Moving lifestyle migration beyond the sun: a eudaimonic well-being approach

ABSTRACT Lifestyle migration studies have gained increasing attention from various disciplines, yet the eudaimonic well-being approach is a neglected research area in the relevant field. This study examines international lifestyle migrants’ eudaimonic motivations and experiences, thus focusing on beyond the widely investigated external factors such as climate and economic conditions. To this end, using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with lifestyle migrants who permanently live in Alanya, a resort town on the Mediterranean coast in Turkey, to reveal their everyday life practices. The findings indicate that lifestyle migrants benefit from the new living condition in various ways to fulfill their eudaimonic well-being including its dimensions such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, positive relations, and self-acceptance. Thus, the study reveals that migration to Mediterranean coastal regions includes not just enjoying better economic and weather conditions but also existential issues as well. Therefore, the research uncovers the eudaimonic aspect of questing well-being through lifestyle migration, hence, offers a new perspective. The study provides theoretical and managerial implications and contributes to the tourism and migration field.