Commodifying the Journey Through Platform Economies and the Transformation of Gap Year Travel into Personal Growth Narratives

Abstract

This paper critically examines the commodification of gap year travel experiences within the expanding structures of platform economies, focusing specifically on the Canadian context. Once imagined as organic periods of exploration and self-discovery, gap years have been reengineered into highly curated and marketable narratives of personal growth, moral development, and global citizenship. Through an analysis of key digital platforms such as Workaway, WWOOF, and GoAbroad, the study reveals how experiences are algorithmically standardized, aestheticized, and rebranded as strategic investments into “experiential capital.” Drawing on theories of neoliberal subjectivity, affective labor, and symbolic violence, the paper highlights how platforms discipline travelers into narrators of their own commodified journeys, reinforcing structural inequalities under the guise of authenticity and meritocracy. Content analysis of marketing materials from platforms like VolunteerWorld further illustrates how acts of labor and service are reframed as milestones of self-improvement rather than solidarity. Ultimately, the research argues that the gap year, mediated through platform economies, emerges not as an escape from neoliberal logics but as a deepening engagement with them, transforming self-exploration into a globally circulating, consumable product.