An Introduction To Travel And Why We Need It
Travel is the travel of individuals between different, remote geographical locations. Travel can also be performed by car, bicycle, plane, train, bus, boat, car or other mode, with or without gear, and may be round trip or one way. The term “travel” can refer to movement from a point of origin to a point of destination or it can refer to the act of moving from one location to another. In modern usage, travel is often used in contexts that include both the moving and staying elements of travel. Thus, travel typically refers to journeys that have a beginning point and an end point, which may take days, weeks, months or even years to complete.
Travelling used to mean merely journeying or going about, on foot or on horseback, usually for a purpose of exploration, acquiring knowledge, visiting another country or getting to a destination beyond one’s immediate region. However, as we have developed more complex needs, the modern meaning of travel has changed to include the combining of different elements for a collective travel purpose. We now talk about the journey, which implies a general movement from A to B, or travelling in a group or as a group. Furthermore, the words “travel” and “public” have developed specific meanings to convey to the mass public. Let us take the word “travel” and its derivatives, first in terms of its root words, then in terms of its various derivatives, and finally in terms of its most common application, namely, as a means of travel.
The root word of travel is “tour”, which can also be traced to the Latin verb tour, meaning “to go”. This verb became associated with “journeys” in early Medieval French, and to “trip” in modern day. Today, travel means non-routine travel, or moving about for leisure, pleasure or business. Broadly speaking, travel means going out of one’s ordinary routine, within a defined geographical area or in a defined route.
A typical long term travel may include a journey to another country, the same county or state, or a specified city or town. A typical short vacation is a trip lasting two or more days. A bus or train journey is a more common form of short travel, whereas flying may be reserved for longer distance journeys. Booking a vehicle for a single place to travel can also be more common, though it may entail a more expensive ticket, depending on the time of year.
A typical book on travel, Understanding Travel, defines travel as “the act of going from one place to another”. It goes on to define travel by means of land, air, sea, in comparison to any other means. It further describes travel as an ensemble of activities that can include some journey or direction of the traveler. These activities can include hiking, biking, rafting, skydiving, sightseeing, swimming and the like.
Understanding Travel, defines travel as a process through which a person’s attitude toward new cultures and the exchange of culture, customs and values change over a period of time and are shared with another group of people. It further explains that, over the years, traveling has become an integral part of life and a lot of people take advantage of this. It also describes the importance of travel in today’s global society and the impact of globalization on human behavior, particularly when it comes to cultural exchange and peer pressure. Understanding Travel is a good read if you want to understand travel more thoroughly and have a better understanding on how different cultures differ.