Thomas Cook who lived from 1808 to 1892 began his career by running a successful one-day railway excursion for 500 temperance campaigners at a shilling a head from Leicester to Loughborough, a 19km (11 mile journey) on 5 July, 1841. He invented new payment systems for hotels and travel bookings, sold travel goods, organised excursions and ran a small alcohol free hotel in Fleet Street, London before he retired in 1878. There is a statue dedicated to him, outside Leicester Railway Station in the UK which was unveiled on 14 January 1994. His son took…
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How Big is that Island? The World’s Top 25 islands mapped.
I love gazing at maps. This map of the world’s 25 largest island nations and territories hooked me in. Seeing the actual sizes to scale makes you realise how big some island groupings are. Take Indonesia, for example. It is eight times bigger than New Zealand! The difference in size between the UK, home to 65 million and NZ, home to 4.5million, is not that much different. That tiny smudge on the north of most maps is Greenland, and yet it is about one-third the size of Australia! I have been to 12 of the top 25.…
Spectacular, Stunning Stonehenge
Verdict: My Overall Rating: 84% Global Ranking: Listed seventh amongst Historical Landmarks to See Before You Die (I have seen 32 of the top 50) Why it should be visited: History, Spiritual place Negatives: Traffic, Crowds Would I return?: Yes, in a heartbeat. Bear in mind that there are many other stone circles through which have fewer crowds Location and Orientation Stonehenge is probably one of the most famous stone monuments in the world. It sits on a chalky plain north of the Salisbury, England about 88 miles south-west of London. Archaeologists and historians believe that the site…
What to do to prepare for a potential disaster while travelling
After the terrorist events across the world this past week, I think it is prudent to be prepared for a situation where you experience a natural or human emergency. (This is coming from someone who has lived in two war zones and travelled through multiple other war areas and disasters!) Check travel warnings for natural disaster warnings, violence, political unrest and wars before you travel. It amazes me that I talk to tourists who arrive in a country oblivious that only weeks before there was a coup or hurricane or earthquake! Check Your Perception: despite the…
UK to follow USA with laptop ban
I asked a question this morning, in relation to the ban on electronic equipment in cabin on flights from ten cities in eight countries: “How long before we see a worldwide ban on travelling with laptops?” The BBC have just announced that the UK will ban some electronic devices from the cabin for flights originating in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey. Under the new arrangements passengers will not be allowed to take into the cabin mobile phones, laptops, e-readers and tablets which are larger than: length: 16.0cm width: 9.3cm depth: 1.5cm Unlike…
Where Britain has not invaded
Based on a tip from a reader this week, I found this interesting map. Stuart Laycock, a British Historian has identified that 90% of the world’s countries were at some point invaded by the British in his book: All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To. Not all were captured and not all became part of the Empire. It makes a fascinating image. The nations in pink were invaded or taken over in some way at some point Related Posts Going Metric – A Startling View
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