Holiday Abroad Research Articles

The experiences of nomadic sex worker tourists

ABSTRACT Practices of sex tourism are more diverse than the stereotype of ‘foreign man pays local woman for sex while on holiday abroad’. There has been little research into sex workers who travel to countries with visa-free policies to provide sex services to other tourists or locals at these destinations. The research explores the experiences of these nomadic sex workers. Twenty in-depth interviews conducted in Hong Kong captured data on their motivations, economics, and behaviour of the sex worker tourists. Driven by a desire to make a better life for themselves and their families, these nomadic sex worker tourists negotiate and control their potential for self-determination, to attain economic benefits, support their families, and increase self-awareness, confidence, and general knowledge.

Exploring the influence of ChatGPT on tourism behavior using the technology acceptance model

Purpose The present study’s aims are twofold: 1) to contribute to theory development by accounting for both personality and trust in the conceptualization of technology acceptance using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical framework; and 2) to explore the influence of ChatGPT-integrated chatbots on tourism behavior. Design/methodology/approach The target population for this study was travelers who previously used technology (website/ app) to plan their holiday abroad. An online survey questionnaire created with Google Forms was distributed via a panel company (iPanel). A screening question was included to filter out respondents who have not previously used technological means to plan their holiday abroad. A panel company (iPanel) was hired to collect data from a convenience sample of 305 Israeli tourists who met the above criterion between August 22 and 27, 2023, and were at least 18. Findings A significant and positive relationship was observed between trust in ChaptGPT and perceived usefulness. Furthermore, a significant and positive association was observed between perceived ease of use and intentions to use ChatGPT-integrated chatbots to plan future holidays. Post hoc analyses suggest that perceived ease of use mediates the relationship between extraversion and trust, trust mediates the relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness and age moderates the relationship between perceived ease of use and behavioral intentions. Research limitations/implications Data was collected from a convenience sample of Israeli travelers. Hence, generalizations to other countries, nationalities and cultures should be treated carefully; the study is cross-sectional and thus represents respondents’ beliefs and behavioral intentions at a particular time; and the study is based on one of several theoretical frameworks that can be used to conceptualize behaviors associated with using AI by tourists. Practical implications The findings of the present study point to the importance of accounting for tourists’ personal factors, such as personality and age, in developing AI products in the tourism industry. chief executive officers and relevant shareholders would benefit from conducting market research to obtain insights into the factors that may enhance or hamper tourists’ adoption of AI-based technology for planning their holidays abroad. Originality/value Previous work falls short of accounting for personality traits and trust in a single model using the TAM framework. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study empirically investigating tourism behavior related to ChatGPT based chatbots as a tool to plan future holidays abroad. Furthermore, the possible role of age as a moderating variable was overlooked in past research.

Generational differences, socialisation effects and ‘mobility links’ in international holiday travel

International holiday travel was rapidly growing until the COVID19 crisis and was widely expected to continue on such a trajectory for decades. This is consistent with long-term trends towards the expansion of activity spaces and the increasing importance of high-speed modes of travel. This would suggest that young adults today had earlier and more frequent experience of cross-border holiday travel than previous generations, with possible knock-on effects in terms of socialisation to increased international mobility. Previous research has also suggested the existence of self-reinforcing dynamics in international mobility over individual life courses and across family generations. The concept of “mobility links” points to such effects, whereby e.g., international mobility experience leads to more foreign trips later in the life course and/or in the subsequent generation. Robust quantitative evidence of such trends and associations, however, has remained elusive due to the lack of adequate data. We use unique data from Dortmund (Germany) including detailed retrospective information on holiday travel and life course events for a large sample of students, their parents, and grandparents. Our results show: i) a rapidly increasing trend in international holiday travel behaviour (trip frequency and age at first trip) across three generations; ii) from a socialisation perspective, associations between international holiday frequency and age at first holiday abroad among students; iii) from an intergenerational perspective, associations between the holiday practices of students and their parents. We conclude by discussing implications for further research on mobility biographies and the ‘institutionalisation’ of international travel, as well as policy implications.

The travel clinic.

Catherine is an advanced nurse practitioner working in a large general practice in the North of England. Today she is running a travel clinic. Because of the immense changes brought about by COVID-19 the world is struggling to regain a degree of normality and the possibility of travel to distant places is liberating to many. More than ever medical advice about safety precautions are necessary. Marc and Emma are consulting Catherine about a projected holiday abroad.

My own patient experience: Learning to walk again like a baby

I had a left monoparalysis during a holiday abroad in July 2005. This narrative shares my experience of getting ill in a foreign country, how it is difficult to describe your troubles and, how little is known about the long recovery period of paralysis by physicans.

'Holiday sickness'-reported exploratory outcome of over 500 United Kingdom holidaymakers with travellers' diarrhoea.

To ascertain any predictors of potential food poisoning pathogens and development of post-infective irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in UK travellers. An analysis was undertaken on prospectively collected data on 527 patients reporting symptoms of suspected food poisoning between June 2012 and June 2015. Positive stool sample indicative of food poisoning pathogens and diagnosis of post-infective IBS. Data on 527 patients were examined. The large majority of patients did not provide a stool sample on return from holiday (n = 430, 81.6%) as few visited a Doctor locally or in the UK. Only 18 patients (18.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 11.4-27.7) who provided a stool sample were positive for microbiological food poisoning pathogens. Univariate analysis indicated a significant relationship between a positive stool sample and whether the individual sought any medical assistance at the resort (odds ratio [OR] 0.24, 95% CI 0.08-0.70) and whether they took any treatment (including self-medicated), (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.06-0.67). Of the 527 patients only 30 (5.7%, 95% CI 3.9-8.1) experienced post-infective IBS. Univariate regression indicated a significant relationship between experiencing Per Rectal (PR) bleeding and a diagnosis of post-infective IBS (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.00-10.49). Univariate regression also indicated an increase in the risk of developing post-infective IBS with increasing duration of symptoms (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.05). No significant relationship was found between a positive stool sample and developing post-infective IBS (P = 0.307). Very few patients provide a stool sample after experiencing holiday sickness abroad. Of those that do, only a small proportion have a positive stool sample indicative of a food poisoning microorganism. Around 6% of individuals were diagnosed with post-infective IBS. Those individuals with PR bleeding and symptoms persisting for longer durations were significantly more at risk of developing post-infective IBS, whilst medical aid and treatment abroad was found to reduce the odds of a positive stool sample.

Prevalence, determinants and clinical correlates of vitamin D deficiency in adults with inhaled corticosteroid-treated asthma in London, UK

Vitamin D deficiency is common in children with asthma, and it associates with poor asthma control, reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and increased requirement for inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Cross-sectional studies investigating the prevalence, determinants and clinical correlates of vitamin D deficiency in adults with asthma are lacking. We conducted a multi-centre cross-sectional study in 297 adults with a medical record diagnosis of ICS-treated asthma living in London, UK. Details of potential environmental determinants of vitamin D status, asthma control and medication use were collected by questionnaire; blood samples were taken for analysis of serum 25(OH)D concentration and DNA extraction, and participants underwent measurement of weight, height and fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration (FeNO), spirometry and sputum induction for determination of lower airway eosinophil counts (n=35 sub-group). Thirty-five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 11 vitamin D pathway genes (DBP, DHCR7, RXRA, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, CYP3A4 CYP27A1, LRP2, CUBN, VDR) were typed using Taqman allelic discrimination assays. Linear regression was used to identify environmental and genetic factors independently associated with serum 25(OH)D concentration, and to determine whether vitamin D status was independently associated with Asthma Control Test (ACT) score, ICS dose, FeNO, forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1 or lower airway eosinophilia. Mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 50.6nmol/L (SD 24.9); 162/297 (54.5%) participants were vitamin D deficient (serum 25(OH)D concentration <50nmol/L). Lower vitamin D status was associated with higher body mass index (P=0.014), non-White ethnicity (P=0.036), unemployment (P for trend=0.012), lack of vitamin D supplement use (P<0.001), sampling in Winter or Spring (P for trend <0.001) and lack of a recent sunny holiday abroad (P=0.030), but not with potential genetic determinants. Vitamin D status was not found to associate with any marker of asthma control investigated. Vitamin D deficiency is common among UK adults with ICS-treated asthma, and classical environmental determinants of serum 25(OH)D operate in this population. However, in contrast to studies conducted in children, we found no association between vitamin D status and markers of asthma severity or control.

Tattoos: ancient body art may assist in medical emergencies

Tattooing, like medicine, is an ancient art form. However, in the UK, tattooing of minors is illegal except when performed for medical reasons. We present a 15-year-old type I diabetic, who being prone to hypoglycaemic attacks, had a permanent medical alert tattoo on his forearm, with his parents' consent, whilst on holiday abroad. Tattooing to convey a medical message is employed by many adults for reasons as diverse as anaphylaxis to do not resuscitate orders. We present the patient and propose that clinicians may wish to consider supporting tattooing to convey a medical alert in young people, particularly those at risk of life-threatening complications, such as hypoglycaemia.

British youth abroad: some observations on the social context of binge drinking in Ibiza

There is an immense public health concern about the effects of binge drinking across the Western world, in particular about British youth on holiday abroad. While existing UK research has shed some light on binge drinking and its consequences, this has largely been restricted to surveys. Therefore, an analysis of the social context of British youth and binge drinking abroad currently remains absent. This article attempts to fill that gap by offering an insight into the social context of binge drinking in a holiday resort in Ibiza. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork and makes use of one field note to highlight what Hunt and colleagues (2010) refer to as ‘important relationships between youth, pleasure and context’, to explore the social interactions of binge‐drinking British youth abroad.

A complicated pelvic fracture in an octogenarian

We have read with interest the case report by C. Dotchin et al. 1 regarding a patient with bladder rupture following pubic ramus fracture (PRF) and sacral insufficiency fracture (SIF). We recently had a case that illustrated similar learning points. An 86-year-old female had a fall from a standing height, while on holiday abroad. Previously she was fit and well, with unlimited mobility and no history of osteoporosis or fragility fracture. She was admitted to the local hospital and was diagnosed with left superior and inferior PRFs. Her initial admission was brief but she was readmitted several days later due to severe left leg pain and macroscopic haematuria and was treated for presumed urinary tract infection (UTI). On her return to UK 2 …

The holiday happiness curve: a preliminary investigation into mood during a holiday abroad

AbstractWe take holidays for pleasure, but how well do we actually feel during our holiday? This question was addressed in a study of 481 international tourists in the Netherlands, who answered questions about their mood of the day and about their satisfaction with life in general. Average mood appears to be high. Mood was somewhat lower among people who were in the first ‘travel phase’ of about 10% of the holiday duration. Mood was highest during the ‘core phase’, which covers about 70% of the holiday time. Mood then declines slightly, but increases during the last part of the holiday. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Holiday haemodialysis and imported hepatitis C virus infection: A series of sixteen cases in two large haemodialysis units

Background Patients in haemodialysis units are at an increased risk of blood borne virus infections. Birmingham city (West Midlands, UK) has a large number of its population from an ethnic origin other than white (30%). Recently due to the increase in number of haemodialysis centres abroad and particularly in the Indian Subcontinent, a large number of haemodialysis patients from these ethnic minorities are encouraged to take holidays in their countries of origin. Objectives To present the data on a series of cases of holiday haemodialysis acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections from two large dialysis units in Birmingham. Study design In this retrospective study we have reviewed the case records of all patients in two large dialysis units who had holiday dialysis abroad and developed HCV infection after returning to the UK. Results A total of 16 patients from two large dialysis units in Birmingham who developed HCV infection after haemodialysing abroad mainly in the Indian Subcontinent are being described. This constituted 44% of the total HCV positive patients in the two haemodialysis units (16/36). The cases occurred over a period of 9 years between 2000 and 2008. The last twelve of these fifteen cases had been diagnosed in the past 17 months. There were 10 male patients with a mean age 62.8 years (range 26–84 years) and 6 female patients with a mean age of 57 years (range 44–68 years). HCV genotypes 1, 3 and 4 were found in 9, 4 and 3 patients, respectively. Conclusion These cases underline the importance of enhanced surveillance and infection control procedures in haemodialysis units for patients who return after dialysing in resource poor countries. To the best of our knowledge this represents the largest series of imported HCV infection after holiday haemodialysis, and demonstrates clearly the significance of the perceived risk with increasing number of incident infections.

A Child's Life or a “Little Bit of Torture”? State-Sanctioned Violence and Dignity

On September 28, 2002, 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler, a banker's son, was abducted on the way to his parents' house in Frankfurt. A sum of one million Euro was demanded for his release. Three days after Jakob's disappearance, Magnus Gäfgen, a 32-year-old law student, collected the ransom from the arranged tram stop in Frankfurt during the night. While under observation by the police, he ordered a new Mercedes and booked a holiday abroad. Seventy-six hours after Jakob's disappearance, the police arrested Gäfgen and his 16-year-old girlfriend while simultaneously searching his flat. There they found the missing ransom, but no sign of Jakob.I would like to thank participants of the Newport, University of Wales, Research Seminar, the Amsterdam Bioethics Retreat, and the London School of Economics Political Theory Seminar for very valuable comments. Thanks also to Peter Herissone-Kelly, Armin Schmidt, and Katrin Flikschuh for comments on an earlier version.“Health and Human Rights,” edited by Doris Schroeder, welcomes contributions on all areas outlined below. Submitted papers are peer-reviewed (short discussion papers will be reviewed by at least one, full papers by at least two reviewers). To submit a paper or to discuss suitable topics, please e-mail Doris Schroeder at dschroeder@uclan.ac.uk.

Websites of note

Websites of note

Current internal exposure to pesticides in children and adolescents in Germany: Blood plasma levels of pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane (γ-HCH), and dichloro(diphenyl)ethylene (DDE), a biostable metabolite of dichloro(diphenyl)trichloroethane (DDT)

Pesticides are widely used throughout the world in agriculture to protect crops, and in public health to control diseases transmitted by animal vectors or intermediate hosts. After the prohibition of organochlorines such as DDT internal exposure of the general population to the organochlorines has been reduced markedly. Herein, current internal exposure of children and adolescents in an urban area in Germany to PCP, lindane, and DDT/E is reported. One hundred and thirty children and adolescents took part in this voluntary investigation. All of them stated they had never used pesticides in their homes or for medical reasons. Blood plasma was analysed for pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane (γ-HCH), and dichloro(diphenyl)ethylene (DDE), a biostable metabolite of dichloro(diphenyl)trichloroethane (DDT), using gas chromatography/electron capture detection according to well established methods approved by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Median (and 95th percentiles) in the age groups <6, 6 – <12, and 12 – <18 years of age were (μg/l): DDE: 0.75 (4.45), 0.95 (5.04), 0.89 (8.77); DDT: <0.1 (0.22), <0.1 (0.25), <0.1 (0.30); PCP: 2.48 (17.32), 2.69 (5.85), 2.08 (8.04); lindane: <0.1 (0.12, <0.1 (0.08), <0.1 (0.09). High levels of internal exposure to DDT in two girls were probably obtained during a holiday stay in India; high PCP-levels in two other girls were caused by a leather jacket impregnated with PCP, and a holiday abroad, respectively. Current background levels of internal exposure to organochlorine insecticides in children and adolescents in Germany are quantified. Exposure to these substances in the general population is thought to occur mainly via residues in food, which are low in general, today. In special cases, however, individual exposures may be dominated by other sources, i.e. impregnated leather clothes.

Comparison of Asian and English non-attenders at a hospital outpatient department

Failure to attend the outpatient department for a clinic appointment was studied separately among white (English) and Asian patients, with particular emphasis on the reasons for non-attendance among the Muslims....

Missed bilateral anterior fracture dislocations of the shoulder

A 65-year-old lady was referred to us by the rheumatologists. She had been sent by her GP after 8 months of bilateral shoulder pain. Before this she had been asymptomatic until she fell from a bus whilst on holiday abroad, landing on both her outstretched arms. At that time she was taken to the local hospital where she was told that there was no significant damage done and sent back to her hotel. She was not X-rayed at any stage. She subsequently sought her own GP’s advice as her shoulders were very bruised and painful to move. She was advised to rest and referred for a 6-week course of hydrotherapy. After this, the situation did not improve and she noticed that her deltoid muscles were quite wasted and her arms were getting weaker. There had also been loss of sensation in the median nerve distribution of her right hand since the accident. On examination she had marked wasting of both deltoids with reduced sensation as tested by pin prick. She had no glenohumeral movement in either shoulder and severe pain on attempting this. She also had signs of a right median nerve palsy. X-Rays revealed bilateral fractures of the greater tuberosity with anterior dislocations (Figures 1 and 2). She was admitted electively for open exploration of the right shoulder first. At operation, it was impossible to reconstruct a very osteoporotic humeral head with a cleavage fracture of the greater tuberosity, so a hemiarthroplasty was performed (Figure 3). The result was a stiff but relatively painless shoulder and 6 months later she underwent the same procedure on the left side (Figure 4). She still however has median nerve damage on the right side.

Sporadic Cases of Legionnaires' Disease in Great Britain

Data on sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease in Great Britain reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London, and the Communicable Diseases (Scotland) Unit, Glasgow, were analysed. Eighty-four cases, including 18 patients who died, were identified with dates of onset between 1 January 1976 and 30 September 1978. The age and sex distribution showed a predominance of middle-aged men. The incidence trends suggest that true seasonal variation may occur. Eighteen patients developed illness during or shortly after a holiday abroad. All patients had pneumonia, but many also had features suggesting involvement of the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Person-to-person spread was not observed.

How to study statistics

Why do people study Statistics? As a statistician I would like to think that all are fired with enthusiasm to become one — to be able to devise an opinion poll that would correctly forecast the General Election results; to compile unemployment statistics in such a way that Sir Keith Joseph and others would be satisfied; or to devise an experiment so that the best combination of fertilizers could be evaluated to give the highest crop yield at lowest economic cost. I am, however, a realist. Whilst it is true that a very small minority study to become statisticians (ability in Mathematics and a knowledge thereof to at least “A” level is essential) the great majority study simply because it is a compulsory subject in an examination. A glance at my local evening institute prospectus shows numerous classes in Drama, Creative Writing, Languages, etc., most of which are designed for people to improve their knowledge for pleasure or perhaps to help on a holiday abroad. But a class in Statistics? One for the accountants, maybe.

Medical treatment on holiday abroad.

Personal experience of medical problems associated with holi day abroad has prompted inquiries into aspects which may concern British doctors. Most doctors travelling on holiday abroad meet compatriots who are ill, and in these circumstances many practitioners offer medical advice. Such consultations with people who are not seriously ill usually arise from casual encounters, and the advantages for the patient determine the decision to give advice. For instance, the ease of communica tion in describing symptoms to a fellow countryman certainly allays much anxiety and may avoid confusion and an uncertain diagnosis. On the other hand, the patients' holiday arrange ments might be disrupted if they sought advice from a local doctor or hospital, and, furthermore, they would have to pay in local currency for the consultation.