VW campervan tourists' embodied sonic experiences

Sharon Wilson, Donna Chambers*, James Johnson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)
17 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this paper we argue that sound and the aural senses are integral to tourists' experiences while in motion. Using a metaphorical lens and qualitative research, our inductive findings of VW Campervan tourism demonstrate that there is an embodied relationship between tourist/driver and machine, like that between a musician and her/his instrument, where, through sound, both become intertwined in the act of performance. Our findings suggest that these embodied sonic experiences of travel are psychological, emotional and physiological as the sounds of the van elicit feelings of well-being and stress or physical manifestations of (ill)health. Yet in a Deleuzian sense, we suggest that the human/machine assemblage thus created, through sound, is necessarily ephemeral and always in a state of becoming.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-23
Number of pages10
JournalAnnals of Tourism Research
Volume76
Early online date28 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2019

Keywords

  • Assemblage
  • Embodiment
  • Metaphor
  • Musical instrument
  • Sound
  • VW campervan

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