Personal emotional journeys associated with adventure activities on packaged mountaineering holidays

This study examines the personal emotional journeys that tourists experience while participating in adventure activities during their packaged mountaineering holidays. It also investigates whether the adventure activities within these holidays provide experiences that they consider to be adventurous. Although an understanding exists about the experiences of recreational adventurers, including mountaineers, there is only a limited awareness of the experiences of tourists who engage in adventure activities as part of packaged mountaineering holidays. Hence, the paper extends understanding of the personal emotional journeys of mountaineers from an adventure recreation to an adventure tourism context. Semi-structured interviews were carried outwith tourists during or at the end of their packaged mountaineering holidays. Key findings focus on three interrelated themes. First, respondents perceptions of risk associated with their participation in the packaged adventure activities; second, the contrasting emotions that they encountered; and, third, the "other world" feelings that they experienced. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.