arbiter
JournalsAccount

Traveling for the Memory: Exploring Memorable Experiences in Skip-Gen Travel

Jong-Hyeong Kim

Journal of Travel Research2026https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875251409822article
AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Skip-gen travel, where grandparents travel with grandchildren without parents, is an emerging form of intergenerational tourism centered on emotional bonding and memory-making. This study conceptualizes skip-gen travel as a memory-driven experience and draws on thematic analysis of interviews with 80 grandparents in China. It explores three dimensions of memory: (1) memorable aspects of the trip, (2) how grandparents wish to be remembered, and (3) how they hope the trip will be remembered. Findings highlight emotional bonding, novelty, educational enrichment, and nature-based experiences as central to memory formation. Grandparents expressed a desire to be remembered as caring, joyful, and emotionally present, using strategies such as storytelling, photography, and symbolic gestures to preserve memories. Memory narratives varied by co-residence status and travel frequency. The study extends the memorable tourist experience framework to intergenerational caregiving contexts and emphasizes the role of travel in supporting legacy transmission and relational memory in later life.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875251409822

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{jong-hyeong2026,
  title        = {{Traveling for the Memory: Exploring Memorable Experiences in Skip-Gen Travel}},
  author       = {Jong-Hyeong Kim},
  journal      = {Journal of Travel Research},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875251409822},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Traveling for the Memory: Exploring Memorable Experiences in Skip-Gen Travel

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.