Home and away - Tourists in a connected world

Tourists now routinely travel with cell phones, have ready access to Internet cafes, and use low-cost fixed telephone services to remain in contact with people at home. Using the guiding ideas of the intersubjective construction of space and location, the meanings of "home" and being "away" were explored in relation to the regular contact made possible by these new communication services. It was found that the easy and frequent contact with friends and family members was associated with a feeling of being simultaneously at "home", with continued participation in pre-existing social networks, while also being "away".