David Farley

Travel can lead people to unconsciously adopt the accents, gestures, clothing and customs of places they visit. Psychologist Charlotte Russell links this behavior to emotional attachment and a desire to preserve the travel experience, while anthropologist Gareth Barkin connects it to imitation, prestige bias and the wish to borrow a destination’s perceived authenticity or social capital. Social media and overtourism may have shifted this signaling toward less conventional destinations and communities. The behavior can express genuine respect or personal transformation, but it may also function as performative status signaling or one-upmanship.