The main purpose of this study was to conceptualize backpacker motivation within the framework of the travel career pattern (TCP) theory of travel motivation. An online survey was administered to backpackers targeted in backpacker-specific online communities in order to obtain a diverse sample. The relationship between backpackers' previous travel experience and motivations was examined, and six underlying dimensions of motivation were extracted. Four of the motivations, personal/social growth, experiential, budget travel, and independence were found to be fluid in relation to backpackers' travel experience. Notably, two dimensions, cultural knowledge and relaxation, were found to be constant in relation to the backpackers' travel experience, which suggest that the two dimensions constitute the core motivations for backpackers.
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Paris et al. (2010) studied this question.
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