International Living Postcards– Sunday Edition
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006
Paris, France
"Newby was born at the tail end of the Victorian and Edwardian era, when Englishmen explored the world with purpose and intent rather than for frivolous pleasure, enduring gender-testing hardship wherever possible. By the time Newby got going the old spirit had diminished, but he did his best to keep it alive."
– "The Guardian," on travel writer Eric Newby’s death, Oct. 20, 2006
Once upon a time, the idea of travel was to satisfy a curiosity, to further a course of self-improvement, to develop your talents for language, fencing, even wooing. It was travel worth doing well, and it took a serious amount of time, from a few months to several years.
Then the arrival of mass rail transit in the 1820s, which sounded the death knoll of the "Grand Tour."
In the decades since, travel has devolved into a chore rather than an experience. Not only must today’s traveler see as many places as possible, but you must do so quicker and cheaper than your neighbor. There are no longer destinations, merely through-ways, and instead of meeting the people of a region, you spend quality time with a 21st-century phenomenon, the Breathless Tour Guide, whose boundless optimism is inversely proportional to his knowledge about anyplace he happens to be passing you through.
Modern-day voyagers value nothing more than comfort and convenience as they organize logistics and particulars to maximize efficiency. I’m as guilty as the next one.
Through the turn of the 19th century, it was not this way. Until that time, "Grand Tourists" sought not convenience as they explored the worlds of antiquity and the Renaissance. They set out on grand journeys in search of knowledge, understanding, and an education that they believed could be acquired no other way. They wanted to prepare for success in their world…by investing in an extended exploration of its roots.
Back then, the opportunity to enjoy this celebrated rite of passage was reserved for the privileged class.
Today, travel is easier and more affordable than ever. You need not be wealthy or well-born to enjoy all the favors the world’s outposts have to bestow. Yet, probably for these reasons, we value travel almost not at all for its more esoteric benefits.
This is a shame. For travel today could be as rich…indeed, richer…and more enlightening than the grand travel our Victorian ancestors arranged…a chance to put the current world into better perspective by experiencing firsthand the important sites of the Old World.
No, not easy to arrange on your own. I’ve considered it. Then, coincidentally, this month, some friends, including International Living Founding Publisher Bill Bonner, got in touch to tell me they’ve created just such a grand adventure–a modern-day Grand Tour reviving the Victorian European tradition with 16 days on the Continent…in Paris…a chateau in Normandy…Venice…Florence…Rome…Palermo…and beyond. These Grand Tourists will enjoy the best of both worlds, seeing the sites and sharing the experiences of Grand Tour-goers of another age…but, this time, in five-star comfort and style.
The idea of this program, which is unlike any I’ve found anywhere else, is to discover the Old World in a way that will help you better your own. You’ll come to understand our society’s roots in ancient Rome…and how they can point you toward better living, even maybe greater profits in modern life. Specifically, the program will focus on the best investment opportunities in the New Europe. How should you react to current market events? The best way I can imagine is to take a close, firsthand look at the places and the ideas that set the foundations for them. As my friends put it, "When Rome falls, you can profit." Their intent is to help you understand how.
This is a maybe once-in-a-lifetime chance to rediscover the romance…the intrigue…the art of travel. This spring, convene with a small group of like-minded travelers and re-create, together, the Grand Tour tradition. Full details here.
Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living
[Don't miss out. Get your free IL Postcards subscription today.]
P.S. More than a tour, this program offers an education…in the most agreeable surroundings I can imagine. Fine food and wine, convivial company, important ideas…considered and enjoyed in the great centers of ancient and Renaissance art, history and philosophy. This is the kind of trip you’ll remember the rest of your life. Find out more here.
