This study extends the means–end approach to examine the motivating factors associated with the experiences of working holiday–makers, ranging from tangible attributes (i.e., travel characteristics), to the reasons for traveling and underlying personal values. By using the "laddering" technique and interviewing 60 subjects from Taiwan who had previously completed their working holidays in Australia or New Zealand, the resulting linkages strengthen the ability to probe outcomes and values and derive cognitive representation of tourist behavior, including how working holiday tourism is related to the enhancement of personal values and to meeting tourists’ needs. The study’s findings have implications for researchers and practitioners interested in working holiday tourism.