travel, not only for that reason — that we can be someone else — but because it is so instrumental to discovering your own interests and ideas, and being able to fully act on them without other people constraining your choices. But in terms of having an audience for your behavior and a clean slate, traveling on your own allows you to cut those ties to the extent that you will allow yourself to do that. Part of my argument is that there are always things connecting us to our everyday lives, even if we don’t want there to be. Especially if we travel with a smartphone and laptop. 

EB: Obviously the pandemic has derailed everybody’s travel plans for the past year. Do you have a hunch about what kind of identity-focused travel people will want to do when the world opens up again? 

KS: I think it’s already splitting in two directions. There are the people who are immediately going to visit loved ones to strengthen those family identities that have languished this past year. Then there’s this segment of people who are just getting away — all the people going to Mexico or an island. Somewhere that’s a completely different environment, where they can take on that no-rules kind of vacation persona, which is very different from the family identity. 

By S Migaj

EB: So one is reaffirming your pre-pandemic self through the eyes of those who know you best, and the other is establishing a new version of you? This aligns with a recent interview I did with Sam Bruce from Much Better Adventures, who was saying people who hadn’t previously considered themselves outdoorsy or adventurous are now booking trips with a physical challenge — wild hiking and camping in Norway, for example.  

KS: That makes sense. People are doing that in lots of ways and not just on their vacations. People don’t want to miss out on anything. They want to do all these things that perhaps they were denying themselves before. 

EB: You make a point that a large number of Americans don’t use their vacation days each year. Could you elaborate on what these people might be missing out on? How do we benefit from travel as a temporary reorganization of the self? 

KS: When we are working all the time it’s the prioritization of one identity over others. That’s not necessarily bad, especially if you like that identity, but for most people they have a range of identities that are important to them. Putting too much salience in one identity at the expense of others can lead to a more narrow experience. Perhaps they think they’ll do the other stuff when they retire, but that’s a lot of one’s life to devote to one identity while putting the others on the back burner. Though some Americans are workaholics, I think many would like to travel more and they’re afraid of what will happen if they step away. 

EB: I like to say travel is a palate cleanser between life’s courses. We often travel when we are transitioning from one life chapter to another and it helps us refresh and enter a new phase of our identities. Does that make sense to you?

KS: It does make sense. A lot of people use travel when they’re leaving one big thing and moving to another. It goes back to what you were saying earlier about traveling to gain fresh perspective. Being physically and cognitively removed from your everyday social constraints and being in a new situation enables you to think more freely.

Buy Getting Away From It All: Vacations & Identity

"This sculpture is called "Transmission" by artist Daniel Popper. Its a reminder that we are all rooted in love, unity and the divine. She stands a towering 28 feet tall and is located on Mojave Moon Ranch in Joshua Tree. The land is private property, so you can see it from the viewing platform off of Sunfair Road. And take it from me, it's best viewed at sunset."

Reel: @johnofah
...

There's more to Greece than the white and blue buildings and the surrounding Mediterranean Sea. If you're planning a visit, check out these places below!

📍Kokkinopilos. Preveza
📍Verliga Dragon lake, Thessaly
📍Ithaca island, lonian Sea
📍Aoos springs lake, Epirus
📍Lake Prespes, Macedonia
📍Balda di Stringa waterfalls, Epirus
📍Meteora, Thessaly
📍Pelion, Thessaly
📍Lake Zorika, Epirus
📍Mt Lakmos
📍Crete island, Aegean Sea
📍Gistova Dragon lake, Macedonia

Reel: @farawayfarers
...

Swim or kayak through the limestone cliffs of the Twin Lagoon, a must-visit destination for those traveling to Coron, Palawan, Philippines. It is called "twin" lagoon because it consists of two lagoons separated by a limestone cliff, with one lagoon on top of the other. The water in the inner lagoon is warm and clear, with a stunning turquoise color that makes it popular for swimming and snorkeling.

Reel: @travelifejournal
...

Take a dip in a series of seven saltwater lagoons located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The Lagoons of Baltinache are known for their beautiful turquoise waters and unique geological formations. The high concentration of minerals in the water gives it a unique buoyancy that makes swimming in the lagoons a unique experience.

Reel: @everchanginghorizon
...

Watching the sun rise above the clouds at Haleakalā National Park is one of the most memorable experiences you could have. Haleakalā is a Hawaiian name that means “House of the Sun” and is an awesome place to watch the clear night sky and stars fade away as the sun lights up the sky and the earth.

Reel: @girlchill_sunset
...

Just 1 hour from Shanghai by train, Cherry Blossom Valley is a popular tourist destination, particularly in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The valley is named after the thousands of cherry blossom trees that cover the area and create a stunning display of pink and white flowers. The trees were originally planted in the 1980s by a group of Japanese experts who were invited to China to help with reforestation efforts. The best time to visit is typically in late March or early April. Get there early to beat the crowds!

Reel: @cyncynti
...

New Zealand is unbelievable. See it for yourself:

1. Fiordland National Park
2. A classic backcountry hut trip
3. Blue Pools walk
4. Hooker Lake
5. Milford Sound
6. Lake Pukaki

Reel: @kylekotajarvi
...

Surrounded by lush greenery, towering karst mountains, and the river flowing through, the Detian Waterfall is a popular tourist attraction and a symbol of the close relationship between China and Vietnam. It is the largest waterfall in Asia and the fourth largest cross-border waterfall in the world.

Reel: @sophoebelous
...

Escape to a serene and peaceful oasis away from the bustling city of Marrakech at Le Jardin Secret—a beautiful and historic garden where visitors can escape the noise and chaos and enjoy the beauty of nature. The garden was originally built in the 16th century and is home to many different species of plants, including exotic flowers, citrus trees, and palm trees.

Reel: @hypermiggzz
...

For a magical moment and bucket list travel experience, visit the end point of the annual monarch butterfly migration. Starting in August, the monarchs travel 2,800 miles south from Canada, making a temporary home amid the towering trees of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, where the two most popular sanctuaries to view them are el Rosario in the state of Michoacan and Piedra Herrada in Estado de México. Standing in silence while thousands of delicate wings beat in unison is something you'll never forget.

Reel: @juliiathompson
...

There's just something beautiful about snow covered landscapes like this popular attraction in southwestern Utah. Known for its unique geology, @brycecanyonnps_gov consists of a series of natural amphitheaters, called "hoodoos," formed by erosion of the rock layers.

Photo: @nathanleeallen
...

As we experience a couple more weeks of winter, we can't help but dream of tropical destinations like Hawaii. The warm water, sunny skies, and consistent waves make it an ideal destination for surfers. Hawaii has a vibrant surf culture and community and is also a beautiful place to explore outside of the water, with lush green mountains, stunning beaches, and unique cultural experiences.

Reel: @christopherballadarez
...

5 PLACES IN THE U.S. THAT FEEL LIKE ANOTHER PLANET:
1. @sequoiakingsnps, California
2. @canyonlandsnps, Utah
3. @olympic_nps, Washington
4. @whitesandsnps, New Mexico
5. Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
6. Knik Glacier, Alaska

Reel: @nathanleeallen
...