Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
His Majesty
s Customs can take no notice to bring them into the account; as mainly, the expenses of
the travelers.
'
29
''
THE FIRST TRAVEL AGENTS
In 1822,
of Bristol, England, announced himself as the first steamship agent. He began
booking passengers on steamers to various Bristol Channel ports and to Dublin, Ireland.
In 1841,
Robert Smart
began running a special excursion train from Leicester to Loughborough (in
England), a trip of 12 miles. On July 5 of that year, Cook
Thomas Cook
s train carried 570 passengers at a round-trip
price of 1 shilling per passenger. This is believed to be the first publicly advertised excursion train. Thus,
Cook can rightfully be recognized as the first rail excursion agent; his pioneering efforts were
eventually copied widely in all parts of the world. Cook
'
s company grew rapidly, providing escorted
tours to the Continent and later to the United States and around the world. The company continues to
be one of the world
'
s largest travel organizations.
The first specialist in individual inclusive travel (the basic function of
'
travel agents
) was probably
Thomas Bennett
1898), an Englishman who served as secretary to the British consul general in
Oslo, Norway. In this position, Bennett frequently arranged individual scenic tours in Norway for
visiting British notables. Finally, in 1850, he set up a business as a
(1814
-
''
trip organizer
''
and provided
individual tourists with itineraries, carriages, provisions, and a
''
traveling kit.
''
He routinely made
advance arrangements for horses and hotel rooms for his clients.
HISTORIC TRANSPORTATION
Another element in the tourism equation is transportation. The early tourists traveled on foot, on
beasts of burden, by boat, and on wheeled vehicles.
Stagecoach Travel
Stagecoaches
were invented in Hungary in the fifteenth century and provided regular service there on
prescribed routes. By the nineteenth century, stagecoach travel had become quite popular, especially
in Great Britain. The development of the famous English tavern was brought about by the need for
overnight lodging by stagecoach passengers.
Water Travel
Market boats picked up passengers as well as goods on ship canals in England as early as 1772. The
Duke of Bridgewater began such
service between Manchester and London Bridge (near
Warrington). Each boat had a coffee room fromwhich refreshments were sold by the captain
water travel
s wife. By
1815, steamboats were plying the Clyde, the Avon, and the Thames. A poster in 1833 announced
steamboat excursion trips from London. By 1841, steamship excursions on the Thames were so well
established that a publisher was bringing out a weekly Steamboat Excursion Guide.
'
Rail Travel
Railways were first built in England in 1825 and carried passengers beginning in 1830. The newly
completed railway between Liverpool and Manchester featured special provisions for passengers. The
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