Positive aging, Positive Psychology and Tourism. A challenging new area of investigation?

Abstract

The article examines the issue of positive aging and how it can be improved through traveling and environment exploration. Moving from the most relevant contemporary theoretical perspectives on positive aging, the first part of the article focuses the attention on the conceptualization of successful aging, and examines the theoretical basis that could support the thesis that traveling can be viewed as an hallmark of this condition. The second part of the article takes into consideration a recent new area of psychological science, the Positive Psychology, trying to briefly examine the potential of the “well-being approach” for reaching a positive aging also through the tourist activity.