The philosophy of travel, communication with locality, and ‘landscape analytics’

Abstract

Philosophical discussions about travel can easily turn into an analysis of the thinking and self-consciousness of travelers. However, the philosophy of travel should not be distracted from the locality with its materiality aspects. The essential feature of travel is that it implies an affective interaction with the terrain. The interaction can be understood as a special kind of communication Therefore it might be taken as the empirical basis for understanding travel not only as a research method, but also as a method of self-knowledge. The article discusses a collection of papers where such an experience of using travel in psychotherapy is developed in theory and conceived as a field test. This extensive understanding of the “journey” allows us to rethink the role of affects in the study of cultural landscapes. They turn out to be able to show a kind of activity, addressing travelers, and producing some personally valuable experiences (for example, the affect of topophilia).