Ever notice how, when you sit still for a few hours without
moving, you suddenly get up and find your legs are cramped? That’s because
they’re not meant to remain still…at least not for long. We’re meant to move.
Our limbs have to be in motion almost constantly, except when we’re sleeping.
Humans have always been on the move. Our skeletons and muscle
structures have evolved to facilitate gathering food, escaping from predators,
and satisfying our animal curiosity. As our brains grew larger, so did our
inquisitiveness, and driven by different reasons, humans began to travel.
The Early Explorers
In the Neolithic age, the first sailing vessel was built and the
wheel was invented, both designed to move humans around in different ways.
Nomadic hunters and gatherers moved in search of food following
seasonally available wild plants and game.
Then Ancient man began to build roads to facilitate the movement
of troops through empires, and eventually civilians began to travel in
caravans. Travel for the purpose of commerce and trade took explorers to
strange lands to meet other people, and bring back riches of unfathomable
value. Very often politics, religion and culture would be part of these trade
voyages, as seen in the spread of Indian culture throughout Southeast Asia.
Wealthy Greeks and Romans began to travel for leisure to their
summer homes and villas by the sea in cities like Pompeii and Baiae.
The freedom of travel in the Roman Empire brought many Jews to
flourishing cities of the ancient world, and Jesus himself is thought to have
traveled a great deal with his disciples.
We know that Vikings had a particular skill for sailing and a
keen interest in exploring. Through perilous voyages they conquered areas such
as Iceland and Greenland, and were even the first to accidentally discover
America in 985 A.D, when a ship was blown off course on the way to Greenland.
In 1001, Leif Eriksson sailed back to explore it further and
called it Vinland, or ‘land of pastures’.
Enter the Dark Ages
In Medieval times, the most notorious travelers were pilgrims
and missionaries. Driven by their religious convictions, pilgrims made
dangerous journeys to places like Santiago de Compostela, Canterbury, and
Jerusalem while missionaries traveled to heathen areas to evangelize the
people, such as the Celts in Ireland.
In the late 16th century it became fashionable for young
aristocrats and wealthy upper class men to travel to important European cities
as a crowning touch to their education in the arts and literature, designed to
enlighten Europe’s young elite.
This was knows as the Grand Tour. London, Paris, Venice,
Florence and Rome were visited by these grand tourists to expose themselves to
the great masterpieces.
The French revolution marked the end of the Grand Tour as was
known, and with the coming of rail transit in the early 19th century, travel
was revolutionized.
Travel was no longer limited only to the privileged as it became
cheaper, easier, and safer to travel. Young ladies began to travel too,
chaperoned by an old spinster as was appropriate, as part of their education.
Steam and Steel
The Industrial Revolution brought leisure travel to Europe.
The new middle class, comprised of factory owners and managers,
now had the time to travel thanks to industrialized production with efficient
and faster machinery. They had more money and more time to relax and take part
in recreational activities.
For the first time ever, traveling was done for the sole
pleasure of it. This was how Thomas Cook, in 1841, put together the first
package holiday in history. He started off with tours in Britain but with his
rapid success soon moved into other European cities, where Paris and the Alps
were the most popular destinations.
Thomas Cook pioneered all the common services that travel
agencies undertake for the passenger today: accommodation, travel tickets,
timetables, attractions, currency exchanges, travel guides and tours.
Air travel began after World War II with a surplus of
aeronautical technology and ex-military pilots who were more than ready to fly.
Only the rich could afford holidays with air fare.
The Modern Age
Affordable air travel soon contributed to international mass tourism,
pretty much as we know it today.
Over the years different developments in tourism have changed
the way we travel, such as technology, safety and security, costs, social
changes, etc.
The Grand Tourists of the 17th and 18th centuries echo today in
the hordes of backpackers and gap-year students who, not content with traveling
through one continent, do so throughout the world.
Much like the young European aristocrats of the time, we today
also consider traveling as a rite of passage, an initiation, a transition, an
opportunity for soul searching.
With tourism themes like Eco-travel, Ethical Travel,
Volunteering, Mystical tourism, Dark Tourism, Pop-Culture tourism, Cosmetic
Surgery tourism, and Independent traveling, the travel industry has reached an
apogee never before seen.
So when we wonder why we travel, and where it all started, it
might be comforting to think about our predecessors, and how they moved first
out of necessity, then for religion, migration, emigration, commerce,
enlightenment and finally for pleasure, ignoring all
travails creating roadblocks.
Today each of our personal reasons may vary, but one thing is
certain: there will never be rest for a species that can only move, move and
keep moving.
[SUBHODEV DAS]
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