Abstract
Abstract This chapter examines volunteer travel for the opportunities it provides in opening up 'psychic', 'social', and 'symbolic' spaces. In particular, it is argued that volunteer travel is a manifestation of young backpackers' desires for otherness and authenticity and expectations for the accumulation of experiential knowledge and personal transformation. It is also argued that these simultaneous expectations foster the discourse of mutual benefit common to alternative tourism and that this discourse may assist in reinstating a sense of equality between locals and travellers. More specifically, while it is acknowledged that volunteer travel is not the only form of tourism implicated in this process, it is also demonstrated that the increased engagement, dialogue and negotiation between the self and other necessitated by volunteering may result in the development of more reflexive, hybridized or cosmopolitan identities. This chapter is based on interviews with 34 young Australians aged 18-30 years, who self-identified and affiliated as backpackers and independent travellers.
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