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Rose Tinted Memories as a Cause of Unsustainable Leisure Travel

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Abstract

Most people strive to become happier. Although a substantial increase in the cognitive component of happiness is limited due to heredity, there is still room for substantial gains in the affective component of happiness through environmental factors and behavioural choices. One way to become happier is to undertake leisure travel. The effect of leisure travel on happiness tends however to be short-lived, which may cause individuals in affluent nations to travel more often. A vast increase in leisure travel is also forecasted for developing and emerging industrialized countries. Rosy recollections of past experiences of leisure travel may trigger booking another trip. A growth in travel frequency and air travel in particular increases emissions that contribute to climate change. We argue that the main driver for leisure travel is the rose tinted memories of past leisure trips. However, these memories are valued against the context of peer pressure and social norms. Based on previous research findings the processes that contribute to the development of unsustainable leisure travel are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academy for Tourism, Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport, NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, Breda, 3917, 4800 DX, The Netherlands

    Jeroen Nawijn & Paul Peeters

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  1. Jeroen Nawijn
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  2. Paul Peeters
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Correspondence to Jeroen Nawijn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden

    Tommy Gärling

  2. Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Dick Ettema

  3. SAMOT/CTF, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden

    Margareta Friman

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Nawijn, J., Peeters, P. (2014). Rose Tinted Memories as a Cause of Unsustainable Leisure Travel. In: Gärling, T., Ettema, D., Friman, M. (eds) Handbook of Sustainable Travel. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7034-8_12

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