“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain.
Before the 19th century, travel was pretty much limited to official government couriers, nobles and the rich. Going anywhere was a major endeavor requiring lots of pre planning. Food for the travelers and the animals, security from bandits, crossing geographical barriers such as mountains and major rivers, time of year, all had to be accounted for. Hotels didn’t exist, so most nights were spent either camping, or taking a room in a private home (an early form of AirBnB). These private homes eventually morphed into inns and taverns, catering mostly to official travel (and the occasional group of hobbits on a quest). Roman armies avoided the accommodation problem by simply building a temporary fort at the end of each day’s march.
There’s a story from the period of the Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian traveled extensively throughout the empire (he spent more time on the road, then he did in Rome, during his reign). When he arrived anywhere, with his retinue, the leading citizens of the town were expected to host him. This could be an expensive endeavor, costing hundreds of thousands or millions of sestertius. In several places, historical records report that some men actively downplayed their wealth or position in the community so they did not have to host the Emperor.
Modern tourism started in England in the last half of the 19th century. It represents one of the most obvious benefits of industrialization and the appearance of the middle class. More people had more money and free time, and enterprising businessmen saw opportunity. This coincided with increasing availability of hotels and the growing rail networks.
The first cruise type experience was in 1833 on an Italian cruise that took 3 months and visited many of the destinations on the “Grand Tour”. This cruise was attended by European nobles, royalty and the rich. The first dedicated cruise line was launched by P&O, in 1844 in England, with itineraries to Gibraltar, Malta and other Mediterranean locations. The first dedicated cruise ship was launched by Germany in 1900. There are currently about 320 cruise ships around the world, with capacity for nearly 700,000 passengers.
Rabbit Hole
The Grand Tour was considered an educational right of passage for young British men of means who traveled through Europe, mainly Italy and Greece, enjoying the sights, sampling the local wine (and I suspect ladies) and observing the history and frequently taking souvenirs home with them. Although, these souvenirs weren’t necessarily purchased from vendors, but rather simply taken from historical sites. By the mid 19th century, many western and Central European young men also engaged in this travel activity.
End Rabbit Hole
The Grand Tour provided the idea of an itinerary which was exploited by Thomas Cook, who started the first travel agency. Thomas Cook offered day trips as well as longer travel itineraries to Europe, India and Asia. By the end of the 19th century Thomas Cook was providing travel to 20,000 people a year. in 2023, over 975 million people traveled for international tourism.
So why do people travel?
There is no one reason people travel. Each trip has its own impetus; to visit friends and family, to see new places, to lay in the sun, to relax, to challenge ourselves, to learn about history and experience other cultures, and to have new stories to tell. Interestingly, once a person defines why they travel, they mainly travel for the same purpose each time. If a person likes beach vacations, that’s what they usually do, if they travel for wildlife encounters, again most of their travel will be that kind of trip. It is the rare person who travels to a beach resort one trip, a cultural centre the next trip, an adventure afterwards and so on.
Evolutionary geneticist will tell you we travel because of the gene sequence DRD4-7R. DRD4 is the gene that partially controls dopamine levels. Dopamine is both a hormone and a neural transmitter and it plays a major role in reward motivated behaviour. The anticipation of a reward, such as international travel, increases dopamine levels. When Barb and I continue to do research after we have booked all the major components of our trip, is the reward we get from finding new experiences and places to go, which causes our dopamine levels to increase and in turn we extend the excitement of planning our trip. The anticipation is exhilarating.
The second part of the above sequence, the 7R allele, is really interesting. It’s carried by about 20% of the population and it occurs at dramatically different rates in different parts of the world. 7R is associated with extroversion and novelty seeking behaviour. Migratory population have high numbers of people with this gene, while sedentary population have much lower numbers. This gene isn't the only reason we travel, of course, but to paraphrase one geneticist, those with the 7R allele may feel pressure to travel.
Travel itself has developed numerous niches and one trip can cover several of these niches, including the following:
Agritourism, which includes overnight stays on a farm, or hunting trips, Birth tourism, where a pregnant woman travels to another country to give birth, so their child is a citizen of that country, Culinary tourism, traveling to experience another area’s cuisine is very popular. Along with climate, accommodation, and scenery, food is considered one of the top motivators for travel. Barb and I engage in culinary tourism, Cultural tourism, where people travel to absorb the culture of another area. This is a major impetus to travel and another of the reasons Barb and I travel to places.
Film tourism, where fans of a movie or TV show travel the locations the production filmed at. Popular locations are New Zealand (Lord of the Rings), Southern England (Harry Potter), Iceland, Croatia and Ireland (Game of Thrones - except locations for the last season because the last season was so terrible nobody wants to go anywhere it was shot), and Tunisia (Star Wars), Health tourism, traveling to locations for treatments, such as dental work in Eastern Europe, or spa treatments at thermal baths. This is a huge sector accounting for more than a trillion (yes trillion) dollars in revenue.
Religious tourism, most commonly pilgrimages, is a major category. The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca is an example of religious tourism. Beginning on December 24, 2024 and extending through 2025 is Holy year for Rome and tourism in the city is expected to reach extremely high levels.
Two controversial areas of tourism are War Tourism and “Dark” Tourism.
War tourism is traveling to former (or active) war zones. Popular places include Vietnam, Cambodia, and Europe for past wars, but there is an active demand to visit ongoing conflicts. People will pay to be take to places like Israel (from the current Gaza conflict), Myanmar (undergoing a revolution), Syria (for it’s civil war) and the Ukraine. Often referred derogatorily as “spectators” these tourists want to experience the thrill of being in a war zone, knowing that they can leave for their presumably safe homes at any time. I find the the ethics and morality of traveling to watch some people suffer or die very disturbing. (Incidentally, one of the earliest examples of War tourism involves Mark Twain leading a group of people during the Crimea War to the destroyed city Sevastopol, and in the American Civil War, during the First Battle of Bull Run, people, including families, traveled from Washington DC and surrounding areas to watch the battle.)
Dark Tourism is something Barb and I do. This is travel to places where there has been death or suffering, such as Auschwitz, or battlefields and cemeteries. Dark tourism is usually engaged in historical understanding of events, or as a sign of respect for those who suffered. Other dark tourism sites include Chernobyl, The Killing Fields of Cambodia, and Pompeii.
Other types of common tourism; Eco tourism, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism, sports tourism…the list is nearly endless.
The internet has made many of these niche travel experiences accessible by promoting them. Influencers who post about a location not previously widely known, making it popular. Web pages promoting “hidden” or “secret” spots, which, by promoting them are no longer hidden or secret or lightly visited.
I leave you with this quote from Hilaire Belloc, “We wander for distraction, we travel for fulfillment.”
Really interesting Chris! Well done.