Why do Americans Travel? : A Comparative Case Study of WHOPs and DINKs in the United States in cooperation with VisitSweden

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of our study is to discover and learn more about the motives of American WHOP´s (Wealthy Healthy Older People, age 50 and over) and DINKs (Double Income No Kids, working couples without children, age 25-45) leisure travel and which needs they wish to satisfy. Method: The thesis is a comparative case study which is carried out as a qualitative empirical study. For our empirical study we conducted twenty semi-structured personal interviews via telephone and Skype conversations. The participants consisted of ten DINKs (five females, five males) and ten WHOPs (five females, five males). Results and Conclusions: Both groups had strong novel motives and wished to experience something new, especially new cultures. WHOPs had a stronger educational motive and especially wished to learn about new cultures and history. Moreover, both groups found it important to relax, and DINKs have especially stronger motives and needs to relax mentally, particularly due to hard work conditions in their home environments. Another important factor for both groups was to experience an environment other than their own by diverging from their normal routines and home environment.