Este es un artículo academico acerca de oportunidades de negocio hoy en día

1. I'k und kL'crü;.iüoii Adminisli Voliunc .lO, Nu
An Investigation of
Extraordinary Experiences
Katharine Jefferies
Andrew Lepp
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: For decades, park and recreation professionals
have been creating opportunities for enjoyable experiences. However, the value
of enjoyable experiences is only now being widely recognized. Writing in the
Harvard Business Review, Pine and Gilmore (1998) argued modem economies
increasingly rely on experience as an important element ofthe value in economic
exchanges. As such, it follows that providing opportunities for exceptional
experiences, or extraordinary experiences, can be a competitive advantage in
the marketplace for some organizations. In this paper, extraordinary experiences
are defined as those that are highly memorable, very special, and emotionally
charged. .Park and recreation managers are well positioned to provide
opportunities for extraordinary experiences, although Üiere is a gap between
theory and practice. Much of the existing research focuses on the experience
of novel tourist settings, while familiar everyday settings such as municipal
parks have been neglected. In light of this, Üie purpose of this research is to
explore extraordinary experiences in both novel and familiar settings in hopes
of identifying particular aspects that can be managed by park, recreation, and
tourism professionals.
In this study, 89 extraordinary experiences were analyzed. Descriptions
of extraordinary experiences were collected from undergraduate students
participating in study abroad programs to China and Uganda. Participants were
first asked to reflect on the previous academic year and to describe in detail
up to three very special, wonderful, and memorable experiences that occurred
within the college setting. In a similar fashion, participants were asked to recall
exti-aordinaiy experiences that occurred while ti-aveling through Uganda or
China. In this way, extraordinary experiences in both familiar and novel settings
were captured. Analysis involved identification of themes within the data that
might explain the nature of the experience. Results suggest that extraordinary
experiences, although rare, occur in familiar and novel settings. Important
facilitators in familiar settings included challenging activities that lead to
accomplishing meaningfiil goals, activities that reafiSrm and strengthen social

2. 38
bonds, spontaneify, and being outside. Other facilitators played a secondary
role including evaluation, fdends, and reflection. Important facilitators in novel
settings included outdoor adventure sports that by their nature are challenging,
cross-cultural expedences that can also be challenging, and reflection. Secondary
facilitators were evaluation and fabled settings such as the Nile River. Last, a
wide range of emotions that appear independent of setting typified expedences.
These include but are not limited to anxiefy, awe, excitement, happiness,
harmony, inner peace, joy, nervousness, sadness, and shock. Managedal and
professional implications are discussed.
KEYWORDS: Leisure expedence, extraordinary expedence, toudsm
expedence, expedence-based management, study abroad.
AUTHORS: Katharine Jeffedes is with the Department of Recreation, Park, and
Toudsm Management, Kent State University, 316A White Hall. PO Box 5190,
Kent, Ohio 44242. Andrew Lepp is also with the Department of Recreation,
Park, and Toudsm Management, Kent State Universify, Phone: 330 672 0218,
Email: aleppl@kent.edu
Wdting in the Harvard Business Review, Pine and Gilmore (1998) descdbe a not-
so-distant fiiture in which the staging of expedences will become "the next competitive
battleground" for "leading-edge companies" (p. 98). Indeed, there is evidence to suggest
that some industdes have already shifted their attention from the production of goods to
the delivery of services and now to the staging of expedences. Pine and Gilmore illustrate
this succession using the analogy of a birthday cake that has progressed through the years
from being made from scratch, to being bought from a bakery, to being supplied as part of
a much larger birthday expedence staged by Chuck E. Cheese's or some oüier expedence
providing business. Of course, sudden recognition of this "expedence economy" bdngs
a bit of irony for park and recreation professionals who have been doing this all along—
that is, supplying consumers with opportunities for enjoyable expedences. However, as
the marketplace for expedences becomes more and more crowded, it may not always be
enough to provide enjoyable expedences. Instead, gaining a competitive advantage is
more likely to depend on providing extraordinary expedences (Pine & Gilmore, 1998).
In the United States, this is certainly true as the park and recreation industry increasingly
finds itself in competition with other leisure-related industdes for the attention of the time-
starved public.
In order to elucidate the nature of the extraordinary expedences that are becoming
so advantageous to provide, it is necessary to begin with a working definition. Pine and
Gilmore (1998) descdbed economically valuable expedences as memorable. However,
extraordinary expedences are potentially more than this. Wdting from an anthropological
perspective, Abrahams (1981) conceptualized extraordinary expedences as those that hold
special meaning, perhaps associated with personal growth and development. Amould
and Pdce (1993) echo Abrahams' definition while adding that extraordinary expedences
are often tdggered by novelfy and interpersonal interaction while being charactedzed by
emotional intensify. Färber and Hall (2007) use the terms "high-quahfy expedence" (p.
248) and "very special exjjedence" (j3. 254) as synonyms for extraordinary expedence
while reaffirming their emotionally charged nature. Based on these descdptions, this paper
defines extraordinary expedences as highly memorable, very special, emotionally charged,
and potentially life altering in that they may contdbute to personal growth or renewal. The
question now becomes "How can opportunities for extraordinary expedences be created
within the parks and recreation industry?" In light of this, the purpose of this paper is
to more closely explore the nature of extraordinary expedences in hopes of identifying
particular aspects that can be managed by park and recreation professionals.

3. 39
Literature Review
In the broad field of parks and recreation, managers recognized long ago that it is
not sufficient to simply provide activities and settings for recreation. While these are
important, consideration must be given to the experience such activities and settings are
likely to produce when used for leisure (Moore & Driver, 2005). As a result, researchers
began to investigate the leisure experience as early as the mid-1980s. One line of this
research focused on the experience of leisure in everyday life (e.g., Shaw, 1985). This line
of research often describes leisure as enjoyable, but it does not describe it as extraordinary
(Shaw, 1985). This supports the idea that extraordinary experiences, by their very nature,
transcend the experiences typical of everyday life and require a separate line of research.
Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) description of the optimal leisure experience, or flow,
is perhaps the most well-known example of a type of leisure experience that ti-anscends
that of typical daily life. Flow is a deep experience that can result from engaging skill
with an appropriately challenging activity, the experience is often characterized by the
transformation of time (time passing quickly or perhaps standing still), intrinsic reward,
deep concentration, a loss of self-awareness, and a sense of control. Furthermore, the flow
experience is often accompanied by personal growth and development. Personal growth
and development stem, in part, from the loss of self-awareness, which allows the participant
to move beyond preconceived limits. As Csikszentmihalyi explained:
It almost seems that giving up self-consciousness is necessary for building a
strong self-concept. Why this should be so is fairly clear. In flow a person is
challenged to do her best and must constantly improve her skills. At the time, she
doesn't have the opportunity to reflect on what this means in terms of the self—if
she did allow herself to become self-conscious, the experience could not have
been very deep. But afterward, when the activity is over and self-consciousness
has a chance to resume, the self that the person reflects upon is not the same self
that existed before the flow experience: it is now eruiched by the new skills and
fresh achievements, (pp. 65-66)
From a practitioner's standpoint, flow can be encouraged by teaching particular
skills (e.g., rock climbing wall with routes ranging from beginner to expert). Challenging
settings also contribute to the flow experience. Jones, Hollenhorst, Pema, and Selin (2000)
found the likelihood for experiencing flow during white-water kayaking was highest at
the most challenging points of the river and lowest at the least challenging. As setting
can influence the flow experience, its influence on the nature of extraordinary experiences
should also be investigated.
Indeed, the flow experience (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) has much in common with the
exti-aordinary experience. As Amould and Price (1993) explain, "Certain qualities unify
[the flow concept and the extraordinary experience concept], including the merging of
action and awareness, attention or clear focus, personal integration, personal control,
awareness of power, joy and valuing, and a spontaneous letting be of process" (p. 25).
Yet, Amould and Price suggest differences between these concepts as well. Notably,
extraordinary experiences may entail a greater sense of newness, originality, or freshness.
They may be more likely triggered by the unplanned, the spontaneous, and the unusual.
They may be more emotionally intense. They may not require superior effort. And last,
they may be more interpersonal in that they are often triggered by reflective interaction
with others. Amould and Price investigated the nature of extraordinary experiences
among participants of rafting trips in the American Southwest. Their findings suggest that
extraordinary experiences consist of several dimensions that work together simultaneously
as a gestalt, or in other words, the dimensions create an experience greater than the sum of
its parts. Their study revealed three dimensions: a deeply felt connection with the novel

4. 40
physical setting (harmony with nature), a deeply felt connection with the other members
of the trip, and personal growth and renewal. Thus, participants' most memorable and
emotionally charged experiences involved connection with nature, connection with
others, and personal growth or renewal. Similarly, Lepp (2008) found that novel social
and physical settings were highly influential in facilitating emotionally charged leisure
experiences characterized by personal growth and development.
Indeed, novelty is a theme throughout the research on extraordinary experiences. This
may be a function of limiting investigations to experiences had during leisure travel—an
activity that is often motivated by a search for novelty (Cohen, 1972; Wahlers & Etzel,
1985). Färber and Hall (2007) investigated the nature of extraordinary experiences among
travelers of Alaska's scenic Dalton Highway. Nearly all of the 448 travelers surveyed
could identify at least one extraordinary experience. Descriptions of scenery or wildlife
were prevalent in slightly more than half of the experiences reported, suggesting that
novel settings can be influential in creating opportunities for extraordinary experiences.
Recreational activities such as hiking, camping, and swimming were prevalent in 29%
ofthe experiences described. Social interaction, in support of Amould and Price (1993),
played a role in 18% of the experiences described. Finally, references to novelty were
made by 21% of respondents when describing extraordinary experiences. Qualitative data
from this same study also contained evidence of more abstract subthemes that were clearly
instrumental in the experiences reported. Examples include feelings of accomplishment,
perceived freedom, spirituality, connection with nature, and solitude. Färber and Hall
ranked the emotional descriptors participants used in describing their experiences. Pleasure,
enjoyment, awe, and excitement were Üie most common; however, emotions were diverse
and included feelings of surprise, fear, being overwhelmed, and sadness. Färber and Hall's
research suggests that a combination of physical and social settings along with particular
recreational activities contribute to extraordinary experiences.
In closely related research, Kim, Ritchie, and McCormick (2010) studied memorable
tourism experiences. They identified seven factors that contribute to memorable
experiences: hedonism, novelty, local culture, refreshment, meaningfuhiess, involvement,
and knowledge. To clarify a few of the factors, meaningfijlness suggests leaming about
oneself, while refreshment suggests perceived freedom, revitalization, and renewal. These
two factors, together with knowledge, are certainly connected to ideas of personal growth
and development, which other researchers have identified as important to extraordinary
experiences (Abrahams, 1981; Amould & Price, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Similarly,
Tung and Ritchie (2011) found that identity formation, family milestones, relationship
development, nostalgia, and perceptions of freedom influenced memorable tourism
experiences among seniors. Finally, Curtin (2010) investigated memorable experiences
among tourists searching for wildlife encounters. Among the factors Curtin identified were
spontaneity, novelty, and an intimacy with nature. In consideration of these findings, it
is clear that memorable experiences and extraordinary experiences are related concepts.
Both, it appears, create conditions that allow individuals to temporarily transcend their
ordinary existence to a unique psychological state that can be revisited later through the
power of memory.
Understanding extraordinary experiences is certainly relevant to park and recreation
management where the primary product is experiential. Toward this end, recent research
has begim to identify factors tiiat contribute to extraordinary experiences. However, this
research focuses exclusively on the experiences of tourists in novel settings. As of yet,
no research has explored extraordinary experiences in familiar everyday environments.
This research seeks to fill that gap by exploring extraordinary experiences in both
familiar and novel settings. Specifically, this research asks four questions. First, can
extraordinary experiences be identified in familiar everyday settings, and if so, what are
their characteristics? Second, what are the characteristics of extraordinary experiences in
novel settings associated with intemational travel? Third, are any ofthe characteristics of
extraordinary experiences independent of setting? Fourth, what emotions are associated
with extraordinary experiences in both novel and familiar settings? It is hoped the dual

5. 41
focus on familiar and novel settings will produce results applicable to a wide range of
recreational settings.
Metbod
The unit of analysis was a single extraordinary experience. Descriptions of
extraordinary experiences were collected from a convenience sample of 21 undergraduate
students enrolled in a large public universify located in the Midwestem United States.
Each student was a participant in one of two universify-sponsored study abroad programs,
which traveled to China or Uganda. Participants were from eight different majors and thus
represented a diversify of interests from across campus.
The first phase of data collection began in May 2009. At the conclusion of the spring
semester, participants were asked to refiect on the previous academic year and describe in
writing up to three 'Very special, wonderful, and memorable experiences" that occurred
within the college setting. The survey language used to describe the experiences of interest
conforms to language used in previous studies of extraordinary experiences (Amould &
Price, 1993; Färber & Hall, 2007). In addition, for each experience identified, participants
were asked to describe the events surrounding the experience as well as important feelings
associated with the experience. Last, participants were encouraged to "elaborate as much
as necessary" in order to capture the essence of the experience. Participants were given 24
hours to complete the brief survey. In this way, extraordinary experiences that occurred
within the familiar setting of a college campus were captured. Of the 21 participants, 19
responded with at least one detailed experience for a sample of 38. The second phase of
data collection occurred in June and July of 2009 after participants retumed home from
abroad. This time, participants were asked to describe in writing up to three "very special,
wonderful, and memorable experiences" that occurred while traveling through either China
or Uganda. Like before, participants were asked to describe the events surrounding the
experience, to describe important feelings associated with the experience, and to "elaborate
as much as necessary." Again, 19 responded with at least one detailed description for a
sample of 51. Thus, a total of 89 experiences were collected, 43% from familiar settings
and 57% from novel settings.
Experiences were analyzed using grounded theory as described by Charmaz (2002).
First, two researchers independently coded each sentence of data. Codes attempted to
reduce participants' thoughts to single words or phrases without losing the essence of the
idea. Then the researchers met and discussed the coding. Differences were resolved and
uniformify was achieved. Second, the researchers independently grouped similar codes
into categories, which represented reoccurring themes in the data. Researchers then met
and discussed the categories and representative themes. Differences were resolved and
uniformify was achieved. Because previous research demonstrated that exti-aordinary
experiences are shaped by the convergence of several factors (Amould & Price, 1993;
Färber & Hall, 2007), researchers identified themes and subthemes that worked together
toward the creation of a single experience. Thus, the themes that emerged from this
analysis are presented as primary and secondary themes. Primary themes dominated the
description of a particular experience, while secondary themes were frequent enough to
deserve attention. As a final step in the analysis, the researchers worked together using their
knowledge of the literature and memos written during analysis to interpret the themes in
terms of existing theory.
Limitations must be acknowledged. First, all data represent student reñections on
earlier extraordinary experiences. This procedure could produce different results than data
collected in real time as the experience was occurring or immediately after the experience
occurred. Also, student samples necessitate some restraint when attempting to generalize
the results to other populations. Yet it should be noted that several prominent researchers
suggest that the defining characteristics of the leisure experience and the extraordinary
leisure experience are universal (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Shaw, 1985). Furthermore,
over the years student samples have proven quite informative for exploratory studies

6. 42
and have made important contributions to a range of theoretical developments (Calder,
Phillips, & Tybout, 1981). Finally, it is important to note that the data comprise campus
and study abroad experiences. Alüiough these experiences may be relevant to public parks
and recreation, it must be noted that a stronger method for this investigation would have
involved recall of extraordinary experiences in actual park and recreation settings.
Results
This research asked participants to describe up to three extraordinary experiences
that occurred in the familiar setting of a Midwestern university campus and up to three
extraordinary experiences that occurred in novel settings associated with intemational travel
to China or Uganda. Beginning with the familiar setting, 38 extraordinary experiences were
described and analyzed (Table 1). This relatively small number of responses suggests that
extraordinary experiences are not limited to novel environments but do occur from time
to time in familiar settings. They seem to be rare events in daily life; which explains why
19 respondents could only recall 38 experiences when reflecting back on a 9-month school
year. Analysis of the experiences revealed four primary themes. These primary themes
are competition and accomplishment, group identity, spontaneity, and walking outside. In
addition, three secondary themes emerged from the analysis. These were performing on a
stage, being with fiiends, and reflection. Secondary themes contributed to the experience
although were fypically mentioned in support ofthe primary themes.
The mostfi-equentlymentioned primary theme was competition and accomplishment.
This theme was central to 13 of the 38 (34%) experiences described in familiar settings. This
theme characterized experiences resulting from winning athletic competitions including
intramural and club team sports, eaming a spot on the school's hip-hop dance team, and
successfiiUy accomplishing difficult tasks after months of preparation. For example, one
student spent months organizing a campus-wide special event. He was also the MC of
the event. In remembering the experience he wrote, "This experience gave me a great
sense of accomplishment. I felt chills when my work went through with flying colors. The
script I wrote flowed perfectly and the event was a success." Another student wrote about a
competition, which was judged by successful businessmen and women in the communify.
The student wrote, "When I heard our group won an award I was overjoyed for I had
worked very hard for it. It made me feel great because my work paid off and they liked it.
I accomplished something that day and that made me feel great about myself" As can be
seen in Table 2, this theme was closely associated with a range of emotions including pride,
excitement, happiness, and even nervousness.
Table 1
Frequency of Themes in Familiar Setting (N = 38)
Theme N Subtheme Frequency Percent
Within Theme
Competition and
accomplishment 13 Performing on stage 12 92%
Group identity 12 Performing on stage 6 50%
Spontaneify 9 Being with friends 6 66%
Walking outside 4 Reflection 4 100%

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Table 2
Frequency of Emotions Associated With Experiences in Familiar Setting
Theme Emotions Frequency Percent within Theme
Competition and Pride 8 62%
accomplishment Excitement 6 46%
(n= 13) Happiness 6 46%
Nervousness 5 38%
Maturity 2 15%
Relief 2 15%
Belonging 2 15%
Accomplishment 2 15%
Nostalgia 1 7%
Healthiness 1 7%
Mindfulness 1 7%
Freedom 1 7%
Dedication 1 7%
Group Identity (n= 12) Belonging 9 75%
Happiness 4 33%
Spirituality 2 17%
Love 2 17%
Intoxication 2 17%
Rebellion 2 17%
Relaxation 2 8%
Fool around 1 8%
Contrite 1 8%
Naïve 1 8%
Prestigious 8%
Openness 8%
Intoxication 8%
Excitement 8%
Anger 8%
Laughter 8%
Spontaneity (n = 9) Joy 4 44%
Happiness 3 33%
Fun 4 44%
Belonging 2 22%
Challenge 2 22%
Shock 2 22%
Awe 2 22%
Playfulness 2 22%
Wonder 1 11%
Walking outside (n = 4) Relaxation 4 100%
Joy 4 100%
Irmer Peace 2 50%

8. 44
Group identity was also a frequent theme in the data and categorized experiences
characterized by a deep connection with others. This theme was central to 12 of the 38
(32%) experiences described in familiar settings. Respondents mentioned a range of groups
that helped facilitate these experiences including fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, and
a choir. For example, one participant remembered the party his fratemity staged for new
members (including him). He wrote, "I had a feehng of belonging after I joined this group.
I had met a group of like-minded people that has helped me a lot." Likewise, another
student wrote about the day she joined her club athletic team:
Being a part of this team was not only a great athletic experience but it also felt
like I was a part of a family.... The team was practicing outside of my dormitory
and I was on my way to the gym. So instead of going to the gym I walked up and
joined the team. Everyone was so very friendly. We all play together as friends
and party together asfi-iends.Nobody is really not accepted.
Experiences within this theme had a strong emotional impact characterized by feelings of
belonging, joy, love, spirituality, and prestige (Table 2).
Spontaneity was central to nine of the 38 (24%) experiences described in familiar
settings. This theme described experiences resulting from unplanned, spontaneous, and
often surprising events. Oft:en students exhibited regressive tendencies as they recalled
events centered on spontaneous play, such as jumping in a big pile of leaves the campus
grounds crew had no doubt painstakingly raked. Another student recalled a surprise visit
from an out-of-state boyñiend. Other spontaneous events contained an air of risk or
perhaps even mild deviance. For example, one student wrote:
I used to work for residence services, and overall, it wasn't too great of a job. I
do remember one night though, I was training someone new on the job when he
was asking a bunch of questions about the roof of the building. We were on the
top floor and I said the door used to get to it was in the stairwell. For some reason
he got fairly excited about it, possibly he thought we had a key. Anyway, we got
to the door and found out it was kicked-in. We ended up spending over an hour
enjoying the view of campus from ten stories up, which was a really cool break
from the monotony of the job and a cool way to get to know a new coworker.
Experiences within this theme also had a range of emotions associated with them, including
playfulness, enjoyment, belonging, and awe (Table 2).
Walking outside was central to four of the 38 (10%) experiences. While infrequently
mentioned compared to the other themes, for some participants it was the central ingredient
to an extraordinary experience. Participants reported walking outside was initially
motivated by a need for relaxation but on these rare occasions led to awe, inspiration,
and introspection. Two students recalled being out unusually late at night and enjoying
the solitude of the walk and being inspired by a starry sky, which they had never paused
to appreciate while on campus. Another student spoke of a long walk with a boyfiiend
that passed through a part of campus managed for native prairie grasses and flowers. Last,
a student recalled a walk during which he witnessed a red-tailed hawk killing a squirrel.
Walking and nature are central to each of these experiences, suggesting the role such
activities and settings play may not be so easily fulfilled by a treadmill in a gymnasium.
Emotions associated with these experiences included relaxation, joy, and inner peace
(Table 2).
Often, descriptions of experiences were detailed enough that secondary aspects
emerged from the analysis. Secondary aspects can be thought of as acting in conjunction
with the primary themes identified above in order to create an experience. In the familiar
campus setting, three secondary themes were evident (Table 1): performing on stage (n =
18), being with friends (n = 6), and reflection (/» = 4). Performing on stage includes instances
of literally performing on a stage, but more often it captures a participant's awareness of

9. 45
being evaluated by others or self It played a role in nearly all descriptions categorized
as "competition and accomplishment" but was also evident in the theme labeled "group
identity." In the instance of group identity, some form of evaluation was often mentioned
as essential to strengthening the group's bonds. In this way, evaluation contributed to the
experience. Being with friends was clearly central to experiences categorized as "group
identity." However, it also played a role in many spontaneous events, for example, when a
group of fi4ends spontaneously decided to throw a wooden table in the river and attempt to
raft it together Last, reflection was evident in all experiences labeled as "walking outside."
As one student wrote, "I was walking through Manchester field and I had to stop and take
it all in. I came to the realization that here I am in college and it was a beautiful place."
Tuming to the data collected after travel to Uganda or China, one thing becomes
immediately apparent—participants had a slightly easier time identifying extraordinary
experiences in these novel settings. Although travel lasted between two and three weeks, 51
experiences were recalled from 19 participants. This represents a 34% increase over the 38
experiences recalled by the same 19 participants after a 9-month academic year. Analysis
ofthe data from novel settings revealed three primary themes, which begin to explain what
made the experiences extraordinary. Primary themes were outdoor adventure, reflection,
and cross-cultural interaction (Table 3). Two secondary aspects were also identified:
fabled settings and performing on a stage. As will be illustrated below, secondary themes
contributed to the experience although were typically mentioned in support of the primary
themes.
The most frequent theme was outdoor adventure. This characterized 20 of the 51
(39%) experiences collected. Experiences centered on activities such as white-water
rafting, exploring national parks, biking through a niral-pastoral countryside, and exploring
a mountainous region of tiie Great Wall of China. As an example, one student remembered
an experience in Uganda's Kibale National Park. She wrote:
Finding chimps in the forest was a wonderful experience. I'd heard how long
it usually took to find them and about the heat. I was nervous we wouldn't find
them, but we did, and since I love studying primates, this was so exciting. And the
crazy hiking ended up being fun too—even the 'let's crawl on all fours through
vines with thoms part.'
As this quote illustrates, such experiences often involved effort, involved challenge, and
produced intense emotions including excitement, a sense of accomplishment, nervousness,
happiness, being scared, and awe (Table 4).
Table 3
Frequency of Themes in Novel Physical Settings (N = 51)
Theme N Subtheme Frequency Percent
Within Themes
Outdoor adventure 20 Fabled setting 19 95%
Reflection 16
Cross-cultural experiences 15 Performing on stage 6 40%

10. 46
Table 4
Frequency of Emotions Associated With Themes in Novel Physical Setting
Theme Emotions Frequency Percent within theme
Outdoor Adventure (20) Excitement 19 95%
Nervousness 7 35%
Awe 4 20%
Accomplishment 4 20%
Happiness 4 20%
Thrill 2 10%
Afraid 2 10%
Athletic 1 5%
Crazy 1 5%
Reflection (16) Awe 7 44%
Harmony 5 31%
Sadness 5 31%
Shock 2 13%
Excitement 2 13%
Cross Cultural Excitement 7 47%
experiences (15) Joy 5 33%
Unity 4 27%
Intelligent 1 6%
Reflection seemed to be the catalyst for many extraordinary experiences. Indeed,
16 of 51 (31%) occurred when individuals reflected on important events or paused for
introsf)ection. Often these reflective moments were triggered by environmental cues such
as sunsets, beautiful scenery, and vistas. For example, one participant wrote, "Watehing
the sun set brought a sense of harmony and peacefulness with nature. There was a
simultaneous realization of how small the worid is and yet how insignificant we really are
in comparison to the magnificence of it all." Occasionally, participants recalled searching
for solitude in order to process experiences, which initially were difficult to understand,
such as issues of global inequalify. In this case, refiection led to a resolution of the conflict
and was cathartic and memorable. Understandably, a range of emotions accompanied
these experiences including harmony, awe, sadness, and shock (Table 4).
Cross-cultural interaction was central to 15 of 51 (29%) extraordinary experiences
in novel settings. These experiences fypically occurred as individuals left the perceived
safefy of their familiar surroundings and ventured off the beaten path to interact with
local people. For example, one participant recalled leaving the group's "westem" hotel (as
she referred to it) with the tour guide and a few others to visit a local bar. She wrote, "I
couldn't believe it, there I was, far from any place a tourist ever goes." Other participants
recalled playing with groups of local children, playing drums with local youth, engaging
conversations, and forays into villages. To illustrate, one participant wrote:
My first real big experience that touched me emotionally was when a few of us
decided to go and explore the surroundings near the lodge. As we were walking
a man came up to us and started talking about his day. We ended up going to this
man's village, where we saw the craziest things. First he gave us fioiit because

11. 47
we were guests and then he started talking to us about life in the village. We met
the town elders who were probably older than 80 but were carrying things that
were way too big for them, but they just had to do it because there was no other
way. I ended up taking a soccer ball to the village later and these kids were the
happiest kids ever. Just a soccer ball brought so much joy for these children. This
was definitely one ofthe best experiences I have ever had.
Some students expressed excitement at what they learned from these experiences. Others
recalled feelings ofjoy, feelings of harmony, and a sense of unify or common humanity.
Again, descriptions of experiences were detailed enough that secondary aspects often
emerged from the analysis. These secondary aspects were mentioned less frequently than
the primary aspects yet, nevertheless, clearly played a role in the overall experience. Two
secondary themes were evident in novel settings (Table 3): being in a fabled setting (n =
19) and performing on a stage (n = 6). The theme "fabled setting" was closely associated
with outdoor adventure and suggests that for most participants the setting was almost
as instrumental as the activify in creating the extraordinary experience. Two settings in
particular produced this effect: the Nile River and the Great Wall of China. Indeed, each
mentioning of these settings was accompanied by a description of how amazing it was
simply to be there. The theme "performing on a stage" emerged again although not with
the same frequency as in familiar settings. In this case, no one was literally on a stage.
Nevertheless, participants described how being constantly gazed upon by locals created
a subtle pressure to perform and heightened the cross-cultiiral experience. Although this
was sometimes uncomfortable or awkward for the students, it ultimately added to the event
and made the experience extraordinary. For example, several students described a soccer
match against a village school, the novelty of which brought the entire village out to watch.
As one student wrote:
When we arrived to play, the entire town was there to wateh us. It was a bit
intimidating when we arrived and everybody was staring at us. Once we got going
there was both booing and cheering for our team. The feeling was immensely
overwhelming, but it encouraged me to play my best and is something I'll never
forget.
As the quote shows, the heavy gaze felt by participants added to the challenges already
inherent in such cross-cultural situations. This led to peak performance and an intense
experience.
What can clearly be seen from the results presented above is that extraordinary
experiences, although rare, can occur in a variefy of settings ranging from novel to familiar.
Results of this study suggest that important facilitators of such experiences in familiar
settings include challenging activities that require prolonged effort such as competitive
sports or other activities that allow for the setting and accomplishing of meaningful
goals, activities that reaffirm and strengthen social bonds, spontaneify, and being outside
in a seminatural environment. Other facilitators that played a secondary role include the
pressure of being evaluated (performing on stage), friends, and reflection. Novel settings
produced a range of extraordinary experiences as well. In this study, facilitators in
novel settings include outdoor adventure sports that by their nature are challenging and
require prolonged effort, cross-cultural experiences that can also be quite challenging,
and reflection. Secondary facilitators were once again the pressure of being evaluated
and also encountering fabled settings such as the Nile River or the Great Wall of China.
Certainly there are corrunonalities as well as differences. Challenge, effort, setting and
accomplishing goals, the pressure of performance, reflection, and the power of nature unify
many ofthe experiences in both novel and familiar settings. On the other hand, spontaneify
and friends played a greater role in familiar settings, while cross-cultural interactions and
fabled settings played a greater role in novel settings. Last, a wide range of emotions that

12. 48
appear independent of setting fypified these expedences. These include but are not limited
to anxiefy, awe, excitement, happiness, harmony, inner peace, joy, nervousness, sadness,
and shock.
Discussion
Before considering the implications of this study, it is important to note that the
familiar setting in which many of these extraordinary expedences occurred was a college
campus rather than an actual public park and recreation setting. However, the campus
under discussion does share three important attdbutes with many successful public park
and recreation settings. First, it has a vibrant recreation center, which offers a diversify
of programming. Second, there is an Office of Student Life that offers additional leisure
programming such as music, food, and cultural events as well as extracurdcular club
activities. Third, the Arbor Day Foundation for its dedication to campus forestry and
environmental stewardship has consistently named the campus "Tree Campus USA." This
dedication gives areas of campus a park-like feel. All three of these attdbutes contdbuted
to the extraordinary expedences investigated in this research. Considedng this, many
of the themes emerging from this investigation do seem relevant to the management of
actual park and recreation settings. In addition, emergent themes may be relevant to the
management of campus recreation, toudsm, and study abroad programming. Therefore,
the discussion, which follows, will highlight these emergent themes and identify related
opportunities for management.
Extraordinary expedences, by their very nature, are elusive and uncommon. They are
also powerful and leave an impression on an individual that can last a lifetime. In many
ways, they contrast dramatically with the ordinary, everyday expedence of leisure. In her
seminal study of the expedence of leisure in everyday life, Shaw (1985) found enjoyment
and intdnsic motivation to be good discdminators of the leisure expedence. These are
certainly part of extraordinary expedences. However, the similadfy may end there. Shaw
found ordinary leisure expedences are typically free of evaluation by others and self This
research, as typified by the theme "performing on stage," suggests an evaluator can play
an important role in tdggedng extraordinary expedences. Often, awareness of evaluation
produces feelings of anxiefy, nervousness, and frustration. Yet, Lee, DatiUo, and Howard
( 1994) suggest such feelings serve as motivators, focus attention, and improve performance.
In this study, participants who perceived an evaluator expedenced anxiefy and nervousness,
but in a greater way they expedenced accomplishment, excitement, joy, pdde, and deep
personal satisfaction. Thus, it appears that the role of an evaluator in an extraordinary
experience is to focus attention on the task at hand, improve performance, and heighten
the expedence. These data suggest evaluation may be perceived dudng competition. In this
case, both the self and others (spectators, judges, panels of experts) can serve as evaluators.
Participants also evaluated themselves as they made progress toward important personal
goals. Participants occasionally felt evaluated as they ventured off the beaten path dudng
intemational ti-avel. In this case, it was the constant gaze of their hosts, which added to
the challenge of intemational travel, sharpened their senses, increased awareness of their
surroundings, and in this way contributed to an extraordinary experience.
Extraordinary expedences differ from the ordinary expedences of daily life in another
key way: They are often quite spontaneous. Shaw (1985) found very little evidence of
spontaneify during leisure in everyday life. This certainly conforms to the overprogrammed
nature of modem life. For this reason, the rare spontaneous moment can be a trigger for
extraordinary expedences (Amould & Pdce, 1993; Curtin, 2010). This was certainly
tme in the data collected in this sttidy from familiar settings. Spontaneify did not play
a role in the data collected from novel settings. One possible explanation for this is that
intemational group travel is fypically highly planned and stmctured. Perhaps increasing the
opportunify for spontaneify by providing pedods of unstmctured time could enhance the
intemational groupti^avelexpedence. Last, Shaw found no evidence of personal growth
and development as a result of leisure in everyday life. In contrast, many researchers have

13. 49
identified growth and development as a key component of the extraordinary experience
(Abrahams, 1981; Amould & Price, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
Participants did not speak specifically of growth and development, yet they described
many experiences that could naturally lead to such an outcome. In particular, many of the
extraordinary experiences recalled in this study stemmed from challenging activities, which
were teamed over time and required a great deal effort and the acquisition of skill. These
are known as "high investment activities" and are linked with growth and development
(Kelly, Steinkamp, & Kelly, 1987; Kelly & Ross, 1989). Csikszentmihalyi (1990) also
found such activities were central to the flow experience. In this study, high investment
activities were typically described in experiences categorized by the themes "competition
and accomplishment" and "outdoor adventure." Examples of related activities from this
study include athletics, gospel choir, dance team, rafting, hiking, cycling, and other outdoor
pursuits. Other researchers have found high investment activities central to extraordinary
experiences as well (Amould & Price, 1993; Färber & Hall, 2007). This research suggests
that programming such activities or promoting them throu¿i partnerships with local clubs
and enthusiasts will increase opportunities for extraordinary experiences in both familiar
and novel settings.
Reflection was central to many extraordinary experiences captured in this study.
Unfortunately, allowing time for reflection runs counter to the common modem practice of
packing as many activities as possible into 1 day, especially when traveling. Nevertheless,
the importance of reflection is supported by previous studies on extraordinary experiences
(Amould & Price, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) and memorable tourism experiences
(Kim et al., 2010). Indeed, it is an idea that can be traced to the very foundation of leisure
as understood in classical Greece (Goodale & Godbey, 1988). Simply put, reflection allows
for complex experiences to be understood and appreciated. Lepp (2008) discovered in
researching volunteer tourists in Kenya that reflection was vital to the process of benefiting
from the experience. In that case, reflection allowed individuals to see positive change
within themselves, which produced great joy. In practice, reflection might be encouraged
at opportune times through focused discussion or joumal writing. Of course, this depends
on knowledge of the clients' abilities as well as on expectations for the program. Today,
reflection is most closely associated with adventure education (Priest & Gass, 1997) and
outdoor education (Taniguchi, Freeman, & Richards, 2005) yet, in keeping with classical
Greek notions of leisure, might be encouraged in a wider variety of contexts.
Reflection is not always an activity that happens alone, although solittide is often
thought of as the setting in which it occurs. Amould and Price ( 1993) found that extraordinary
experiences are often triggered by reflective interaction with others. Reflective in this sense
can be interpreted as "thoughtful" interaction or "deep and meaningflil" interaction with
others. The results of this study support this contention. The themes "group identity" and
"cross-cultural interaction" demonstrate the power of meaningful interaction with others.
In familiar settings, reflective interaction with others served to sti^engthen group bonds and
to reaffirm group identity. Similar results have been found in novel tourism settings (Tung
& Ritehie, 2011). For the participants in this study, this was a powerful experience and
highlights the importance of team building recreational activities and managing recreation
for interpersonal benefits. In novel settings, reflective interaction with the host culture
can have a tremendous positive impact as well. It is important, therefore, for tour leaders
to prepare clients for these cross-cultural experiences so they may have the skills and
confidence to venture off the beaten path. Certainly, engaging with the host culture in
authentic ways adds to the challenge of intemational travel and by so doing may increase
the likelihood of an extraordinary experience.
Finally, it is worth pointing out that in familiar settings simply walking outside in
seminatural environments occasionally triggered exti-aordinary experiences. As humans
choose to be increasingly confined to indoor spaces, nature may have an increasingly
powerful positive effect on us once we engage with it. Such a hypothesis has been put
forth by Richard Louv (2005) in his popular book addressing nature deficit disorder. This
highlights the importance of preserving natural environments in urban and suburban areas

14. 50
and making them accessible to the public. Certainly athletic fields and playgrounds play
a very important role in municipal park and recreation. Yet the value of protected natural
space with trails for walking and cycling should not be overlooked. Research suggests
that such resources provide lasting benefits and actually generate more use than parks
managed strictly for athletic fields (Cordell, 2004; Fisher, Li, Michael, & Cleveland, 2004;
Kaczynski, Potwarka, & Saelens, 2008).
In this study, undergraduate students explored the nature of extraordinary experiences
in both novel and familiar settings. Results should be understood within the context of
this case study. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the insights provided will stimulate further
research as well as creative thinking about experience-based recreation management. As
Pine and Gilmore (1998) suggested, managing for extraordinary experiences may be the
key to success in an ever more competitive marketplace. For park, recreation, and tourism
professionals, this means creating opportunities for highly memorable, very special,
emotionally charged, and potentially life-altering experiences. This will contribute to
customer satisfaction, stakeholder support, and continued funding, or in a word, success.
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