The Psychology of Travel Motivation

Understanding Travel Psychology

Motivation, the reason for behaving a particular way, is the primary fuel for travelers. The idea of visiting a new place, experiencing life to the fullest and stepping into the world at large is a huge catalyst for adventure. But with all life changes, there are profound effects when studying the psychology of travel motivation.

Therefore, understanding the psychological functions of motivation is of tremendous value.  Harnessing the underlying functions of motivation allows a person to achieve more goals, especially those rooted in travel.  

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Travel Psychology Basics

There are various schools of thought regarding the psychology of motivation, but for this article, the two main ones to consider are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.  Broadly defined, extrinsic motivation encourages a behavior through use of a reward or punishment.  A person pursues extrinsic motivation to obtain money, avoid getting yelled at by a boss or get a cookie.  Extrinsic motivation, while powerful, is a blunt tool with diminishing returns as a person becomes accustomed to the reward.  It isn’t well-applied to travel.

Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is motivation fostered because a person finds it personally rewarding.  It is internally fostered and independently personally enriching.

When developing motivation to travel, there are rarely large-scale extrinsic motivation opportunities.  It is more important to focus on Intrinsic Motivation.  Intrinsic motivation is highly specialized and individualized depending on the person, so the functions must be personally tailored.  

There are five intrinsic motivation factors which can encourage a traveler. 

• Learning – Seeking greater understanding
• Attitude – Developing a state of contentment
• Achievement – The targeting, effort and reaching of goals
• Creative – The act of creating value and art
• Psychological – Improvement of mental wellbeing

Learning While Traveling

Learning is a fundamental aspect of the human experience.  There’s a reason many humans feel accomplished and engaged when learning something new.  Learning makes a person feel improved and more capable of handling new tasks.  

Travel is the ultimate teacher.  There are so many new stimuli outside the traditional realm of experience that learning becomes a primary motivation for travel.  Learning a new language, discovering new foods, delving into ancient histories, studying mythical beasts or getting familiar with a new culture are all worthy reasons to travel.  

Many people focus on things they wish to learn while traveling, which is a huge motivating factor.  Heading to Brazil to learn how to dance, Japan to learn a martial art, China to learn Mandarin or Italy to learn about the Roman Empire give a deeper fascination to motivation. Having a learning-based goal while traveling can fully utilize the psychology of travel.

Attitude 

Often, a person’s intrinsic motivation for performing an action is to recalibrate.  Simply put, people want to feel happy and content.  

Traveling is an excellent way to reorient a mind.  There is a lot of beauty and wonder in the world.  Finding a quiet beach to relax, a mountain range to gaze upon or a bustling metropolitan to enjoy are all methods for reorienting a mind to appreciate life.  

In the end, travel nourishes the spirit.  

Achievement

One of the biggest factors which determines motivation is accomplishing goals.  People who climb mountains, sail around the world, visit their homelands, succeed at work or dive in coral cities understand this well.

One of the major internal motivations of humans comes from achievement. Figuring out personal goals and targeting them is a great method for developing a deeper understand of psychology of travel.

Does a person want to summit Everest?  Would they like to swim through the Yucatan’s underground cenotes?  Does someone want to rescue sloths in Costa Rica?  Or learn how to herd reindeer through Mongolia?  These are outlandish and entirely unique human experiences which take dedication to achieve.  As such, desiring to accomplish them translates into strong intrinsic motivation for many.

Creative Motivation

Another factor in motivation is creativity.  People inherently wish to create things in life, whether that’s at work, at home, or through arts and technology.  The things humans build in life have value and enrichen society as a whole.

Travel is vital for some creatives.  It offers exposure to a much wider and more varied world, from unique architecture to lifestyles.  Traveling paired with creative endeavors often forge incredible results.

Psychology

While attitude focuses primarily on mood, there are also psychological reasons which foster intrinsic motivation.

Becoming more capable, interesting and skilled are all psychological bonuses towards working on one’s self.  

The psychology of travel is a major factor for personal changes.  People who travel for long periods of time tend to be more patient, more capable of accepting new experiences and  more culturally aware overall.  It is rare to find brash or thoughtless full-time travelers, since traveling naturally fosters critical thinking, planning, tolerance and growth.

All of the factors listed tend to help develop intrinsic motivation, especially when tied into traveling.  Once a person determines their motivation for traveling, it is important to reinforce it as much as possible.

As mentioned before, intrinsic motivation is highly individualized.  The things that motivate one person might not motivate another.  A person going to Japan might enjoy learning the language  while another is far more interested in the food while yet another wants to visit the world’s greatest anime studios.  

Because intrinsic motivation is different, it is important to determine personal interests and how it ties into the places a person is going.  

Determining “Why”

Finally, all the motivation in the world isn’t useful if a person doesn’t eventually take action.  Determining “why” a person wants to do something is important. It gives value to the actions that follow.  But the action itself is what determines results.

When traveling, determine the reasons for doing something.  Then, reinforce it through study, conversation, following others online and reaching personal goals.  Results and adventure will follow. 

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