Tourism has existed in various forms for thousands of years. Originally, only the rich and those who were on religious pilgrimages we’re what could today, be seen as tourists. Excluded in my view, were explorers because while they did travel and report ‘newfound’ territories they were doing it for the church or a monarch of some kind, usually trying to find spices or other precious items like gold. So, I won’t be talking about them in this post.

Tourism has existed in various forms for thousands of years. Initially, only the rich and those who were on religious pilgrimages we’re what could today, be seen as tourists. Excluded in my view, were explorers because while they did travel and report ‘newfound’ territories, they were doing it for the church or a monarch of some kind, usually trying to find spices or other precious items like gold. So, I won’t be talking about them in this video.
So, let’s talk more about pilgrimages, typically we think of people of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths making a pilgrimage to a site like Jerusalem, however, there are other ancient pilgrimages from countries around the world, like the one of the millions of people from the Hindu faith take to the Ganges River. They take the plunge into the river during the Kumbh Mela or Pitcher Festival. It’s one of the world’s largest religious gatherings that lasts approximately 48 days. Over 100 million people have been known to attend the various events and celebrations, including bathing in the Ganges river which is believed to purify and wash away the sins of the individual bathing. I do want to mention as a safety precaution that the Ganges River has been called one of the most polluted rivers in the world, so if you plan to take the plunge, take that into consideration.
Another not as well-known pilgrimage is Kumano Kodō in Japan which has had people travelling the trail since as far back 1109. The hiking trail, which was given World Heritage Status in 2004 is home to the highest waterfall in Japan as well as many shrines of Shintō, which are places of worship and dwellings of the gods, known as kami.
Other trails and places people have made pilgrimages to for centuries in some cases include Santiago de Compostela, which is shared with France and Spain, was destroyed by Muslims at the end of the 10th century and completely rebuilt, the Mount Kailash pilgrimage in Tibet, which is sacred to people of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon faiths. It’s also one of the most demanding treks at 52 km (32 miles) with high elevations and at time hash conditions, as the trail starts at 15,000 feet and climbs to 18,372 feet, the trail is closed at times because of the deep snow in the mountain range, which can only be visited with the aid of a Tibetan guide and proper permits.
Moving on from ancient pilgrimages and onto the wealthiest of Rome’s elite, many chose to build summer homes known as Villas in the areas surrounding large cities like Rome where they could get away from the sounds and smells of the summer. Some were smaller structures, while others boasted servants areas, stables, pools, atriums, fountains some of which boasted massive estates spread over acres in the countryside, like the Casa del Menandro, the remains of which can still be visited in Pompeii, is about 1,800 square meters (19,000 sq. ft), and was in good enough condition for Benito Mussolini to host a lunch party there in 1940 when he visited.
These stunning estates can be found all over the fallen empire, though not as great numbers as some have been destroyed over time by different factors like wars, natural disasters and looters, to name a few. While I could talk at length about Roman society, I want to move a little further ahead in history.
I remember as a kid reading books about royals and their courts and how they would move around the country and visit different castles and estates, however when researching for this video I couldn’t seem to find any reliable sources online. What I remember is that specifically for British and French royals, which I read about most often, would travel through the countryside to various houses and estates with all kinds of staff. They usually did this in the summer months, often going to seaside areas, though they sometimes did just do the rounds to see different properties. Again, that’s from memory so it may not be 100% accurate.
This is where we have our largest jump in time, from touring royals to the first modern tourists. This will mainly focus on the United States of America, as the history there is quite well documented.
The idea of road trips was inaccessible to most for a very long time, not only because they had no way of getting around since most did not have cars, but also because people didn’t always know what there was to see. For those who did have cars, the vehicles were not always reliable, the roads were rough, confusing and there wasn’t a highway system like we now have that’s paved and has signs to indicate what’s coming up at the next exit.
That began to change around 1901 when the first “Automobile Blue Book “was published covering the American northeast, the book really gained a wide readership in 1906 when the American Auto Association officially endorsed the book. It’s worth noting that Charles Howard Gillette, the author of the book, was secretary of AAA when this happened.
The road trip only really began to take off in the 1920s by most accounts, when cars became more accessible in price, going from over 500$, which at the time was a yearly salary for some, down to 260$ for a Model T, people also began to get time off that previously hadn’t been given by employers in an effort to increase productivity. Sadly, the books were only published until 1929, but they had enough of an impact to get people travelling between cities and states, but people started opting to use maps instead. One thing I found interesting is that these original books had turn by turn instructions like our phones and GPS systems do now. You can bet I’ll bring that up next time someone mentions young people not being able to read maps…
Another book that started being published shortly after the Bluebook went out of print was one you’ve probably already heard of. First published in 1936, the Negro Motorist Green Book, known by many now simply as “The Green Book” because of the movie of the same name.
Without going into great detail or spoiling the movie, it’s more so about a man who gets the book rather than the book itself, which makes sense since it’s a guidebook. The book was a list of safe places to stay, eat and sightsee, specifically made for black people to use in the deep south.
Like the Blue Book, it’s use was short-lived, but helped many to travel safely between 1936 and 1966 when the last original copies were published.
One last thing that I will mention that many know about because of how famous it is. Route 66 sadly is no longer the route we take when travelling to the west coast. This original superhighway linked Illinois with California, a drive that’s now around 2000 miles with our modern highways. It was revolutionary in the 1920s and was driven by millions, but by 1985 it had lost its official designation of a “US Highway” that it had received in 1926. Route 66 connected small towns to one major roadway, but after WWII it required massive repairs and could no longer stand the thousands of people who used the roadway, and it was more or less abandoned for a newer road system with more direct routes between cities. You can still visit parts both on wheels and on foot, as some of the roadways is impassable by vehicle.

Tourism has existed in various forms for thousands of years. Originally, only the rich and those who were on religious pilgrimages we’re what could today, be seen as tourists. Excluded in my view, were explorers because while they did travel and report ‘newfound’ territories they were doing it for the church or a monarch of some kind, usually trying to find spices or other precious items like gold. So, I won’t be talking about them in this video.

So, let’s talk more about pilgrimages, typically we think of people of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths making a pilgrimage to a site like Jerusalem, however, there are other ancient pilgrimages from countries around the world, like the one of the millions of people from the Hindu faith take to the Ganges River. They take the plunge into the river during the Kumbh Mela or Pitcher Festival. It’s one of the world’s largest religious gatherings that lasts approximately 48 days. Over 100 million people have been known to attend the various events and celebrations, including bathing in the Ganges river which is believed to purify and wash away the sins of the individual bathing. I do want to mention as a safety precaution that the Ganges River has been called one of the most polluted rivers in the world, so if you plan to take the plunge take that into consideration.

Another not as well-known pilgrimage is Kumano Kodō in Japan which has had people travelling the trail since as far back 1109. The hiking trail, which was given World Heritage Status in 2004 is home to the highest waterfall in Japan as well as many shrines of Shintō, which are places of worship and dwellings of the gods, known as kami.

Other trails and places people have made pilgrimages to for centuries in some cases include Santiago de Compostela, which is shared with France and Spain, was destroyed by Muslims at the end of the 10th century and completely rebuilt, the Mount Kailash pilgrimage in Tibet, which is sacred to people of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon faiths. It’s also one of the most demanding treks at 52 km (32 miles) with high elevations and at time hash conditions, as the trail starts at 15,000 feet and climbs to 18,372 feet, the trail is closed at times because of the deep snow in the mountain range, which can only be visited with the aid of a Tibetan guide and proper permits.

Moving on from ancient pilgrimages and onto the wealthiest of Rome’s elite, many chose to build summer homes known as Villas in the areas surrounding large cities like Rome where they could get away from the sounds and smells of the summer. Some were smaller structures, while others boasted servants areas, stables, pools, atriums, fountains some of which boasted massive estates spread over acres in the countryside, like the Casa del Menandro, the remains of which can still be visited in Pompeii, is about 1,800 square meters (19,000 sq. ft), and was in good enough condition for Benito Mussolini to host a lunch party there in 1940 when he visited.

These stunning estates can be found all over the fallen empire, though not as great numbers as some have been destroyed over time by different factors like wars, natural disasters and looters to name a few. While I could talk at length about Roman society, I want to move a little further ahead in history.

I remember as a kid reading books about royals and their courts and how they would move around the country and visit different castles and estates, however when researching for this video I couldn’t seem to find any reliable sources online. What I remember is that specifically for British and French royals, which I read about most often, would travel through the countryside to various houses and estates with all kinds of staff. They usually did this in the summer months, often going to seaside areas, though they sometimes did just do the rounds to see different properties. Again, that’s from memory so it may not be 100% accurate.

This is where we have our largest jump in time, from touring royals to the first modern tourists. This will mainly focus on the United States of America, as the history there is quite well documented.

The idea of road trips was inaccessible to most for a very long time, not only because they had no way of getting around since most did not have cars, but also because people didn’t always know what there was to see. For those who did have cars, the vehicles were not always reliable, the roads were rough, confusing and there wasn’t a highway system like we now have that’s paved and has signs to indicate what’s coming up at the next exit.

That began to change around 1901 when the first “Automobile Blue Book “was published covering the American northeast, the book really gained a wide readership in 1906 when the American Auto Association officially endorsed the book. It’s worth noting that Charles Howard Gillette, the author of the book, was secretary of AAA when this happened.

The road trip only really began to take off in the 1920s by most accounts, when cars became more accessible in price, going from over 500$, which at the time was a yearly salary for some, down to 260$ for a Model T, people also began to get time off that previously hadn’t been given by employers in an effort to increase productivity. Sadly, the books were only published until 1929, but they had enough of an impact to get people travelling between cities and states, but people started opting to use maps instead. One thing I found interesting is that these original books had turn by turn instructions like our phones and GPS systems do now. You can bet I’ll bring that up next time someone mentions young people not being able to read maps…

Another book that started being published shortly after the Bluebook went out of print was one you’ve probably already heard of. First published in 1936, the Negro Motorist Green Book, known by many now simply as “The Green Book” because of the movie of the same name.

Without going into great detail or spoiling the movie, it’s more so about a man who gets the book rather than the book itself, which makes sense since it’s a guidebook. The book was a list of safe places to stay, eat and sightsee, specifically made for black people to use in the deep south.

Like the Blue Book, it’s use was short-lived, but helped many to travel safely between 1936 and 1966 when the last original copies were published.

One last thing that I will mention that many know about because of how famous it is, is a highway that unfortunately no longer in use the way it used to be, of course, I’m talking about Route 66. This original superhighway linked Illinois with California, a drive that’s now around 2000 miles with our modern highways. It was revolutionary in the 1920s and was driven by millions, but by 1985 it had lost its official designation of a “US Highway” that it had received in 1926. Route 66 connected small towns to one major roadway, but after WWII it was in need of massive repairs and could no longer stand the thousands of people who used the roadway and it was more or less abandoned for a newer road system with more direct routes between cities. You can still visit parts both on wheels and on foot, as some of the roadways is impassable by vehicle