It’s a bit tricky to tell when tourism really began because people have always moved from one place to another just that they could be travelling for many reasons other than for fun or take a break like it is the case with modern tourism.
In the past, people travelled for many reasons and it can be very interesting to know what actually motivated them to travel. Some travelled to learn about new cultures, others were explorers, merchants and researchers such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. However, old Romans are believed to be the first people to travel for leisure. They are the ones who travelled to their Mediterranean villas just to relax and have fun.
If you compare the past tourism to today’s, a lot has changed from means of transport, accommodation, attractions to even the reasons why people go on vacations. Over the years, the tourism industry has grown exponentially.
The history of tourism
As mentioned earlier, it’s difficult to pinpoint when tourism began around the world. Back then, travel photography had not taken shape, selfies were unheard of and neither were there travel brochures to look back on. Thus, there is no proper documentation to clearly show if people travelled and even if they did, where exactly they went to. Over the same, even without the obvious evidence, we still do know that people did travel in the past thanks to historians, who’ve found records that provide an insight of ancient travelers, reasons why they travelled and how it evolved to current tourism.
Interestingly, the current tourism you see today emerged from cultures and nations who were moving their armed forces in different parts of the world to conquer other areas to control trade and other resources. Others such as the Phoenicians travelled both for trade as well as satisfy their curiosity. So, from the necessary travel, tourism emerged.
Travelling for leisure may not have been common in the past considering resources were limited and most people did not have the knowledge. They were only travelling for specific reasons such as educational, religious, commercial or government purposes. As time went by, travelling became a necessity. People travelled more to an extent that it became a trend and along the way, they realized one can travel to a new place just for fun. People would now comfortably travel for leisure, relaxation and fun.
Although means of transportation and accommodation remained to be a challenge, things got better during the Romans Empire. Good roads were constructed and inns were opened such that travelers could get a decent place to rest when travelling.
Another challenge was the communication barrier. People had not gone to a formal school to get a chance to learn national or foreign languages. But as Roman roads continued to expand and more people got a chance to travel to other parts of the world far from their native homes, they learnt common languages such as Latin and Greek. With common languages to unite the people and a common legal system, people felt safer and more protected when travelling. Hence, more people ventured into travelling whether for pleasure, adventure or even business.
Means of transport in early days
Unlike now when people have a variety of means of transport to choose from depending on their budget and the place they are travelling to, in the past, that luxury was not there. People had to use what’s available. They encountered many challenges and only the brave and most adventurous forged on.
The most common and the easiest way to travel from one destination to another was usually by foot. Although it was very time consuming, many travellers were used to walking and they would travel for days. In such a case, one would pack enough food and water to last him for the days he’ll be travelling. There were also stopping houses along the trails where they could rest for the night and continue with their journey the next day.
Another means of transportation was a horse. Those who were more privileged to own a horse would use it when travelling. A horse was good because it could travel far within a shorter time unlike when travelling on foot. One could also carry enough supplies for the journey in saddle bags. There was also a Red River Cart popularly known as an ox cart. It was a cart made of wood and two large wheels. It was pulled by oxen. The only challenge the ox cart had was the squeaky sound it made so loudly such that it could be heard miles away.
There was also the buggy which came in different sizes and styles although the most popular one was the four-wheeled buggy which was pulled by a horse. Although buggies were preferred for short distances, some people were still using them even for long distances. In addition to baggies, there was also the stagecoach and wagons which were similar to baggies. They were pulled by teams of mules, oxen or horses.
Then came the trains. This means of transport came as a big break to most travelers. They were affordable and they also provided a decent means of transport to tourists who wanted to explore their world in style. That could explain why they were usually crowded with pippl and their baggage.
Water transportation is another means of transport the ancient travelers used when travelling to various destinations. For instance, they used ferries to cross a river if it could not be forded. Others were flatboats, steamboats, canoes and York boats which were all used ferry travelers to various destinations.
Tourism in the past
Although people have travelled for centuries, there is a lot of differences between past and modern tourism. You’ll find that these days, more and more people are travelling for fun while in the past, only a few courageous who would dare the adventure. Furthermore, in the past, only the rich such as the Old Romans who would consider taking a vacation, but now things have changed and even the not so wealthy people can afford to go on a vacation even if it’s just once in a while.
Another noticeable thing about why the current tourism is doing so well than the ancient tourism is because people travel more when there is no communication barrier, means of transport and accommodation is not a problem and most importantly, affordability of most amenities. In ancient tourism, there were no travel agents to help book people for affordable vacation deals. It’s only the rich who had the privileged to travel to various places.
All in all, the ancient people had their form of tourism and their style to explore their world. It’s now our time to travel the world and explore it our style.
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