Re-centring the self in volunteer tourism.

Abstract

This paper suggests that the theorization of volunteer tourism needs to recognize the interrelationship of time, site and the activities provided at the destination. It also requires a fundamental focus on the individual subjective experience in providing for the significance of the tourist experience. Thus, while not being divorced from its sociological contextualization, it allows for the elaboration of the role of the individual volunteer tourist in the active construction of the tourist experience. This positing of the centrality of experience relates to individuals, their social groups, their travel experiences and the elements that are required to sustain those experiences.