Drawing on the ancients, these eighteenth-century travellers to Italy contributed significantly to the breakthrough of classicism in England and Germany. To architects, painters, musicians and literati, travelling was a source of inspiration. Rome, with its abundance of ancient architecture, proved the strongest magnet, but Naples, Venice and Florence had many visitors as well. Older, often less well-to-do grand tourists were mostly authors, artists and intellectuals. ![]() ![]() Above all, educational travellers sought out picturesque landscapes and cultural sites, and Italy was considered absolutely central and mandatory. To conclude their education, sons of noble or bourgeois families were sent on long journeys to countries in central Europe and as far as the Holy Land to learn languages and get to know different cultures. The Grand Tour marked the beginning of modern cultural tourism. With the boom in travel literature, a new travel phenomenon began to spread in Europe in the late seventeenth century: the Grand Tour, also referred to as the “cavalier’s tour” or the “educational journey”. While the excitement surrounding the zeppelin in the 1930s did not last long, the airplane soon became the most popular mode of travel for long distances. As a counter-movement to this democratization, luxury steamers such as the Imperator and luxury trains like the Orient Express took up operations. In the twentieth century, air travel gained significance for passenger transport. Going on a journey was now affordable even for the less well-heeled, and it was losing some of its prestige. The new transocean lines and the development of the rail network in many countries around the world led to a rapid increase in the number of travellers. ![]() In the nineteenth century, not only was industrialization revolutionary, but transportation underwent dramatic changes as well: Motorized ships allowed for sea voyages that did not rely on the wind, while steam-powered trains greatly increased both comfort and speed. The steamship and the railroad signalled the advent of mass transportation. Not only does it determine the efficiency and comfort of travelling on a given route but it will often define the route itself. Until around 1800, travellers going long distances relied on horses, carriages and sailing ships. The nature of a journey is profoundly influenced by the means of transport.
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