An existential psychological perspective on Chinese career gap travel

Abstract

This study examined travellers’ reflections of meaning in career gap travel experiences, through an existential psychology lens. Specifically, it investigated how career gap travellers conferred and fundamentally shifted meaning in their lives. Eleven career gap travellers’ reflections were interpreted through existential-narrative analysis. The study contributed to current knowledge by developing a career gap travel cycle including stages before, during and after the trip. The findings showed that career crises and existential anxiety for something more meaningful were the antecedents of career gap travel in the pre-trip stage. The trip itself comprised two stages: the early days of travel were depicted as pleasurable; however, long-term travel also involved existential challenges, such as anxiety and fear. The post-trip stage involved post-trip liminality and travel syndrome related to fear of failure and anxiety. The article concludes with a discussion of future research areas for career gap travel.