Introduction and the genome of travel behavior

Abstract Every three years, the International Association for Travel Behavior Research organizes a conference that spans the entire spectrum of the most important developments in travel behavior research (see IATBR.ORG ). This is a unique opportunity for researchers from around the world to meet and exchange ideas about new issues and methods used to understand and predict behavior. In 2018, the conference took place on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus from July 15th to 20th ( www.iatbr2018.org and IATBR2018). The conference theme, Mapping the Travel Behavior Genome, highlights the great progress in developing tools to understand and map the fundamental elements of travel behavior. The conference included methods to unravel human activity-travel behavior, showcasing state-of-the-art advancements in research and practical applications. This includes the biological, motivational, cognitive, situational, and dispositional factors that drive activity-travel behavior. The conference also addressed critical issues in developing urgently needed theories and analytical methods to address imminent upheavals that transform our lives.