Outline:
- Introduction.
- Old and new ways.
- Uses and Abuses.
- Conclusion.
Travelling is one of the most delightful experiences of mankind. People have always enjoyed going from place to place, seeing men and things. They have gone abroad for several reasons. One of the most popular of travelling was the pl image to holy places. This was so in the past though it is not together rare in modern times. Secondly, trade and commerce took ple to different parts of the country and even to foreign lands. Apart from these people went out for merely sight-seeing. Men love change. They grow weary of their routine and wish to break the dullness of their daily life.
Familiar faces and places began to lose their charm by long, continuous contact. Therefore people leave their homes for a time, go abroad and spend a few happy days far from their homes. They come back with a greater love for home after separation. It is only when we abandon a thing for some time that we begin to learn its importance. It was in such a mood of travelling that the poets wrote in praise of home. So wrote Sir Walter Scott these famous lines in which he asks:
Breathes there man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath siad:
“This is my own, my native land?”
So wrote Oliver Goldsmith when he had gone far from home and remembered his native place. And in all these examples we may not that their love of home became more powerful ony when they left it for a time and returned. In short, the desire for travelling is a natural instinct. Men are born travellers whether they go far or near, whether they stay away longer or shorter.[the_ad id=”17141″]
Travelling was a very risky job in the past. There were no good roads, no facilities of transportation. Horses and camels, cars and carriages were the usual means of transport on land. Boats were the only means for voyaging. Religion and trade were the usual motives for going abroad. They were necessities rather than luxuries. Faith in Gode was intimate and pilgrims undertook long journeys in groups to visit sacred places or shrines. Merchants went in groups and caravans and faced several dangers. Robbers infested the jungles through which travelling had to be made. Wild beasts made travelling almost like a hunting expedition. Thus travelling in the past was an arduous affair full of risk and adventure. The religious motive made many great travellers go far and their records have come down to us like those of the Chinese, Fahian and Hieun Tsang.
But travelling in modern days has becmeboth safer and cheaper. It costs less time, less energy to go from one place to another. This is so because sciere has given us several divices for quicker modes of journeying. They railyway, the steamship and the airplane have made traveling easier and quicker. Of course there are risks even in such ways of travelling. Trains get derailed; ships get sunk or lost; and planes do not always fly safely. But thewse are exceptions. By and large, we may well say that travellingin modern days in both safe and speedy. There is no part of the world that we may not visit. Of course we want money to do this. But the richest person in the past was neither safe nor quick in his travels.
Again, the motives for travelling in modern times have also changed along with the means of transport. People do not often go on pilgrimages as they did in the past. Pilgrimage are now done mostly by religious-minded people. Such people are no doubt still many in a land like ours, but in general we may say that religion is not one of the principal motives of travelling. Journeys to-day are made by merchants and ambassadors more than by pilgrims and pious people. They are also made by students for gaining knowledge and experience. Adventure is yet another motive behind travelling. But those who travel thus do not go by trains and other modern means of transport. They usually walk on foot or ride on bicycles. We often hear reports of such travellers who may be said tobe born travellers. They travel for sake of travelling, and not for religious or commercial reasons. In short, the modes and motives of modern travelling are both speed and various.[the_ad id=”17142″]
What are the uses of travelling? They are several. For one thing, travelling widens our outlook. it gives us more knowledge of men and things. IT is; in fact, a supplement to our studies. It makes us know more of life and much of life. We see other people with customs – and manners other than our own. This makes us more tolerant and less narrowminded. We see the richness and variety of peoples and land. We see that the world is wider than our own village, town, city or country. We become in a way citizens of the world. This is today the most valuable part of travelling because we are living in a scientific age. Science has made our world smaller by establishing speedy communications and transport. It takes very little time to cover long distances, In this sense our world is really smiller. Now if we live today in this small world, it means that we are forced to meet with strangers and foreigners. It we do not travel, other people do, and thus we are brought face to face with travellers. If we do not know and like them we will have to dislike them. And so trouble and conflict may come. It is necessary, therefore to widen our knowledge of other people and lands.
Again, travelling makes us proud of man’s achievements in many fields-social, political, cultural. When we go to places of historical interest: we see how men have fought and fell in the cause of freedom. When we visit monuments and victory pillars we are inspired by the same noble feeling. When we visit buildings like the Taj at Agra or the Shalamar Garden at Lahore we are proud of men’s artistic achievements. When we see temples and churches and mosques we are ennobled by these sights. When we visit schools and universities we are impressed by man’s struggles against ignorance and superstition. When we visit laboratories and observatories we see the deeds of scientists and astronomers who are always discovering new ideas and devices to raise the standards of life. When w visit Houses of Parliament and Courts we see men trying to control lawlessness and disorder by passing laws and rules. In short, wherever we go and whatever we see, we are always inspired with the sight of mankind marching ahead in many fields though t and action. There are some of the noblest uses to which travelling may be put.[the_ad id=”17150″]
But there are dangers, too, of travelling when we misụse or abuse our travelling for travelling’s sake. For one thing, we must not. or abuse our travelling. A rolling stone, they say, gathers no moss. A traveller who passes from one place to another without stopping to see and think is a human stone. He will gain nothing thereby. Her will lose his money and time. He will grow restless. He becomes uprooted. HE will have no loyalties and love for anything. He may become good for nothing. Secondly, when we go abroad we must not pick up fashions in dress and talk as such. When we return we must not imitate these fashions of show that w have travelled. We must bring back good ideas and manners. We must try to improve ourselves by following what is commendable and good. Thirdly, if we have no money to travel we must not sell our property in order to go abroad. Many people do so and live to regret their errors. Finally when we are abroad.we must not seek the company of our own nationals and lie with them. This will defeat the very purpose of travelling. We go out in order to know what Other people think and do.
Travelling is a very important means of enriching our life. But since everyone is not able to afford travelling; we must organise excursion tours, This will help many to save money and get the , benefits of travelling. Schools and colleges must organise such trips. and tours. This will help many to save money and get the benefits of travelling. Schools and colleges must organise such trips and tours. The educational importance of travelling is very great indeed. Travelling must be made of travelling is very great indeed. Travelling must be made cheap and every encouragement must be given to young men and women to reap its benefits. The Railways are providing concessions for this purpose. They must be fully utilized. IF travelling is thus made use if, it will give us a wider outlook which will teach us tolerance. We need this todya more than ever. We must first travel inside our own country and come to know the various people of East and West Pakitan. We are duty-bound to learn more and more of our country and its varied customs and languages. We will then be able to be truly proud of ourselves. When this is done, we may go abroad and continue to widen our outlook and sympathies. Today more than ever ” we need to become citizens of the world. For this pupose there is nothing beter than travelling. But unless we set about it properly we may not be able to get its advantages for everyone. Let us hope we will start organizing tours and excursions in a systematic manner so that even the poorest of us may be benefitted. Travelling today should no longer be a luxury for a few but it must be for all.