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English Notes 1 Topic Grand Tour
Course: Travel Writing English Colloquium (HONR290)
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University: University of Delaware
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The Grand Tour 9/4/18
What is the Grand Tour?
● A travel itinerary.
● Main goal: education.
● A rite of passage for young male aristocrats.
● A formal education was needed for personal development on the tour.
● The tour was exclusive because it was expensive, and also exclusive to
specifically men who were aristocrats and the educated middle class.
● There were many risks and dangers on the Grand Tour, for example the ability to
adopt different beliefs, or “becoming native” to the place(s) you visit on the tour.
● Views and beliefs were supposed to be unchanged.
● The Grand Tour lasted at least a year, usually more.
● Education was the key to traveling, curiosity was frowned upon during the tour.
● The goal of the tour was to prepare for a career in the diplomatic office.
● The Grand Tour was an academic and sexual “awakening” exploring
heterosexuality and homosexuality, especially in Italy (Venice).
● On the tour, a knowledgeable guide was required, along with guidebooks.
● The Grand Tour materialized in the 1700s.
● Being on the Grand Tour related to a higher status.
● Technology changed travel and made it more accessible.
● Visited countries included Paris, Italy (Rome specifically), and the “Low
Countries” like the Netherlands and Belgium, etc.
● Travels stayed Eurocentric, staying clear of Spain and other countries on the
outskirts of Europe.
● Italy was an important country to visit due to its classical architecture.
● Shopping and purchase of artifacts was popular to prove that you were on the
Tour.
● The Grand Tour turned into tourism when travel became more mainstream.
Similarities and Differences between The Grand Tour and Tourism Today:
Similarities:
● Both types of travel include learning about the place that you’re visiting.
● Status is still a large factor in why we travel today.
● Taking long trips and staying in upper-level hotels requires you to be middle class
or above.
Differences:
● Tourism today is not centered around education.
● Encouragement today on viewing different perspectives outside of your own
personal views.
● Traveling has expanded outside of the educated middle class, since now road
trips and less expensive forms of travel are still considered tourism.
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