Travel career pattern and travel horizon: some common ground?

This study explores the role of travel career pattern and travel horizon on future travel plans. The study examines if these two concepts show some systematic links which are useful in explaining future destination preferences. The first research question investigates the motivational dimensions as proposed by Pearce's travel career pattern. The results show that motives for near future leisure trips exhibit the expected pattern and differ by age and travel experience. The second question focuses on a re-interpretation of travel horizons as expressed by future destination preference patterns based on cultures zones instead of geographic distances. Five distinct travel horizon patterns are identified using cluster analysis to show that travel career factors have little influence on future destination preferences.