THE SOLO TRAVELLER'S QUEST: REVISITING THEIR SINGAPOREAN IDENTITY

Abstract

Globally, solo travelling among women is currently on the rise. This is also observed among Singaporean women, with more of them taking up careers, or choosing careers over marriage, leaving them with disposable income to travel. This thesis aims to analyse the experiences of Singaporean solo female travellers, by positioning them as modern pilgrims. Through looking at the quests of solo Singaporean female travellers from a Southeast Asian perspective, this thesis will be adding to an area of research that has previously focused mainly on the Western market or researched from a Western perspective. Qualitative data, gathered from in-depth interviews is utilised to expose three parts of the solo travel journey: (1) the pre-travel constraints and motivations that are influenced by various cultural factors and the traveller’s spiritual ‘centre’, (2) travellers’ lived experiences overseas that are inevitably governed by their Singaporean-ness and their gender, and (3) the post-travel transformations of self that occur through a shift in cultural outlooks and priorities, and the acquisition of ‘experiential capital’ unique to the solo traveller. Results from this research suggest that the solo travel process was influenced by the travellers’ Singaporean identity before and during their trips. However, a shift in outlook occurred after solo travel, when travellers expressed a feeling of distance from their Singaporean-ness through their post-travel narratives. In terms of their female identity, it is found that their experiences were heterogeneous and based on a perceived risk distinct to each female traveller.