Victorians and Edwardians Abroad: The Beginning of the Modern Holiday by Neil Matthews

Victorians and Edwardians Abroad: The Beginning of the Modern Holiday by Neil Matthews

'Victorians and Edwardians abroad: the beginning of the modern holiday' reveals a story never told before: the early years of one of Britain's leading modern travel agencies, the Polytechnic Touring Association (PTA). Created in 1888 within Britain's first Polytechnic, the PTA was an emblem of the era. It served a growing mass of middle-class and lower middle-class consumers, who found for the first time that they had the time and money to take extended holidays, often abroad. This book explains the creation of the Polytechnic and the PTA, charting the expansion of the travel agency into continental Europe and beyond. 'Victorians and Edwardians abroad' uncovers the recollections of those who went on 'Poly holidays' before 1914: how they experienced the journeys, what they did when they reached their destinations and what they thought holidays should be about. For all the serious strictures from their social 'betters' about the educational and 'improving' aspects of travel, PTA holidaymakers enjoyed themselves: liberating pork pies from train carriages, annoying foreign policemen and even beating the German Emperor to the last horses in town.Letters, articles and diaries of Poly holidays reveal a penchant for fun, even naughtiness, not often associated with the Victorians and Edwardians. Also included are a selection of postcards, photographs and promotional items from the PTA archives. Victorians and Edwardians abroad is a fascinating glimpse into holidays as they were, just over a hundred years ago.

Neil Matthews was born in London and read History at UCL and the University of Westminster. His research into the Polytechnic Touring Association has been featured in Educating Mind, Body and Spirit: the legacy of Quintin Hogg and the Polytechnic, 1864-1992 and in Leisure Studies. Neil is also an award-winning travel writer, with articles in Best of British, Optima and elsewhere. His travel book Journeys from Wimbledon Common was published in 2012. By profession he is a Chartered Marketer, specialising in not-for-profit roles.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781473834279
ISBN 10	1473834279
Title	Victorians and Edwardians Abroad: The Beginning of the Modern Holiday
Author	Neil Matthews
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2017-02-01
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable