Abstract:
Over the past few decades, mobility has become a topic of increasing interest to human geographers, not least with the focus on complex ideas of flows of people seen as temporary and circular movement. Young people, and the wider category of ‘youth’ have been identified within mobilities research as a particular group of highly mobile individuals. This thesis examines the New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme through the lens of the mobilities paradigm, by investigating experiences of Taiwanese working holidaymakers in New Zealand. A total of 28 interviews were conducted with Taiwanese working holidaymakers and three key findings will be discussed in this research. Firstly, this thesis shows how the Working Holiday Scheme is a means by which young people can discover new life perspectives and achieve self-transformation while they are in a very transitory stage of their life course. Secondly, this thesis demonstrates that there are important differences in societal expectations of youth between Asian and Western cultures which highlight the Eurocentrism of the current emphasis on youth trajectories and its association with mobilities in both public discourse and youth mobilities literature itself. Lastly, through these earlier insights, this thesis demonstrates the significant relationship between aspirations and the imaginative and experiential dimensions of mobility, as well as how soft infrastructures guide mobility outcomes. The relationship between mobilities, travel, time, and transformation are key factors in understanding the working holiday experience with it being more than just ‘working’ and ‘holidaying’. Keywords: Mobilities, Youth Travel, New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme, Life Course, Taiwan