The need to research a wider geographic diversity of destinations and
backpacker contexts has been recognised as an area of concern in
backpacker studies (Richards & Wilson, 2004b). While a range of studies
and market reports have variously addressed the ‘youth’ or the ‘student’ travel market, most have considered Europe as a source of outbound
backpacker travellers and not as a destination per se. This chapter addresses
backpacker tourism in Europe, an important destination for several
reasons: first, Europe is where backpacker tourism originated; and
second, European destinations continue to attract many thousands of
backpackers. For decades there has been a tradition of young New Zealanders and
Australians going to Britain and Europe on extended travel trips. In New
Zealand such an experience is called the ‘OE’ (sometimes the ‘Big OE’), a
trip of extended duration that usually involves living, working and
travelling outside New Zealand for a number of years. Investigation of
the OE offers a unique opportunity to trace some of the changes in
backpacker travel over time as practised and experienced by a specific
group (or nationality) of travellers. With its focus on Europe, an
exploration of OE travel also adds to the geographic diversity of
destinations studied. To understand the travel behaviour of any group, the contexts within
which it occurs historical, temporal, global, social, cultural, institutional,
spatial are important. In spite of political, social and institutional
changes in tourism over time, OE travellers still follow the same
routes and travel patterns they have for decades; yet in many ways their
experiences have changed over time. This chapter explores these travel
patterns and the changes within them, focusing on two iconic travel
experiences of the OE, the ‘van tour’ and ‘doing a Contiki’.[Show full abstract]
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