Wellbeing from mindful encounters with nature

Prior research has found that travel contributes to individuals' wellbeing and relaxation. This study links the peace of mind and wellbeing that can be experienced during travel to the concept of mindfulness, which is a psychological construct that has been applied in social psychology, tourism and clinical psychology studies. In this paper, meditative mindfulness is distinguished from socio-cognitive mindfulness. In a qualitative study of 43 Taiwanese backpackers, mindfulness is found to be associated with attention to one's surroundings, awareness of those surroundings in a non-judgmental manner, and a lack of elaboration of awareness regarding one's surroundings. The results of this study indicate four antecedents associated with meditative mindfulness experiences. Nature-based destinations in Australia are found to trigger tourists' attention and mindfulness for Taiwanese visitors to Australia. As a consequence, a model of meditative mindful tourist experience is proposed and the mental process of how these constructs lead to wellbeing is discussed.