News & Trends
Time for a journey through time: 130,000 years on the move
From early humans to commercial air travel: travel has evolved from a daring endeavor into a multi-billion market – and yet, it continues to raise a timeless question: What are we truly looking for when we set out?
Travel is part of human nature. Our longing to see what lies beyond the horizon is ancient. But traveling simply for the sake of it? That’s a much newer concept – and until not long ago, it was mostly reserved for the upper class.
It requires time, resources, and suitable means of transportation. Technological, economic, and geopolitical developments in recent decades have made it accessible to broader segments of society. And they are embracing it with enthusiasm: there have never been more travelers than today – and the numbers continue to rise. But why, exactly?
In this letter, Englishwoman Sophie Lane Poole captures the timeless magic of travel: the courage to leave, the thrill of anticipation, the strain of the journey – and the wonder of arrival. Whether it’s a monument, a landscape, a culture, or simply the unknown, something always waits to be discovered.
Neanderthals move from Portugal to Siberia, as shown by similar stone tools found across the region. The distribution of these finds suggests isolated exploration rather than large-scale migration.
Alexander the Great returns from his expedition to India with a fantastical tale about a (mythical) creature named Odontotyrannus, which is said to have attacked him and his soldiers.
China’s Han Dynasty opens the Silk Road, forging trade links with the West. It becomes the most important trade route for centuries to come.
The steadily growing number of pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela leads to the emergence of numerous guesthouses along the Camino de Santiago. They lay the foundation for tourism as an economic force.
For the European and Russian aristocracy of the 17th and 18th centuries, the “Grand Tour” becomes a rite of passage: these often years-long educational journeys across the continent expose them to new cultures – and help forge useful political ties.
British entrepreneur Thomas Cook organizes a rail excursion for factory workers from Leicester to Loughborough. It marks the birth of the modern group tour – and the world’s first travel agency.
Nearly 40 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is founded. It lays the groundwork for safe and cooperative global air travel.
With around 41 million flights worldwide and 1.4 billion international tourists per year, travel is a mass phenomenon. Popular destinations like Venice are fighting overtourism with measures such as entry fees. Massnahmen wie Eintrittspreisen.
Travel is …
… adventure and transformation
From early explorations to polar expeditions to modern-day safaris, it’s the call of the unknown that moves us.
… self-discovery and purpose
On pilgrimage routes, multi-day treks, or in immersive cultural experiences, we find new ways to see – and reinvent – ourselves.
… learning and connection
Travel fosters cultural exchange and shared knowledge. It helps us see our own world through different eyes.
… recovery and healing
From historic mountain sanatoriums to today’s trendy yoga retreats, travelers have long sought well-being for body and mind.
From historic mountain sanatoriums to today’s trendy yoga retreats, travelers have long sought well-being for body and mind. Or, in Goethe’s words: “One does not travel to arrive, but to travel.” Always with the hope – then as now – that happiness will find us along the way.
Discover the entire issue
Read more articles from our current issue: ‘How much wanderlust can our planet bear?’.
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