Tourism in the Middle Ages: The Rich and the Faithful History of Tourism Tourism in the Middle Ages: The Rich and the Faithful

The Middle Ages: An Introduction The next period of tourism we will be discussing will be the Middle Ages or medieval period. In many ways the nature of tourism does not significantly change between the Greek and Roman period and the Middle Ages. Although hundreds of years have passed, medieval tourists shared many of the same issues and concerns as tourists in the ancient world and often shared similar motivations for their travel. However, there were some differences between medieval travellers and their ancient forerunners; not the least of which was the inclusion of people outside the upper classes in those travelling for pleasure

Who Travelled And How? Despite the inclusion of some poorer tourists, it remains true to say that the majority of the pleasure travellers in the Middle Ages were still wealthy. Perhaps the most obvious type of pleasure traveller was the European Royal Families. These families spent much of their time travelling from one royal residence to another through elaborate royal 'progresses' often escorted by hundreds of people and a variety of vehicles. Medieval society placed a large emphasis on the public display of social status; so for royalty, it was important that their travel be both visible and impressive. Without our modern media, royalty needed to be seen to maintain their power; however they also travelled to hunt game, visit holy sites or sometimes just out of boredom (Labarge 1982).

TASK: Want to be a medieval travel agent? Review the information on: Tourism2.wikispaces.com. Imagine yourself in the position of organising the travel of an upper class medieval tourist. As their 'travel agent' it is your job to organise all the details of the trip; both for the noble and for anyone travelling with them. Discuss the following questions with someone else in your class and make a note of your answers (pairs). Activity Hint: You can use the material in the manual to help you answer these questions or you may want to research trips made by other upper classes tourists in the Middle Ages; it's up to you. 1. Roughly how many people do you think you will be organising travel details for? 2. What sort of possible accommodation options can you see for the group? 3. What sort of baggage or provisions will you need to organise for the group to take? 4. What other issues do you need to consider to make the trip run smoothly?

TASK: Want to be a medieval travel agent? 1. Roughly how many people do you think you will be organising travel details for? The average size of a retinue for an upper class tourist would be between 100-200 people. There may be smaller groups, particularly for fast trips, but most progresses were very large. 2. What sort of possible accommodation options can you see for the group? Private houses owned by the noble, private houses owned by friends/family of the noble, religious houses, hospices and Inns. 3. What sort of baggage or provisions will you need to organise for the group to take? Money, basic food for people and horses, religious tools and artefacts, luxury items such as ale or specialised food, any medicines needed, clothes, hunting equipment, cooking/kitchen requirements, bed clothes, any ceremonial requirements for the social status of the tourist such as robes or tapestries, bedclothes. 4. What other issues do you need to consider to make the trip run smoothly? Safety – Is the route safe?, Speed – Will the group travel fast enough to reach towns when needed/, Roads – How bad are they? Are there any?, Accommodation, Animals, Maps & Charts.

How do the Middle Ages compare to today? Think about the information you have just covered on tourism in the Middle Ages; how do you think tourism during the medieval period compares with tourism today? Discuss the following questions with someone else in the class – Be prepared to share your answers. How easy do you think it was to be a tourist in the Middle Ages as opposed to being a tourist today? 2. How does the use of transport technology in the Middle Ages compare with transport today? 3. What sort of similarities do you see between the attractions and activities visited by medieval tourists and the attractions and activities visited by modern tourists? 4. What differences can you see?

1. How easy do you think it was to be a tourist in the Middle Ages as opposed to being a tourist today? Travel in the Middle Ages was relatively difficult. Travel was much slower than in modern times and often a lot less comfortable. Transport was often uncomfortable and accommodation options were limited and dangerous. Women remained limited in their choices and people needed to travel in large groups for safety. Although some lower/middle class people did travel, tourism remained an occupation that was mainly for the rich. Answers may also refer to the fact that travelling was a lot easier for the nobility than for their servants; nobility made a decision to travel and then most of the logistics were covered for them. As opposed to servants who had to organise the trip, go when/where they were told and were often given the worst facilities 2. How does the use of transport technology in the Middle Ages compare with transport today? During the middle ages there was three main travel modes; human (walking), animal (riding or cart) and sea (by boat or ship)

4. What differences can you see? 3. What sort of similarities do you see between the attractions and activities visited by medieval tourists and the attractions and activities visited by modern tourists? Shared interest in religion and sport. Development of accommodation options around attractions or destinations and the provision of personnel such as guides by the destination government. 4. What differences can you see? A wider range of activities/attractions being available in the modern world, Attractions in the Middle Ages were almost always about 'looking at something' rather than 'doing something; for example, viewing a monastery as opposed to taking a jet boat ride, that attractions/activities were almost certainly linked to religion or ceremony, that access to attractions/activities was limited by distance as well as by the social class of the tourist.