Hyde, KFOlesen, K2025-12-082025-12-082011-07-01Annals of Tourism Research, ISSN: 0160-7383 (Print), 38(3), 900-919. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2011.01.0020160-7383http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20344Tourist behaviours can be viewed as performances on a variety of tourism stages. This article examines tourist packing practices as planning and preparation for touristic performances. Grounded theory methods are employed to analyze documentary sources in which tourists describe what and how they pack for air travel. The article presents a substantive theory of packing for travel. This theory is viewed through the lens of Giddens' grand theory of self-identity. The contents of a travel bag constitute the costumes and props a tourist believes will aid their performance in each tourism setting. Packing for travel is an act in which the tourist prioritises those items they believe will most assist the maintenance, construction and articulation of self-identity in new settings.This is the Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Annals of Tourism Research © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. The Version of Record is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2011.01.0021504 Commercial Services1505 Marketing1506 TourismSport, Leisure & Tourism3506 Marketing3508 Tourism4406 Human geographyJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1016/j.annals.2011.01.002