Understanding the Tourist Experience The Case of Outlander

Visiting settings of movies, TV series, or books is now seen as a significant field of tourism studies. Yet little is known regarding how tourists make sense of their travel experience. Thus, this research focuses on the case of Outlander and how fans experience visiting Scotland. Fourteen interviews were conducted with Outlander fans who had visited Scotland during the time of them being a fan. These interviews show that by visiting the place of their fandom, the trip can have a profound impact on their life. Fans already have a deep connection to Outlander before the trip occurs. However, the trip itself deepens their connection both to the series and to Scotland because they have the opportunity to feel the world of Outlander firsthand. On a theoretical level, this paper adds to the literature on fan or media pilgrimages, by showing how the fictional world effects a fan’s perception of the real world.