Why People Travel: An Anthropological View

Abstract

This chapter takes an anthropological approach to the question of human travel motivations, looking at specific examples from myth and ethnography, spread geographically and temporally, in order to draw out general conclusions. Examples in the chapter include ancient myths The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, travel writing from medieval pilgrim Ibn Battuta and 17th century diplomat Sir Thomas Palmer, and ethnographies of traditional societies and modern tourism. Human travel and hospitality involve cultural rituals whose differences and continuities offer interesting insights into why we travel in the way we do. Travel features as a core part of many myths of identity and stories of origin, which provide meaning to cultures and societies. Professor Selwyn demonstrates how important travel is for people to understand their place in the world, and discover their own identities, whether individual, group or national.