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ii Backpacking as a type of overseas travel has become a global phenomenon represented by people of various nationalities forming a postmodern dynamic, nomadic global community of travelers influencing, and being influenced by, each other and the locales in which they visit. Typically associated with overseas budget travel, backpacking has become an important component of global travel and tourism. However, research on backpackers from the United States have not been well represented in the travel and tourism literature. Recent publication has called for research to be conducted on backpackers originating from around the world including the United States. This dissertation addresses the issue. The purpose of this study was to explore the process through which worldviews were perceived to be influenced through the overseas travel experiences of backpackers from the United States. Grounded theory was used in answering the question of how are the worldviews of backpackers from the United States perceived to be influenced through their travel experiences because it is designed t