Have a good trip! expanding our concepts of the quality of everyday travelling with flow theory

Figures & data

Figure 1. The circumplex model of core affects (Västfjäll et al. 2002).

Table 1. Socio–demographic characteristics of the sample (N = 91).

Gender					Level of urbanity
	Male	53%				City center	18%
	Female	45%				Urban area, but not the city center	46%
	Prefer not to say	2%				Outer ring of urban area	14%
Age						Suburban area	15%
	21–30	23%				Rural area	5%
	31–40	31%				Prefer not to say	1%
	41–50	23%			Primary mode
	51-60	16%				Cycling	53%
	61 or older	7%				Public transport	30%
Country						Car (driver)	9%
	Netherlands	36%				Walking	4%
	USA	20%				Other (moped)	1%
	UK	14%				Did not reply	3%
	Germany	5%			Secondary mode
	Australia	3%				Public transport	24%
	Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland	2%				Car	11%
	Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Mexico, Norway, Poland	1%				Cycling	9%
						Walking	5%
	Did not reply	2%				Flying	2%
Educational level
	High school	1%
	Professional course after high school	4%
	Bachelor’s degree (e.g. BA, Bsc)	18%
	Master’s degree (e.g. MA, Msc, MBA)	55%
	Doctorate (PhD)	22%

Figure 2. Which of these mental states do your experience frequently while traveling with your primary mode? (designs of these images are inspired from original designs by Csikszentmihalyi 1997).

Table 2. Overview of participants' responses to the question ‘Which of these mental states do you experience frequently while traveling by your primary mode?‘ Bold is the most frequently reported mental state per mode.

mental state	cycling		public transport		car (driver)		total
Apathy	0	0%	8	30%	1	13%	9	11%
Worry	7	15%	3	11%	3	38%	13	16%
Anxiety	4	8%	6	22%	3	38%	13	16%
Arousal	32	67%	4	15%	2	25%	38	46%
Flow	41	85%	4	15%	5	63%	50	60%
Control	32	67%	3	11%	6	75%	41	49%
Relaxation	28	58%	7	26%	4	50%	39	47%
Boredom	5	10%	9	33%	2	25%	16	19%
total #	48		27		8		83

Table 3. Environmental and personal conditions triggering a flow state.

Mode	Environmental conditions for flow	Personal conditions for flow:
Car (driver)	Highway; right amount of traffic Steady speed Urban design quality In car when conditions are good (nice weather, not too much traffic) and I’m on my own, I am really into the experience of driving Traveling at my own pace	Not being tired Excitement about destination Being on my own, comfortable
Cycling	Weather conditions: wind for some, lack of wind and sun for others Urban design: beautiful landscape, clever/safe urban design, green spaces/trees Infrastructure: No traffic lights, several say quiet routes, some say lively streets. Easy to understand Others: low number of other cyclists. Negotiating with people who cross my path	Not being tired Good mood, looking forward to rest of day Being undisturbed From work to home instead of vice versa Not being late Fitness level
Public transport	The presence of other travellers present, but not crowded Rhythm of train Beautiful landscape	Listening to music, chatting, or e-mailing Happy, clear-headed

Table 4. Personal stated strategies to trigger or avoid certain mental states.

Mode	Strategies to achieve desirable mental states	Strategies to avoid undesirable mental states
Car	Toggle (favourite) music Drive slower Take attractive cross-country routes	Avoid racing Play radio to avoid worry and anxiety Take a longer route with less traffic
Cycling	Take routes that are safe, aesthetic, avoid traffic lights Toggle music Take a longer route on separated infrastructure Take residential streets Variation (of route/riding style) Meditate on emotions/breathing/body Pass travellers, cycling through red light, seek busy times for travelling	Avoid long stretches without turns Slow down/speed up Avoid noisy routes/pedestrian areas Take the lane, establish eye contact Take extra time
Public transport	Read/listen to music (with same rhythm as vehicle) Close eyes/meditate Meet new people/see as much as possible Sit in sections for carriers; chat with kids	Leave early/late to avoid rush hour Take extra time Always have a book to read

Table 5. Manifestations related to flow state for overall sample.

Manifestations	Very often	Often	Sometimes	Occasionally	Never
I experience intense and focused concentration	22%	30%	24%	19%	4%
I experience a merging of action and awareness	13%	41%	20%	19%	8%
I experience a disregard for the sense of self	9%	29%	25%	14%	22%
I experience that time is passing slower than normal	3%	15%	26%	36%	20%
I experience that time is passing faster than normal	8%	24%	31%	20%	17%
I feel intrinsically rewarded by the traveling itself	23%	38%	16%	13%	11%
I experience increased creativity during traveling	19%	30%	22%	15%	13%
I experience increased creativity after traveling	9%	17%	30%	24%	20%

Table 6. Manifestations related to flow state of cycling, public transport and car driving.

Mode of transport	Public transport	Cycling	Difference
I experience intense and focused concentration	2,7	3,9	1,2*
I experience a merging of action and awareness	2,7	3,7	1,0*
I experience a disregard for the sense of self	2,4	3,3	0,9*
I experience that time is passing slower than normal	2,7	2,3	−0,4
I experience that time is passing faster than normal	2,6	3,1	0,5
I feel intrinsically rewarded by the traveling itself	2,6	4,1	1,5*
I experience increased creativity during traveling	2,7	3,7	1,0*
I experience increased creativity after traveling	2,2	3,0	0,8*

(averages of 5-point Likert scale: 1 = never; 2 = occasionally; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often)

* = significant on 0.05 level (independent T-test)

Västfjäll, D., M. Friman, T. Gärling, and M. Kleiner. 2002. “The Measurement of Core Affect: A Swedish Self‐report Measure Derived from the Affect Circumplex.” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 43 (1): 19–31. doi:10.1111/1467-9450.00265.

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