thumb|[[Train travel Passengers on a train on a bridge of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, between Mettupalayam and Ootacamund, in Tamil Nadu, India]]

Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship 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, as in the case of tourism.

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 , (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French (which means to work strenuously, toil).

In English, people still occasionally use the words , 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 (in Latin it means "three stakes", as in to impale). This link may reflect the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Travel in modern times may or may not be much easier, depending upon the destination. Travel to Mount Everest, the Amazon rainforest, extreme tourism, and adventure travel are more difficult forms of travel. Travel can also be more difficult depending on the method of travel, such as by bus, cruise ship, or even by bullock cart.

Purpose and motivation

thumb|Traveler's motorcycle with large rear box

Reasons for traveling include recreation, holidays, rejuvenation, tourism

  • Relaxation
  • Discovery and exploration
  • Forming memories
  • Volunteering
  • Festivals and events

History

Travel dates back to antiquity where wealthy Greeks and Romans would travel for leisure to their summer homes and villas in cities such as Pompeii and Baiae. 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. Humankind has come a long way in transportation since Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World from Spain in 1492, an expedition which took over 10 weeks to arrive at the final destination; to the 21st century when aircraft allows travel from Spain to the United States overnight.

Travel in the Middle Ages offered hardships and challenges, though it was important to the economy and to society. The wholesale sector depended (for example) on merchants dealing with/through caravans 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, traveling minstrels toured, and armies ranged far and wide in various crusades and in sundry other wars.

In the late 16th century, it became fashionable for young European aristocrats and wealthy upper-class men to travel to significant European cities as part of their education in the arts and literature. This was known as the Grand Tour, and included cities such as London, Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome. However, the French Revolution brought with it the end of the Grand Tour. Airships and airplanes took over much of the role of long-distance surface travel in the 20th century, notably after the Second World War where there was a surplus of both aircraft and pilots.

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. Tours are a common type of travel. Examples of travel tours are expedition cruises, small group tours, and river cruises.

Safety

thumb|Travelers in a [[British Airways 747 airplane. Air travel is a common means of transport.]]

thumb|[[MS Skania ferry in the port of Szczecin]]

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, 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.

{| class="wikitable sortable

!rowspan=2|Mode

!colspan=3|Deaths per billion

|-

! Journeys

! Hours

! Kilometers

|-

| Bus|| 4.3||11.1||0.4

|-

| Rail|| 20||30||0.6

|-

| Air|| 117||30.8||0.05

|-

| Ship|| 90||50||2.6

|-

| Van||20||60||1.2

|-

| Car||40||130||3.1

|-

| Walking|| 40||220||54

|-

| Bicycle|| 170||550||45

|-

| Motorcycle||1640||4840||109

|}

See also

  • Environmental impact of aviation
  • Layover
  • List of travelers
  • Mode of transport
  • Recreational travel
  • Right of return
  • Science tourism
  • Transport
  • Tourism

References

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