Effects of post-trip eudaimonic reflections on affect, self-transcendence and philanthropy

Travel experiences that involve self-discovery and a sense of meaning can lead to personal growth and increased prosocial behavior, such as philanthropy. In an online survey of 481 recent vacationers, those who reflected on eudaimonic aspects of their trip reported stronger positive emotions and a greater sense of self-transcendence, which in turn predicted charitable giving after the trip. The findings suggest that travel can be a tool for promoting both personal meaning and societal benefits like generosity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, tourism scholars have recognized that travel can create transformation, including (1) personal benefits such as improved wellbeing and personal growth and (2) societal benefits such as increased open-mindedness and more positive pro-environmental attitudes, motivations, and behaviors. Expanding and integrating this research, this experimental study tests whether travel experiences, with eudaimonic elements of self-discovery and a sense of meaning, lead to these benefits and tests a proposed process where these experiences influence personal changes that subsequently create societal benefits. Specifically, using an online MTurk sample (n = 481) with a broad range of recent vacation experiences, we test whether (1) post-trip self-reflection on eudaimonic travel experiences (2) creates affective responses (3) that lead to self-transcendent changes and (4) subsequent post-trip philanthropy among recent travelers. Results of structural equation modeling indicate that philanthropic effects of travel were initiated by the eudaimonic self-reflections via eudaimonic affect and self-transcendent outcomes. This study contributes to the research linking eudaimonia and travel and provides insights into the ways that the travel industry can be harnessed as a potent tool for promoting personal meaning, self-transcendence, and prosocial outcomes.