CFP: 1st Global Conference: Travel: Practice, Process & Product

Wednesday 30th January – Friday 1st February 2013
Sydney, Australia

Call for Presentations:

Having become an integral component of many countries GDP and a means of employment for numerous communities and a point of concern regarding social and environmental issues, the concepts of travel and tourism have become a serious focus of discussion across numerous disciplines. Questions regarding ‘what is travel, what does it mean to travel, why we travel and how we travel?’ have become a central core of this discussion. However, the notion of travel is not a new phenomenon. Historically, the human race has traveled for a myriad of specific purpose often related to simply ‘seeing what was over the next hill.’ Other historical aspects also included changing living conditions, a sense of adventure or expansion of domains. While these aspects still exist, new motivational factors have arisen such changing working conditions, business, pleasure, relief or aid work, the need to understand new cultures, religious or spiritual pilgrimages, personal or familial responsibilities, educational opportunities and economic advancement or refuge from oppressive political governments. All of these aspects have generated research and practitioner related discussion on numerous specific areas including the travel industry, internet, adventure tourism, travel writing, town planning, history of travel, photography of place and space, transportation, environmental science and sustainability, diasporas, advertising, space travel, hotel design, religious studies of iconic spaces, spirituality, cognitive science, architecture, philosophy, business, business leadership and management, educational travel and management, outdoor education, adventure therapy, school based education and. sociology. While many see Alvin Toffler’s concept of ‘future shock’ as the catalyst for serious research, when he stated that our desire for travel is a form of reaction to the pressures of modernity, the notion of travel also affords people the opportunity to connect their present to a past not fully understood, and has most certainly become an increasing area of interdisciplinary need for academics and practitioners across the globe. Given the economic, environmental, physiological, psychological and socio-emotional concerns and pressures humans face in this current era, this project seeks to give research and practical voice to an important aspect of global concern.

Presentations can deal with any of the previous travel elements, but are not limited to these focal areas. Other questions and points are more than welcomed, as well as answers to questions such as:

What are the historical constructs of travel?
Where and when did travel start?
How do specific disciplines define ‘travel’?
Why do we travel?
What is the nature of ‘travel’ within specific cultures, or across cultures?
What impact does travel have on diverse environments around the globe?
What is the impact of tourism on specific cultures and societies?
How does travel impact on the social, emotional or physical health of travelers?
Does travel create health and wellbeing concerns?
How are governments at all levels dealing with the rapid growth of the travel industry?
Where, why and how did the 21st century’s concept of ‘travel’ start?
Why does our current notion of travel exist?
What does the future hold for travel?
How does travel writing parallel the actual notion of travel?
Why has travel writing become such a popular form of reading?
How does the backpacker industry fit into the travel industry?
What are the benefits and concerns of the backpacker industry?
What are the theoretical bases for travel?
Where does travel fit into the concept of “travel” at the personal, local and national levels?
Is travel a ‘spiritual’ endeavor?
What is the intersection between cognitive, psychological and psychological areas as they relate to travel?
Where does ‘self, and the notion of identity fit with the idea of traveling?

What to Send:

300 word abstracts or presentation proposals should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs by 14th September 2012; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract.

E-mails should be entitled: TRAVEL Abstract Submission.

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Organising Chairs:

Phil Fitzsimmons.

Rob Fisher.

The conference is part of the Diversity and Recognition programme of research projects. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and exciting.

For further details of the project, please click here.

For further details of the conference, please click here.

Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence.