Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The freedom of the car subjects all of civil society to its power.
The shortage of time resulting from the extensive distances that
increasingly 'have' to be travelled means that the car remains the
only viable means of highly flexibilised mobility. (Urry, 2000,
p192)
People have been coerced into new lives of flexibility that can only be main-
tained by the car, to which society is now 'locked in' (Urry, 2005). In this
respect, the ability to access mobility adds to social inequities, as well as con-
tributing to global environmental change (Letherby and Reynolds, 2009): 'Not
to drive and not to have a car is to fail to participate fully in western societies'
(Urry, 2000, p191). However, trains also offer social benefits, as on the train
people 'can sleep, read, talk, eat, text, write, drink or relax after a good din-
ner or pub visit' (Larsen et al, 2006, p108).
Some forms of transport, such as walking or cycling, are also only possi-
ble for those with 'time to spare'. Cass et al (2004, p120) argue that '… in
opting for these modes rather than faster alternatives, there is a conscious
trade-off between time and the quality of the experience'. Some people have
more 'time sovereignty' (Breedveld, 1998; cited in Cass et al, 2004) than
others; that is, they have more time flexibility. Therefore, 'differences in the
spatial and temporal flexibilities and path-dependencies of individuals, house-
holds and transport systems themselves, combined with changing compulsions
to proximity, all conspire to structure different social groups' experience of
transport infrastructure' (Cass et al, 2004, p123). This is potentially a signifi-
cant issue for slow travel. In particular, lack of time sovereignty causes
problems when using public transport if services are not available at times
needed. However, tourists are likely to have a higher degree of flexibility
compared to those on utility trips and the time sovereignty to walk, cycle, wait
and gaze.
The mobilities paradigm therefore provides a new framework with which
to analyse society and movement. The idea of slow travel, with its fundamen-
tal focus on people, place, time and distance, is intrinsic to the mobilities
analysis. There is clearly much scope for further research to examine different
ways of connecting people and organizing social structures which brings
together slow travel and the new mobilities paradigm, a subject to which we
return in Chapter 10.
The travel experience
In recent years much research in tourism and leisure has moved on from what
motivates people to take part in various activities, to a focus on the actual
tourism experience. The interest in the tourist experience appears to have been
stimulated by the seminal paper by Arnould and Price (1993) on the hedonic
experience of white water rafting and, more recently, by the marketing per-
spective presented by Pine and Gilmore (1999). However, Clawson and
Knetsch's (1996) much earlier work, on the outdoor recreation experience,
draws attention to different stages of the tourist experience and has been
