Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.
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Etymology
The origin of the word "travel" is most likely lost to history. The term "travel" may originate from the Old French word travail, which means 'work'. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word travel was in the 14th century. It also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French travailler (which means to work strenuously, toil). In English we still occasionally use the words "travail", which means struggle. According to Simon Winchester in his book The Best Travelers' Tales (2004), the words "travel" and "travail" both share an even more ancient root: a Roman instrument of torture called the tripalium (in Latin it means "three stakes", as in to impale). This link may reflect the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Today, travel may or may not be much easier depending upon the destination you choose (e.g. Mt. Everest, the Amazon rainforest), how you plan to get there (tour bus, cruise ship, or oxcart), and whether you decide to "rough it" (see extreme tourism and adventure travel). "There's a big difference between simply being a tourist and being a true world traveler", notes travel writer Michael Kasum. This is, however, a contested distinction as academic work on the cultures and sociology of travel has noted.
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Purpose and motivation
Reasons for traveling include recreation, tourism or vacationing, research travel the gathering of information, visiting people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere else, religious pilgrimages and mission trips, business travel, trade, commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care or waging or fleeing war or for the enjoyment of traveling. Travellers may use human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling; or vehicles, such as public transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.
Motives for travel include:
- pleasure
- relaxation
- discovery and exploration,
- getting to know other cultures
- taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships
Geographic types
Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part of a round-trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from one location to another and returns.
History of travel
While early travel tended to be slower, more dangerous, and more dominated by trade and migration, cultural and technological advances over many years have tended to mean that travel has become easier and more accessible. Mankind has come a long way in transportation ever since Christopher Columbus sailed to the new world from England in 1492, an expedition which took over 10 weeks to arrive at the final destination; to the present day where anyone can go, buy a plane ticket, and fly like a bird to what is now called The United States of America overnight
While travel in the Middle Ages offered hardships and challenges, it was important to the economy and to society. The wholesale sector depended (for example) on merchants dealing with/through caravan or sea-voyagers, end-user retailing often demanded the services of many itinerant peddlers wandering from village to hamlet, gyrovagues (Wandering Monks) and wandering friars brought theology and pastoral support to neglected areas, travelling minstrels practiced the never-ending tour, and armies ranged far and wide in various crusades and in sundry other wars.
Pilgrimages involved streams of travellers both locally (Canterbury Tales-style) and internationally.
Travel by water often provided more comfort and speed than land-travel, at least until the advent of a network of railways in the 19th century. Airships and airplanes took over much of the role of long-distance surface travel in the 20th century.
World Travelers
One of the earliest monk travelers was named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha became displeased with what he once found luxurious. Due to these strong feelings, he left his home and searched for enlightenment. After much seeking, Gautama sat under what is now known as the great Buddha tree, where he meditated and found peace. Through travel, Siddhartha was able to seek out knowledge, discipline, and meditation. Travel gave Siddhartha the opportunity to find his purpose and have peace. For many people, travel gives an opportunity to learn new things and view the world in a different way. It helps us connect with the world on a closer level, and for some even to find their purpose. A lot of people have followed Siddhartha's passion for travel and have decided to invent ways to make it easier. Much of this came around the same time as the industrial revolution. James Watt is credited for helping bring the steam engine to life, with this invention people were finally able to travel across land at a faster rate. Henry Ford is credited for the invention of the assembly line, making his patented "Ford Motors" easier and more affordable to afford for the everyday consumer. And the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, They are credited with being the first successful people to engineer a device capable of flying. In just a couple hundred years Travel has made bounds and leaps in progress. Another famous explorer who never really found his real destination is Christopher Columbus. In 1492 Christopher Columbus took a long 10 week journey to where he hoped would be India. But he instead landed on the continent now known as North America. Most famous travelers that people tend to think of are famous for making big discoveries on accident such as Columbus did. People such as Lee Berger have found hidden caves with our human ancestors. He and his team have been credited for the discovery of over 1500 bones and a new ancestor to our human "family tree" called Homo Naledi
Vacation
Sometimes traveling can be misconstrued for "Vacation". This seems to be an important part of living is to get away. Most jobs will give you days called "vacation days" where the receiver of the days can feel free to use them whenever they want. The definition of vacation would be an extended period of recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling. This means that most people would spend their time vacationing away from home, traveling can provide the outlet to the needed vacation time. There are also 4 great health reasons to continue to travel for vacation. It has been proven to help alleviate stress.A study released last year by the American Psychological Association concluded that vacations work to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety. Another great reason is to help prevent heart disease. A host of studies have highlighted the cardiovascular health benefits of taking a vacation. In one, men at risk for heart disease who skipped vacations for five consecutive years were 30 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who took at least a week off each year. Vacation time can also improve productivity. In our perpetual rush to be productive, we often undermine our very ability to consistently perform at peak levels. Getting more done in less time allows us to get ahead and be more productive, but it takes consistent focus to be truly productive. This is where vacation comes into play. Having time away to not focus on any task will actually enhance your ability to perform when a task has to be completed. Lastly, vacations can help with sleep. Restless nights with thoughts constantly being tossed around in ones mind is not uncommon by any standard. Luckily with vacation, there doesn't have to be the thought of completing tasks on time, this leads to a longer, deeper sleep.
Travel safety
Authorities emphasize the importance of taking precautions to ensure travel safety. When traveling abroad, the odds favor a safe and incident-free trip, however, travelers can be subject to difficulties, crime and violence. Some safety considerations include being aware of one's surroundings, avoiding being the target of a crime, leaving copies of one's passport and itinerary information with trusted people, obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited and registering with one's national embassy when arriving in a foreign country. Many countries do not recognize drivers' licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits. Automobile insurance policies issued in one's own country are often invalid in foreign countries, and it is often a requirement to obtain temporary auto insurance valid in the country being visited. It is also advisable to become oriented with the driving-rules and -regulations of destination countries. Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons; many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.
There are three main statistics which may be used to compare the safety of various forms of travel (based on a DETR survey in October 2000):
See also
- Environmental impact of aviation (including effects on climate change)
- List of travelers
- Mode of transport
- Recreational travel
- Transport
References
External links
- Wikivoyage - a travel wiki
- Travel at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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