A Case for Wanderlust: Travel Behaviors of College Students

A case for wanderlust, or a strong desire to travel, was developed in an elaborate study involving numerous variables. Findings indicate that wanderlust begins with early, and varied, travel experiences and continues and inspires future travel behavior. Overall, college students exhibit a high level of interest in both leisure and business travel. The impact of past experience is dramatic with a strong relationship between travel experiences prior to college, while in college, and expectations after college. A financial commitment to this desire to travel was also found, particularly among females who exhibited a higher level of wanderlust for leisure travel. Overall implications for the travel and tourism industry are discussed.