ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the interview material. The other material speaks for itself in the course of the work. The material includes memories, countless unrecorded discussions with fellow travellers, author’s own travel diaries, recorded informal interviews, a collection of travel advertisements and travel guidebooks. Coming from within a Western culture, the author cultural background is in some extent similar to that of the backpackers he interviewed. However, there are also differences, relating for example to the colonial past of some European countries and the consequent multiculturalism of their societies that Finland does not share. There is little tradition of travel in Finland. In Bali the author was able to interview people in the middle of their travel experience. The small number of interviewees is compensated by a strong degree of familiarity with ten of them, and at least some sort of acquaintance with the rest.
