A traveling person and civilizational heritage: transformation of identity in tourism

Introduction. Psychological and pedagogical problems of tourism, development and implementation of psychological and pedagogical maintenance of tourism are still the area of the least number of theoretical and applied studies. At the same time, tourism serves as one of the practices intensively changing the personal and social identity of an individual, which promote his development, transformation of his needs as a “person traveling” (homo tornus). This transformation leads to active changes in tourism itself, in the training of personnel for tourism. Thus, modern family and youth tourism is actively changing both in its form and content. It is increasingly recognized as a practice in which a person changes himself, coming into contact with the civilizational, historical and cultural heritage of his ancestors and the ancestors of other persons and peoples. In this regard, regional tourism is especially important as a type of domestic tourism, which involves people’s getting acquainted with different parts of the country, their nature and culture in the historical perspective as well. (Self)change and the process of getting acquainted with this heritage represent a single system in which each traveler can highlight both the cultural-educational and psychotherapeutic developmental aspects. The purpose of the research is to analyze the problems of transformation of the identity of a traveling person in the context of his contact with the civilizational heritage, in its regional dimension as well. Results and Discussion. Travel is an integral or fragmentary transformation of a person's identity - understanding oneself in the world. For some people, big and small travelling become an important part of their life, they show an active interest in the civilizational heritage, its natural and cultural aspects, the desire to accumulate impressions and a detailed reflection of the travel experience as an experience of external and internal transformations. There is also a type of people who use travelling as an escape from problems. Their transformations are less intensified, but travel teaches a person to trust oneself and life, put up with difficulties and uncertainties, endure hardships and accept changes. Conclusions. Traveling helps an individual to change his identity, transform oneself in the direction, degree and intensity necessary for himself, and not for the world around accustomed to the old identity, its needs and desires, and his / her needs and desires.