Impact of Travel on Player Outcomes

On sports tours…

Majone (2008) details a number of benefits from international sports tours including "participating in an adventurous experience, learning in a variety of disciplines, friendship development, improved eating habits, enhanced communication and listening skills, increased self-reliance, skill improvement, and enhanced prestige" (para. 10).

On personal development…

Travel can have a number of meaningful impacts including “changing behaviors, attitudes, emotions, knowledge or skills, and levels of confidence…[and] may provide opportunities for personal growth and development” (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 587). It was indicated these changes were influenced by interpersonal interactions, and “prejudices resulting from cultural differences seemed to diminish with positive encounters” with the locals of the host country (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 587).

A qualitative analysis of students abroad found "the students' travel contributed to their personal development. They became more confident, self-reliant, and adaptable" (Gmelch, 1997, p. 488). The cause of this transformation was hypothesized having to do with "the daily challenges students faced in having to function...in an ever changing array of foreign places" (Gmelch, 1997, p. 488).

Dr. Todd Kashdan, founder of the Well-Being Lab at George Mason University, concludes about travel and holidays that “far too many business and personal trips are designed to maximize comfort and minimize uncertainty…What workplaces need now are agile people who are comfortable being uncomfortable, understand others’ perspectives, and are able to innovate rather than regurgitate what is already known” (para. 10).

A study of 46 Dutch workers found that “recreational travel may increase creativity by relieving workers from stress, providing diversifying experiences and increasing positive emotions…[Boosted creativity is] apparent in a greater variety (flexibility) and originality of ideas after work resumption” (Bloom et al., 2014, p. 164)

On culture…

A study of 485 college students found that cultural exposure leads to higher levels of cultural intelligence (Crowne, 2013). Cultural intelligence is defined as “the capacity of an individual to adapt to and shape a cross-cultural interaction and choose appropriate behaviors” (Thomas, 2006, p. 80). The implications of this are summarized best when Kashdan (2008) says, “By spending time in unfamiliar towns, cities, or countries, you become tolerant and even accepting of your own discomfort and more confident in your ability to navigate ambiguous situations.”

In 2014, researchers looked at the effect of breadth and depth of foreign experiences on generalized trust. Generalized trust is defined as “the belief in the benevolence of human nature” (Yamagishi & Yamagishi, 1994, as cited in Cao et al., 2014). The researchers found "across five studies, regardless of the types of research method, the cultural samples and operationalizations of generalized trust, we consistently found a robust relationship between the breadth of foreign travel experiences and increases in generalized trust” (Cao et al., 2014, p. 523).

Leung et al. (2008) found multiple potential benefits from multicultural experiences including enhanced creativity and unconventional problem-solving. The researchers believe their results "demonstrate to educators and practitioners the positive aspects of cultural diversity that can benefit every student” (Leung et al., 2008, p. 177).

On adventure activities…

"Participation in outdoor and adventure education has been associated with developmental outcomes such as personal growth, enhanced interpersonal skills, and group development" (Ewert & Garvey, 2007, as cited in Passarelli et al., 2010, p. 121).