Anonymous and uninhibited: sexual encounters during the international sojourn

Abstract

Previous research has focused on sex and romance tourism, but there has been little investigation into the relationships and sexual behaviour of international students, who constitute an important and growing segment of the international tourist population. This study used a narrative interview approach to explore international students’ sexual encounters during their sojourn. The findings show that participants made changes to their sexual behaviour and attitudes during the academic sojourn, which were understood to be temporary. Such change was encouraged by the group norms of the international friendship network and by the anonymity conferred by distance from the home culture. Of significance to participants was the challenge posed to gender roles: traditional conceptions of femininity were put aside for the duration of the year abroad.