‘I suppose a little
tour of Italy, will be the next excursion; it furnishes rather an additional
fund for elegant amusements in private life than anything useful’
- Lord
Findlater to James Oswald re latters son, 1768
The idea of tourism was heavily criticised
during the eighteenth century mainly on the grounds of cost, culture, dangers of
Catholicism and venereal disease. Very little criticism is aimed at tourism
itself, rather more in a xenophobic manner, in that people were afraid of foreign
influences such as French food and Italian Opera would have on the country and
tourism was seen as something of a failure to defend the integrity of British
life and society.
Those who defended tourism rarely
stressed the pleasures of foreign travel as such matters would have been deemed
trivial. In some cases, to be able to travel, a bit of deception was often used;
motives for travelling were often seeking cures for ill health, socialising,
knowledge and education.
During the first half of the
eighteenth century, the ‘Classical Grand Tour’ was the most dominate (young men
travelling with tutors for several years to continue their education). But the latter
half of the century saw a change in who was travelling abroad, whilst many
still travelled in this manner, it started to include tourists not on their
first trip, women, older tourists, families and people who sought shorter
journeys (weekend trips). This new group did not strive for education, rather
travelling for the sake of it, for enjoyment and amusement.
The Casual Tourist was born.
Because of this new found freedom and
going on holiday meant not looking for education, landscapes and their wilder
features in it began to be appreciated and admired.
Notes from: 'The British Abroad: The Grand Tour In The Eighteenth Century', Jeremy Black
Quote from the book, sourced from: Memorials of... James Oswald (Edinburgh, 1825), p.206
