REFLECTION

My topic “Travel and Vacation” is an interesting subject to write about. I am passionate about traveling and learning new things from people, cultures, art and history.  I found many different research articles and images on travel and adventure topic.  The learning objective of the blog project on different scenarios of the research essay helped me gain more information on the different types of travel. 

The various scenarios of research summaries and follow up discussions helped me to know better about the topic I chose.  I learned more from the interactive forum, where I could read and peer review other students work.  The Blackboard Interactive Forum is a great tool to communicate online.  I did take an intellectual journey with the researched blog project compared to the traditional research project.  This assignment is interesting to work online and post different aspects of travel research and discussion.

The visual rhetoric post made an impact on the researched essay, by pointing to the message being conveyed or the topics to be discussed.  Incorporating the images with the written research easy made it a fun and interesting experience than the old traditional paper drafts.   I am going to continue on blogging about travel, it will help me improve my writing and share my vacation experiences with friends and family.

Here today gone tomorrow? A destination to visit before it disappears, Venice

There are so many ancient historical cities and natures own beautiful places that attract tourists and travelers in the world.  My dream is to go to Venice, Italy for a romantic travel getaway.  There a lot of activity and things to do, where I have seen on pictures and travel guides of world trek.  I want to visit the historical sites and the food, culture, night life, and the amazing gondolas. 

I would like to make my dream vacation a real experience one day before it is too late.  According to travel expert Holms, “A jewel of a city audaciously built on 118 tiny islands and a network of waterways, Venice is an imperiled treasure that stubbornly endures.  Due to the plodding geological shifts of the continents, the city is sinking at a rate of two and a half inches per decade.  A watery demise for Venice by the end of the century may be inevitable” (Helmuth, et al., 2008).

 Of course, there are many other natural wonders of the world that may be deteriorating other than Venice, it may be from pollution or just worn down as time passes.  Holmes Explain, “But it is hard to imagine impending doom when you first encounter this enchanting Italian city.  With its maze of narrow streets, hundreds of bridges and dozens of canals linking its magnificent architecture and art, even a wrong turn can be thrilling” (Helmuth, et al., 2008). 

 I agree as well, many people in the world including me, who like art and architectures want to preserve this water surrounded city.  Travel expert Holms explain, “Many people are determined to save it.  From a multibillion dollar to install mobile floodgates to strengthening erosion barriers, the rescue mission has become an international effort” (Helmuth, et al., 2008). 

The work has already begun, and the city of Venice is currently under some construction.  Still it is a tourist attraction and will be even better when the rebuilding work is done.  I will be fulfilling one of my dreams when I travel to Venice, Italy.   It is on my “bucket list” one of the places I want to see before I die.

Helmuth, L., et al., (2008). 28 Places to see before you die.  (Cover story).  Smithsonian, 38(10), 78-93.  Retrieved December 12, 2010, from: the Academic Search Complete Database.

Image,(n.d.), Google images.com. Venice images. 1-8.  Retrieved December 12, 2010, from: http://www.google.com/images/venice.

History of adventure travel and its development

What is adventure- travel, its history and the most popular activities?  It is believed that adventure travel can be physically challenging, often in intense environments and culturally demanding visits to places very different to the traveler’s home town. 

What is adventure travel?   According to adventure travel expert Christian says, “Adventure travel is about the experience and the journey, rather than a list of places visited or the level of luxury.  Travel to places that require a bit of effort and commitment to get to” (Christian, 2004).

Travel experts explain, “Adventure travel encompasses a broad range of options for the traveler, from historical visits to hill-tribe stays and white-water rafting.  It is a problem, many people tend to confuse adventure travel with extreme sports and aren’t fully aware of the activities available” (Christian, 2004).  The activities include a pick-and-mix adventure or multi- activity trips combine trekking, rafting, diving and so on, but often there is an added cultural element to it.  

Experts believe that adventure travel is traveling to places that require a little effort and commitment to get to, but it is not necessarily physically challenging.  A great adventure travel experience is when travelers go to a great length to find and explore the nature, animals, people, history and their culture.  For example, people have been interested in visiting Mongolia, China.  These remote cultural areas of the world are not as easy to plan for as going to the beach.   These difficulties and not knowing how one can travel to distant and specific environment conditions are becoming much better and accessible than before. 

Humans have traveled throughout history, traveling from place to place used to be by riding horses and walking long distance on foot.  I have always wondered how people handled different weather conditions, heat, snow, storms and rain when traveling far distances.  We have come a long way from different historical periods to the 21^st century travel guides, tour specialists, modern technology tools (GPS, Google Earth images and Map) available to use. 

  

 When travel and tourism agencies advertise for adventure travel, it appeals to an increasingly broad section of society, it is not just for young people only.  Travel experts say, “Discerning mature travelers are continuing to find adventure travel appealing.  Members of this group are becoming more adventurous than ever before, and are seeing their children take time out on gap years, want to experience something personally satisfying themselves” (Christian, 2004).   Adventure travel is not only for individuals with extreme passion for sports or the outdoors, but it is also equally for individuals who like to find out about people, cultures and history.   The majority of adventure travel trips involve in visits to historical and cultural places and sightseeing.   

Adventure travel has a long history in different eras and formed their unique concepts of travel.  People started traveling for many reasons, in a form of religious pilgrimage, a big fuel for scientific curiosity, military campaign and for artist nature’s visionary experiences.   Christian explains, “The most exciting journeys are often those that are extremely arduous and expensive-the ‘journey of a lifetime’, nowadays we ask, ‘Where did you go this summer?’  Hundreds of years ago, you’d only make one journey abroad in your whole life, if you were lucky.  No wonder people got more out of the experience” (Christian, 2004).

The innovation of the industrial revolution increased the way people travel, starting from railways, steamships, automobiles and high speed jets has improved the numbers of travelers.  It opened up doors for traveling to remote locations and for the development of tourism industries.

How will adventure travel be in the future?  Adventure travel will increasingly grow over the next several years from now.  As more people experience the cultural side of adventure travel, it will affect growth in bigger part.   Many adventure travel agencies and tour specialists are being available now that it became doable to choose the activities that interest us. In my opinion, modern technology will develop and improve the ways and means to travel the less frequented parts of the world.  In addition, people are curious about the universe and will progress the capability to travel to space.  

 Christian, A., (2004, January).  Putting the adventure back into travel: Geographical (Campion interactive publishing); Vol.76 Issue 1, 83-87.  Retrieved December 10, 2010, from: the Academic Search Complete Database.

Image, (n.d.), Adventure Finder.com.  Retrieved December 12, 2010, from:

http://www.adventurefinder.com/adventure-travel/kenya-adventures/kenya-and-uganda-safari-adven.

Image,  (n.d.), Adventure Finder.com. Retrieved December 12, 2010from: http://www.adventurefinder.com/adventure-travel/arts-adventures.html.

Image, (n.d.), Adventure Finder.com.  Retrieved December 12, 2020, from: http://www.adventurefinder.com/adventure-travel/thorong-la-pass-trek-in-annapurna-one-world-trekking-adventures/thorong-la-pass-trek-in-annapurna-one-world-trekking-tidonwt1792.html.

Image, (n.d.),The Family Travel Files.com.  Retrieved November 30, 2010, from: http://www.thefamilytravelfiles.com/folders/reunions/.

Visual Rhetoric

Cosmopolitan City Adventures

These images above explain the different ways of a city adventure travel.  You can drive to a closest city, travel by airplane and use a cruise ship to different city destination tours.  The image of Washington D.C. near Capitol Hill building and celebrating fourth of July fireworks and a romantic picture of a couple visiting Washington’s historical monuments and the crowded traffic in New York city.  The laptop computer and the airplane image of flying explain how easy it is nowadays to reserve your flight online and travel anywhere.

Logos: Is persuading the reader’s by reasoning and logic to travel to cities for many reasons to attend different events and to enjoy social life and activities. 

Ethos: Is a sense of belief and trust when readers look at the images of the laptop computer and the airplane image of flying explain how easy it is nowadays to reserve your flight (cruise, hotel and car rentals) online and travel anywhere. 

Mythos: Is addressing the reader’s shared values and belonging to a community, to celebrate July four, independence holiday in the Nation Capitol city enjoying fireworks with many people.

Pathos: Is persuading the reader’s feelings of emotion by appealing love, and romantic image of the couples sitting and hugging, enjoying city lights and monuments close to a lake.  In addition, to the national holiday celebration in the Capitol city in front of the monuments, the reader’s get emotional appeal of freedom, unity and shared value of citizens.

Exotic natural settings in far-away places

These images try to explain how travel agencies use pictures of the beautiful exotic places for business marketing.  These travel advertisements have some written messages or information in addition to the images.  The cartoon image shows the person wondering where he wants to travel, and trying to see/read the globe map with a microscope. It can be interpreted by each reader’s differently and more than one message.

The audience for these images can be anyone who is familiar with traveling or has the interest to travel.  For example, the beautiful natural setting image with the two chairs but nobody is sitting on them except the two brain images above the chairs.  I really like the statement they have on it is “You travel with your mind every day. Wouldn’t be nice if your body could follow?  Many people can relate to the feeling of that statement.  The messages on these travel images are easy to interpret.  

Ethos: Is the credibility of the travel agencies advertisement making the reader’s belief by capturing their attention offer to handle travel needs.   

Logos: Is the logic behind these images, trying to persuade the reader to plan for their dream vacation trip through the travel agency low fare or package deal.

Pathos: The images are persuading and appealing to the reader’s emotional feelings of interest, passion and desire to find adventure in far away exotic places.    

Logos: means persuading by the use of reasoning. (Logical)

Ethos: means our sense of beliefs, our trust. (Trust)

Mythos: means our sense of belonging to a community with shared values. (Values)

Pathos: means persuading by appealing to the readers emotions. (Emotional)

Motives and Patterns of Family Reunion Travel

 What motivates family reunion travelers? How do family reunion travelers make their decisions?


Motivations for a family reunion can be for many reasons. The most common motivations are the importance of family relationships and bonding. Nowadays, a lot of family members, distant relatives and close friends live in different states or countries. Some changes in the family structure forces us to define someone as family. Whether it is through marriage, blood, adoption or close friendship we tend to call them “family.” The definition of family has changed and extended to include more distant relatives and friends.

In the U.S., many families relocate to different regions of the country so there is a need for visiting families even if it is once a year for a holiday. Most family members move from state to state in search of better living conditions, job, school, relationships and so on. In today’s modern technology there are many ways to communicate with family members who live far away. However, it is not the same as spending quality time together and bonding.

Research indicates: “The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) has reported that families account for 65 percent of domestic travel and on average spend more when traveling than do individual travelers. Interestingly the TIA reported that one-third of family travelers travel to attend family reunions” (Yun, 2009).


Family reunion travelers are willing to spend money and time for family togetherness. Family members who plan to travel and attend family reunions, gatherings and other celebrations understand the benefits and needs of their families. Family reunion travel helps to enhance, build and maintain stronger family relationships. According to psychology studies, “Motivation is viewed as an internal factor that arouses and directs human behavior. Psychological factors are deemed key towards understanding tourists’ behavior. Motivation to travel is a set of needs, which predispose a person to participate in a tourist activity.” (Yun, 2009).

In my own experience, I know how it is to have most of my family members living abroad in different countries and in U.S. I have to make some time for family reunion and togetherness, so I travel long distance to see them. I went to Germany and Switzerland three times for family get-together. My mother and two of my brothers live in Europe with their families. I also have three sisters, one in Canada with her family, one in Ethiopia and the third one in the U.S. with her family. My best friend lives in Dallas, Texas and I have been there several times for best friend and family reunion, since we have known each other from childhood.

In order to have strong relationship and bonding with new family members, a new born baby or newly married relatives, a family reunion is the best way to get-together. As it is for families, it is also true for friends to have reunions because it strengthens, builds and maintains long distance relationships. The most common family reunion travel seasons are summer and fall. Summer season is when school is out for children and a lot of parents and adults get vacation time off. The fall season is when most holidays start, from Thanksgiving to Christmas then New years, and these are good times to celebrate with family members.

Yun, J., Lehto, X., (2009, July). Motives and patterns of family reunion travel: Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 10(2009): 279-300. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from the Academic Search Complete Database.
Image, (n.d.), The Family Travel Files.com. Retrieved November, 30, 2010, from: http://www.thefamilytravelfiles.com/folders/reunions/.

Image, (n.d.), The Family Travel Files.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from: http://www.thefamilytravelfiles.com/folders/snowplaces/.

Image, (n.d.) Family reunion Stock Photos & Images: Fotosearch.com.
Retrieved November, 30, 2010, from: http://comps.fotosearch.com/bigcomps/CRT/CRT172/004123AT.jpg

City Break Motivation

Why do people take city break for a travel getaway? What does a city break means and what are the motivations associated with taking the trip?

Some characteristics of city break travel determine the meaning and why people take the trip. City break travel is usually a short trip of minimum of three nights or maximum of five nights stay. City break travel is considered as a secondary to the main vacation trip. A city break trip is easier to plan than other types of vacations because it is a short time/distance getaway. It depends on where a person lives, and which cities they want travel to if they are driving. This being said, one of the other characteristic of city break is the time frame. The time frame to travel is during low cost airline fares for domestic urban trips. Usually, during the off peak seasons, many airline companies have a great promotional deals to take advantage of secondary city trips.

I want to explain about city break trip as one type of adventure seeking through travel. What are the motivations for people taking a city break ravel? According to some travel psychologists, the main factors why people travel, in particular city break trips are these: “Motivation and city break travel- “tourism researchers have been tackling the questions of why people travel for many years. However the approach that is probably most commonly agreed upon and used in relation to travel motivations is the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ concept.” (Dunne, Buckley, & Flanagan, 2007)

The push motives explain the desire for travel and the pull motives explain the actual destination choice. The push motives for city break trips are escape, social, gift giving and fun excitement. The pull motives are cultural and educational whether it may be historical sites or cultural entertainment. These two motives, including low cost to travel and the easy access to find information through the internet helps to manage a city trip getaway.

I learned from reading this article that the majority people take a city break trip for escape. It does not matter if the city is a crowded and busy or reserved and quiet as long as they are away from their day to day living place and tasks. Most family or couples with children choose to get away by themselves to have a break from day to day activities at home.

Most weekends when I am off from work, I spend some time with my boyfriend and our friends in Washington D.C. The capital city where there are so many things to do, see diverse group of people and have an active social life. Here in Richmond, Va. Where I live now there are not so many things to do or see, as it is in Washington D.C. or Alexandria, Va. The drive is only two hours from Richmond so it makes it convenient for a weekend trip. I have been to Washington D.C. and surrounding areas many times.

Overall, it is an amazing experience to learn and explore whether it is for shopping, going to eat ethnic food at international restaurants and going out to night clubs. It is important to refresh our body and mind by taking a city break without any elaborated big vacation plans just to get away from once own environment.

Work Cited
Dunne, G., Buckley, J., & Flanagan, S. city break motivation: The case of Dublin- A successful national capital. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 22.3/4 (2007): 95-107. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from the Academic Search Complete Database.

Image, (n.d.), National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/018/cache/dc-ww2-memorial_1853_600x450.jpg
Image, (n.d.), National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/018/cache/dc-key-bridge_1844_600x450.jpg
Image, (n.d.), National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/018/cache/dc-dupont-circle_1841_600x450.jpg
Image, (n.d.), National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/267/cache/empire-state-building-night-new-york_26741_600x450.jpg