Travel

Travel is the movement of people or objects (such as airplanes, boats, trains and other conveyances) between relatively distant geographical locations.[1][2]

Contents

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Etymology

The term "travel" originates from the Old French word travail.[3] The term also covers all the activities performed during a travel (movement).[4] A person who travels is spelled "traveler" in the United States, and "traveller" in the United Kingdom.

Purpose and motivation

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

Saint Augustine

Reasons for traveling include recreation,[5] tourism[5] or vacationing,[5] research travel[5] for the gathering of information, for holiday to visit people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere else, religious pilgrimages[5] and mission trips, business travel,[5] trade,[5] commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care[5] or fleeing war or for the enjoyment of traveling. Travel may occur by human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling, or with vehicles, such as public transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.

Motives to travel include pleasure,[6] relaxation, discovery and exploration,[5] getting to know other cultures[5] and taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships. 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. A trip may also be part of a round trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from their usual residence to one or several locations and returns.

Travel safety

It's important to take precautions to ensure travel safety.[7] When traveling abroad, the odds favor a safe and incident-free trip, however, travelers can be subject to difficulties, crime and violence.[8] Some safety considerations include being aware of one's surroundings,[7] avoiding being the target of a crime,[7] leaving copies of one's passport and itinerary information with trusted people,[7] obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited[7] and registering with one's national embassy when arriving in a foreign country.[7] Many countries do not recognize drivers' licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits.[9] 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.[9] It's also advisable become oriented with the driving rules and regulations of destination countries.[9] Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons and because many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.[9]

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):[10]

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 kilometres
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

References

  1. ^ "Travel." (definition). Thefreedictionary.com. Accessed July 2011.
  2. ^ "Travel." (definition). Merriam-webster.com. Accessed July 2011.
  3. ^ Entymoligical dictionary (definition). Retrieved on 10 December 2011 [
  4. ^ "Travel." (synonyms and antonyms]. Thesaurus.com. Accessed July 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Road to Travel: Purpose of Travel." University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. (Compilation for History 3931/REL 3938 course.) Accessed July 2011.
  6. ^ (1988). "So Your Community Wants Travel/Tourism?" Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota. Michigan State University Extension. Accessed July 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Tips for Traveling Abroad." Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Accessed July 2011.
  8. ^ "A Safe Trip Abroad." Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Accessed July 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d "Road Safety Overseas." Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Accessed July 2011.
  10. ^ The risks of travel

External links