Young People, Gap Year Travel and the Neo-Tribal Experience

Abstract

Gap year travel (GYT) refers to a period of time when young people go overseas for a combination of work and leisure activities. This chapter examines the social dimensions of GYT, arguing that this is characterized by distinctly neo-tribal qualities as young ‘gappers’ engage with different groups of young people in a range of different situations and locations. The chapter is based on a study conducted in August and September 2013 with 43 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 who engaged in GYT on Australia’s Gold Coast. Most of our interviewees felt that their time travelling was offering them an important opportunity to both explore new places and cultures, but also to explore themselves. In this context, the ability to move between different groups and social contexts in a neo-tribal fashion appeared to form an important part of the young gappers’ experiential narratives of GYT.