A study into the habits of backpackers has found that gap-year adventures are unlikely to “expand the mind” – because many young travellers never “cut the ties” with their life at home.
According to the Daily Mail, reporting on a three-year study carried out at Manchester Metropolitan University, the majority of young travellers do not mix with indigenous people and tend to socialise only with fellow English-speakers.
The newspaper reports that one backpacker, interviewed as part of the study, admitted that he had planned an entire trip around South East Asia around making sure that he did not miss any Manchester United football matches on television.
Lecturer Lucy Huxley, who carried out the interviews, is quoted as saying: “Most do not have the experience they think they have had. The places they go are far-flung but they are not off the beaten track and most come back wishing they had cut more ties.”
The study also reportedly found that a gap-year is often not the life-changing experience it is claimed to be – most of those interviewed ended up doing the job they would have done anyway, the Mail states.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
