The ancient empire
The era of the great empire from 3,000BC to 500AD generated travel. The ancient Persians, Assyrians, and Egyptians traveled in an organized manner. Although travel during this period was slow and dangerous, many travelers continued to travel by land and sea.
During the era of the Greek empire, Tourism flourished. Festivals and shows, among them the Olympic games which begun in 776 BC, increase. This gave impetus to pleasure travel.
As tourism flourished, the number of guides increased. In the Greek language, guides were called “Periegetai” or leaders around or “exegetai” or explainer. Another term given to them was “proxemos” whose function was to help fellow citizen in traveling abroad.
The finest account of travel in the ancient empires were those of Herodotus whom many regard as the first travel writer. Herodotus history contains many references to guide. He was particularly critical of guides who had a propensity for reciting with great authority, dates, dialogues, and other specifics about people who had lived hundreds of years ago. Other historians, however, believe that guides and their work are both useful and essential.
In ancient rome, travelers increased in number. Sight-seeing proliferated. Ilium, the country of homer, had a thriving tourist business which featured many guides who pointed every significant place or feature mentioned in Iliad. They showed the seashore where the greek ships had been pulled up, the plain where the battles took place, and the side of the Trojan War which they regarded as the “piece de resistance”.
The Middle Ages
The period between the fall of rome and the renaissance is known at the Middle Ages, approximately between 500 AD and 1508 AD. It is also known as the Dark Ages. The fall of rome led to the decline of trade and the economy in general and decrease in the desire to travel.
The most of prevalent type of journey at this time was the religious pilgrimage, a holiday primarily for the upper...