Abstract
In this paper I explore the power imbued in ‘in situ bonding social capital’ when on vacation by investigating midlife single women's experiences of eating out alone on holiday. In contrast to much tourism research which envisions eating out together on holiday as carefree and sociable experiences, I consider the company of family and friends as an asset or as in situ bonding social capital. Drawing upon poststructural feminism, emotional geographies and tourism mobilities I demonstrate, on the one hand, the value of this capital by pointing to how lack of the same makes the women feel lonely and socially excluded and, hence, dislike eating out alone on holiday. I argue that this capital is incorporated and affected by the ‘normalised discourse’ of the vacation. On the other hand, I also identify times and spaces within which this capital is less powerful. On holiday some of the women enjoy eating out at lunchtime and in cities. I thus also argue that the women's emotional reactions to eating places are mobile and that in situ bonding social capital is a temporal–spatial asset. The findings are based on focus group pre‐ and post‐trip interviews and solicited on‐trip diaries. Thirty‐two Norwegian single women aged 35–55 years participated in the study.
Published Version
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