Astronauts and Avatars: Travels through the Physical, the Virtual and the Imagined

Under the theme of the poetics of travel this chapter explores known and unknown worlds, and real, imagined, and virtual spaces through rethinking the experience of the traveller at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this we explore the myths and realities of our lives as astronauts and avatars and reflect on the fragility of human existence in extreme spaces. The weaving of real stories and imagined, and the notion of the journey that extends beyond or breaks through cultural boundaries are themes that are explored, along with the insatiable nature of our desire to explore the unknown. In particular are the investigations of travel and new technologies; in this new digital age does the traveller even have to ‘leave’ to experience ‘travelling’ and the exploration of space and place