At Home,on the Way and People-Place Interaction:The Mobility Experience of Recreational Vehicle Nomads in Pastoral Areas of Northwest China
A lifestyle of making a home wherever one is,recreational vehicle travel,characterized by enhanced privacy,robust security and notable flexibility,has surged in popularity.However,domestic research has not kept pace with practical advancements,with a significant gap in the discussion on the experiential dimension and people-place interaction.Traditionally relegated to the periphery of social sciences,tourism study is redefined by the mobilities paradigm,asserting its integral role in shaping social and cultural narratives.Based on the mobility perspective,leveraging travel notes from the RV journeys across Xizang,Xinjiang,Qinghai and Inner Mongolia,regions renowned for their pastoral landscapes in China's northwestern frontier,as the research data,this paper discusses the diversified experience and the interaction between RV nomads and their environments.The research adopts the netnography approach.First of all,identify appropriate online communities:this paper selects the online travel notes from Hornet's Nest and RV Life Home as the research data.Second,collect and analyze information:32 travel notes featuring extensive and pertinent details were chosen for in-depth qualitative analysis using Nvivo software,supplemented by photographic evidence.Third,ensure the credibility of the explanation.Fourth,solicit feedback from respondents.The research findings are as follows:1)RV travel is a kind of mobile lifestyle in essence,embodying a nomadic travel experience that integrates the comforts of living at home with the adventures of traveling on the way.2)The experience of living at home during RV travel encompasses the organization of living spaces,daily routines,and mobile reclusion.The experience of traveling on the way contains fortuitous encounters,fleeting observations of the passing landscape,and the fluctuating tempo of the trip.4)RV travel in pastoral areas of northwest China has spawned a variety of people-place interactions and constructed a unique subjective significance:the spirit of chivalry.RV nomads are not only seasoned tourists but also trailblazers in the realm of RV tourism,thus endowing their research with theoretical and practical value.This paper has delved into the meanings of at home and on the way in the context of RV travel.RV travel in the northwestern pastoral areas is a phenomenon of traveling by special vehicles in certain geographical areas,epitomizing a mobile lifestyle.The pastoral areas of northwest China emerge as an exemplary venue for examining the touristic experience of mobility and selfhood due to its prominence as a mobile tourist space and the combination of the experience of a journey with that of a destination.RV nomads cross borders and create unique nomadic spaces.Central to this is the nomadic travel experience,an amalgamation of experiences of living at home and traveling on the way and people-place interaction.This study expands the theoretical dimension of mobility in the tourism context,demonstrating that being at home and being on the way should not be perceived as opposite but as intertwined elements,even within the tourism sphere.This study can provide a reference for the planning and management of RV travel products in pastoral areas of northwest China.
万方数据
维普
