Hiking companionship: constructing the lived shared hiking experience in a natural setting

Joseph, Jonathan Ben

Hiking companionship: constructing the lived shared hiking experience in a natural setting

Joseph, Jonathan Ben

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2024

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Joseph, Jonathan Ben
dc.date.accessioned	2025-05-07T07:16:12Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-07T07:16:12Z
dc.date.issued	2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187234
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Business.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Hiking in natural settings is recognised as a highly desirable and popular tourism and leisure experience. Known to facilitate connections between people, hiking often involves social interaction and companionship. Phenomenologically informed, this exploratory qualitative study focuses on the lived experience of hiking with a familiar companion in a natural setting. Participant-driven video diaries were used to explore the subjective experiences of eighteen - or nine pairs - of multiday hikers walking the Kepler Track Great Walk in Aotearoa New Zealand. Four non-mutually exclusive major themes encapsulated the participants’ shared hiking experience: (1) Immersing in nature together; (2) Forging togetherness; (3) Fostering support and encouragement; (4) Conquering the adventure together. The findings demonstrate that the experience of hiking with a companion adds a significant social dynamic to the nature-experience itself. The study contributes to the fields of nature-based tourism, outdoor recreation, and leisure studies by theoretically developing the social and contextual constructs that shape hiking experiences in a natural setting. The study provides context-specific and practical insights around visitor experiences on the Kepler Track, and for other similar nature-experiences. Valuable insights on using video diaries as a novel, embodied and sensory method are also provided.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2024 Jonathan Ben Joseph
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/nph
dc.title	Hiking companionship: constructing the lived shared hiking experience in a natural setting	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Hiking in natural settings is recognised as a highly desirable and popular tourism and leisure experience. Known to facilitate connections between people, hiking often involves social interaction and companionship. Phenomenologically informed, this exploratory qualitative study focuses on the lived experience of hiking with a familiar companion in a natural setting. Participant-driven video diaries were used to explore the subjective experiences of eighteen - or nine pairs - of multiday hikers walking the Kepler Track Great Walk in Aotearoa New Zealand. Four non-mutually exclusive major themes encapsulated the participants’ shared hiking experience: (1) Immersing in nature together; (2) Forging togetherness; (3) Fostering support and encouragement; (4) Conquering the adventure together. The findings demonstrate that the experience of hiking with a companion adds a significant social dynamic to the nature-experience itself. The study contributes to the fields of nature-based tourism, outdoor recreation, and leisure studies by theoretically developing the social and contextual constructs that shape hiking experiences in a natural setting. The study provides context-specific and practical insights around visitor experiences on the Kepler Track, and for other similar nature-experiences. Valuable insights on using video diaries as a novel, embodied and sensory method are also provided.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187234