Victorian-era tourists at Giza; tinted photo from a 19th c. stereopticon.
Thomas Cook and the Grand Tours
"Cook has made travel simple,
easy and a pleasure. He will sell you a ticket to any place on the globe. Cook
is your banker everywhere. His clerks will answer all the questions you ask,
and do it courteously. I recommend Cook's tickets and I do so without
embarrassment, for I get no commission. I do not know Cook." - Mark Twain, Europe and Elsewhere, 1923
Former cabinet-maker Thomas Cook's first excursion took place in 1841, when 570 people boarded a train at Leicester Station for a day of relaxation. Little did they know they were the first organized "tour", designed and executed by the brilliant visionary and entrepreneur, Thomas Cook. Already the wealthy had begun taking their "Grand Tours" with the opening up of the European continent following the advent of the steam engine and railroads across Europe.
However, railroads were still a novelty, and the concept of a round-trip fare hadn't been foreseen by the railroads. By putting together a package which included "eleven miles and back for a shilling, and children half-price," Cook brought excursions within the budget of common ordinary citizens. Up until that time, only the wealthy and aristocratic traveled for pleasure; other folks traveled only out of necessity, as roads were hazardous, safety unsure, and accommodations rather rough.
For this first tour, Cook went to Liverpool beforehand, and ensured that hotels and restaurants would provide the best possible service for his guests. He even wrote the first guidebook, "A Handbook of the Trip to Liverpool".
Other trips followed, Cook's pioneering excursionists to Scotland were greeted with crowds, brass bands and cannon fire because the tourist was still exceptional enough to be a novelty.
Cook was quick to see the possibilities for travel which the newly invented railways presented, and he jumped to fill a need when the S S Great Britain ran aground in Dundrum Bay by organizing an excursion to view the stranded ship in 1847. The Great Exhibition of 1851 brought him an excellent opportunity to expand his business and he seized it with alacrity. The service wasn't yet profitable, but he did make his name by persuading a great many folks to visit the Exhibition with Cooks.
With the railroads trying to undermine him by undercutting his prices, he was forced to find more customers than he had anticipated. He brought his son John Mason, 17, into the business to help and together they paraded though the streets of Sheffield, Leeds, Derby and Bradford with a band, making speeches about their trips to the Great Exhibition. They had also set up clubs so working men could pay in small sums a week toward the total cost which included accommodation at the Ranclagh Club - bed and a hearty Victorian breakfast - for two shillings, and the fare was five shillings. Through their direct selling methods, 165,000 people were able to attend the Exhibition with Cooks.
Other Victorian entrepreneurs became rivals and gave him keen competition. Nonetheless, over the years he took tourists to such varied places as the Paris Exhibition, and "A Grand Circular Tour" of Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo, Cologne, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Baden Baden and Paris. In 1863 he led a tour to Paris and Switzerland, and in 1864 to Italy. By that time, Cook claimed that he had one million clients and he was able to settle clients' bills, but he was not actually running inclusive tours yet. The following year Cook opened an office at 98 Fleet Street, which was run by his son, John Mason.
In 1865, Cook finally visited America, where he observed the vast North American continent, which was then virgin territory untrammeled by the feet of British tourists. That year the very first group of European tourists set foot in America. Led by his son, they visited, among other places, New York, Washington, Niagara, Chicago, The Mammouth Caves of Kentucky and the rather gruesome deserted battlefields of Virginia where they saw, 'skulls, arms, and legs all bleaching in the sun.' The party traveled 10,500 miles in nine weeks.
"During the famous Nile Tours, there were no hotels so in 1868 they traveled as a vast caravan, accompanied by 65 horses, 87 pack mules, tents, beds and field kitchens to prepare Victorian breakfasts of boiled eggs, followed by chicken and cutlets, and dinners of seven courses including wild boar and mutton. However, it was not all fun and games. When one of the party, a Mrs. Samuels, died on the trip, Cook diplomatically disguised the fact from the Arabs and, pretending that she was ill, packed up her body and had it carried in a palanquin until a suitable burial could be arranged." (Thomas Cook History)
No matter the circumstances, Cook had a bevy of admirers. Oscar Wilde said of Cook: 'They wire money like angels.' Kipling found words of praise. Even Mark Twain gave Cook a mention in his writings. Cook's tours not only were for the middle classes, they also attracted the likes of the British Royal family, The Kaiser, the Czar, many European aristocrats, politicians, bishops, archbishops and more.
The inclusive tour, in which everything is paid for in advance, was a creation of Cook as well as the Circular Note, the forerunner of the traveler's check which he created in 1873. (Adapted from Thomas Cook History.)
More reading:
K. B. Owen's blog post, The Cook's Tour of Egypt
The Original Top 10 Holiday Destinations
Former cabinet-maker Thomas Cook's first excursion took place in 1841, when 570 people boarded a train at Leicester Station for a day of relaxation. Little did they know they were the first organized "tour", designed and executed by the brilliant visionary and entrepreneur, Thomas Cook. Already the wealthy had begun taking their "Grand Tours" with the opening up of the European continent following the advent of the steam engine and railroads across Europe.
However, railroads were still a novelty, and the concept of a round-trip fare hadn't been foreseen by the railroads. By putting together a package which included "eleven miles and back for a shilling, and children half-price," Cook brought excursions within the budget of common ordinary citizens. Up until that time, only the wealthy and aristocratic traveled for pleasure; other folks traveled only out of necessity, as roads were hazardous, safety unsure, and accommodations rather rough.
For this first tour, Cook went to Liverpool beforehand, and ensured that hotels and restaurants would provide the best possible service for his guests. He even wrote the first guidebook, "A Handbook of the Trip to Liverpool".
Other trips followed, Cook's pioneering excursionists to Scotland were greeted with crowds, brass bands and cannon fire because the tourist was still exceptional enough to be a novelty.
Cook was quick to see the possibilities for travel which the newly invented railways presented, and he jumped to fill a need when the S S Great Britain ran aground in Dundrum Bay by organizing an excursion to view the stranded ship in 1847. The Great Exhibition of 1851 brought him an excellent opportunity to expand his business and he seized it with alacrity. The service wasn't yet profitable, but he did make his name by persuading a great many folks to visit the Exhibition with Cooks.
With the railroads trying to undermine him by undercutting his prices, he was forced to find more customers than he had anticipated. He brought his son John Mason, 17, into the business to help and together they paraded though the streets of Sheffield, Leeds, Derby and Bradford with a band, making speeches about their trips to the Great Exhibition. They had also set up clubs so working men could pay in small sums a week toward the total cost which included accommodation at the Ranclagh Club - bed and a hearty Victorian breakfast - for two shillings, and the fare was five shillings. Through their direct selling methods, 165,000 people were able to attend the Exhibition with Cooks.
Other Victorian entrepreneurs became rivals and gave him keen competition. Nonetheless, over the years he took tourists to such varied places as the Paris Exhibition, and "A Grand Circular Tour" of Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo, Cologne, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Baden Baden and Paris. In 1863 he led a tour to Paris and Switzerland, and in 1864 to Italy. By that time, Cook claimed that he had one million clients and he was able to settle clients' bills, but he was not actually running inclusive tours yet. The following year Cook opened an office at 98 Fleet Street, which was run by his son, John Mason.
In 1865, Cook finally visited America, where he observed the vast North American continent, which was then virgin territory untrammeled by the feet of British tourists. That year the very first group of European tourists set foot in America. Led by his son, they visited, among other places, New York, Washington, Niagara, Chicago, The Mammouth Caves of Kentucky and the rather gruesome deserted battlefields of Virginia where they saw, 'skulls, arms, and legs all bleaching in the sun.' The party traveled 10,500 miles in nine weeks.
"During the famous Nile Tours, there were no hotels so in 1868 they traveled as a vast caravan, accompanied by 65 horses, 87 pack mules, tents, beds and field kitchens to prepare Victorian breakfasts of boiled eggs, followed by chicken and cutlets, and dinners of seven courses including wild boar and mutton. However, it was not all fun and games. When one of the party, a Mrs. Samuels, died on the trip, Cook diplomatically disguised the fact from the Arabs and, pretending that she was ill, packed up her body and had it carried in a palanquin until a suitable burial could be arranged." (Thomas Cook History)
No matter the circumstances, Cook had a bevy of admirers. Oscar Wilde said of Cook: 'They wire money like angels.' Kipling found words of praise. Even Mark Twain gave Cook a mention in his writings. Cook's tours not only were for the middle classes, they also attracted the likes of the British Royal family, The Kaiser, the Czar, many European aristocrats, politicians, bishops, archbishops and more.
The inclusive tour, in which everything is paid for in advance, was a creation of Cook as well as the Circular Note, the forerunner of the traveler's check which he created in 1873. (Adapted from Thomas Cook History.)
More reading:
K. B. Owen's blog post, The Cook's Tour of Egypt
The Original Top 10 Holiday Destinations
Photo of hotel in Taormina, taken by an unknown tourist before 1899.