Review of International American Studies

Travel, invariably, involves encounters with the impossible and the unpredictable. Whether these are tourist trips aimed at “consuming” the world (both symbolically and literally) or other types of mobility—driven by the requirements of professional work, curiosity, inner need, or necessity—different forms of journeying share certain traits in common. Business trips, artistic or religious peregrinations, scientific or exploratory expeditions, migrations compelled by economic pressures or fear—all entail leaving home, and—to a greater or lesser extent—involve taking risks, stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and facing potential logistical disasters, even in the world that is, seemingly, meticulously organized.

            There is no doubt that mobility is a significant aspect of contemporary experience, the movement itself often overshadowing the very effort of exploring the world, or the risks taken to gain knowledge. It is true that the organized tourism of today aims to satisfy all the needs of the customers and focuses on delivering on the promise of multisensory experience; it is also true that various types of business travel give individuals a sense of operating in a world that can be controlled—yet, the unexpected may still occur. On the other end of the spectrum of certainty is the refugee mobility—marked by trauma, further aggravated by the anxiety concerning what they leave behind, the fear of the loss of the beloved people and places, the severing of the physical connection with what is familiar, the disconcerting anticipation that the future may prove equally traumatic, and, last but not least, the lack of hope for a return home. The above notwithstanding, the unexpected may also bring relief, offer a sense of peace, and a happy conclusion to one’s escape... (read more in Beata Gontarz and Anna Maj's "Introduction").