travel, travel and tour, travel guides and reviews, travel news, google travel, travel blog,travel channel, tripadvisor, travel club

travel, travel and tour, travel guides and reviews, travel news, google travel, travel blog,travel channel, tripadvisor, travel club

A statue dedicated to the traveler in Oviedo, Spain.

Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, 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.

Etymology

The origin of the word "travel" is most likely lost to history. The term "travel" may originate from the Old French word travail. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word travel was in 14th century. It also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French travailler (which means to work strenuously, toil). In English we still occasionally use the words travail and travails, which mean 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 tripalium (in Latin it means "three stakes", as in to impale). This link is fascinating given the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Also note the torturous connotation of the word "travailler." Today, travel may or may not be much easier depending upon the destination you choose (i.e., Mt. Everest, the Amazon rainforest), how you plan to get there (tour bus, cruise ship, or oxcart), and whether or not you decide to "rough it (see extreme tourism and adventure travel). "There's a big difference between simply being a tourist and being a true world traveler," notes travel writer Michael Kasum.

Travel safety

Travelers in a British Airways 747 airplane. Air travel is a common means of transport.

It's important to take 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, avoiding being the target of a crime, leaving copies of one's passport and itinerary information with trusted people, obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited and registering with one's national embassy when arriving in a foreign country. Many countries do not recognize drivers' licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits. Automobile insurance policies issued in one's own country are often invalid in foreign countries, and it's often a requirement to obtain temporary auto insurance valid in the country being visited. It is also advisable to become oriented with the driving rules and regulations of destination countries. Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons and because many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.
There are three main statistics which may be used to compare the safety of various forms of travel (based on a DETR survey in October 2000):

Deaths per billion journeys            Bus: 4.3            Rail: 20            Van: 20            Car: 40            Foot: 40            Water: 90            Air: 117            Bicycle: 170            Motorcycle: 1640

Deaths per billion hours             Bus: 11.1             Rail: 30             Air: 30.8             Water: 50             Van: 60             Car: 130             Foot: 220             Bicycle: 550             Motorcycle: 4840

Deaths per billion kilometers                 Air: 0.05                 Bus: 0.4                 Rail: 0.6                 Van: 1.2                 Water: 2.6                 Car: 3.1                 Bicycle: 44.6                 Foot: 54.2                 Motorcycle: 108.9

 

Best places to heal a broken heart

Whether an Italian cycling tour or a Bahamas beach break better suits your fancy, these five destinations are the perfect cure for the relationship blues.

• Bahamas
• Canada
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• Tours & Classes

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Business trip: Denver

By Chris McGinnis

Even the most notorious nose-to-the-grindstone business traveller will have a difficult time not having fun in this sunny Colorado city.

• Colorado
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By Husna Haq

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• Travel Tips

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Four apps encourage smarter detours

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Far beyond showing you the shortest way from A to B, these four GPS-enabled apps show the most interesting and amusing ways to get to your desired destination.

• Technology
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Are the French really as arrogant as the surveys say?

By Karina Martinez-Carter

With surveys repeatedly suggesting that travellers see the French as impolite and unwelcoming, we see if the stereotype is really true.

• France
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• Europe
• Germany
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• Paris
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Walk with the locals in Mumbai

By Sharon Fernandes

Mumbai’s first set of Jane Jacobs walks explores three distinct neighbourhoods, giving residents and visitors the chance to better understand the true nature of the teeming metropolis.