Throughout the 1800s, few Americans had the resources, freedom, or time to pursue travel as a leisure activity or to write about it. The young nation and its people were busy building an economy and a culture that would launch it onto the world stage in the 20th century as a great international power. Meanwhile, adventurers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs pushed the frontier and railroads westward from the Appalachian Mountains to the west coast, as ranches, farms, mines, and small towns emerged throughout the vast and beautiful interior of new territories and states. 

The struggles of this era failed to create a perfect society, but this history created a sense of determination, curiosity and individualism in the nation that became viewed worldwide as stereotypical American characteristics. Three historic figures who embodied these values and became notorious through their own travels were Washington Irving, Theodore Roosevelt, and Mark Twain. Each of them began traveling by exploring the American heartland and then expanded their adventures to include overseas lands and different cultures. 

Washington Irving’s Passion for Travel - “What a country is this for the traveler, where the simplest inn is as full of adventure as an enchanted castle and every meal is itself an achievement! Let others complain about the lack of good roads and sumptuous hotels and all the comforts of a cultured and civilized country… To me, give the climb of the rough mountains and the wild customs of far-off places, that is what gives such an exquisite flavor to old and romantic Spain.” Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra, 1832

Washington Irving was raised in New York City and is mostly known today for essays and classic short stories like "Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" He also wrote a five-volume biography of George Washington and popular books about life out west including “A Tour of the Prairies.” Having worked in England as a young man in his family's import business, Irving returned to Europe in the 1820s to serve as a minor diplomat at the American embassy in Spain. His "Tales of Alhambra" collection of stories about living within the walls of the then ruined Alhambra palace in Grenada is a must read to this day for anyone seeking to visit Spain and learn about the Al-Andalus era during the Middle Ages when Islamic, Christian, and Jewish cultures combined to influence life in the kingdoms of that region. 

Theodore Roosevelt’s Spirit of Adventure - “We have arrived in Alexandria. How I gazed on it! It was Egypt, the land of my dreams, Egypt the most ancient of all countries. A land that was old when Rome was bright, was old when Babylon was in its glory, was old when Troy was taken! It was a sight to awaken a thousand thoughts, and it did.” Diary of Theodore Roosevelt, at age 14 in 1873.

Viewed by many as one of the United States' greatest Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt ended up on Mount Rushmore after succeeding as a naturalist, soldier, trust buster and diplomat. Roosevelt advanced quickly in politics by becoming New York's Governor in his thirties, Vice President, and President at forty-two, and a retired stateman at the young age of fifty. 

Raised in privilege, Roosevelt did several Grand Tours of Europe in his youth and later went there on two honeymoons. He was also fascinated with the American west. The months he spent overseeing his ranch and hunting out there developed an outdoor spirit and an appreciation for nature which led to the establishment of numerous national parks. With his fame and reputation intact, he left politics in 1909. He immediately departed from New York with an entourage of reporters on a safari to Africa which lasted months. 

Upon his return, he embarked again for a series of visits to European royalty. When World War I embroiled the Atlantic Ocean and the continent in conflict, he joined an ill-fated adventure to the Amazon jungle in Brazil and Paraguay seeking the origins of the Amazon. By the time he died in 1919 after an unsuccessful third run for President, his reputation for exuberant travel opened Americans to a wider world of destinations. 

Mark Twain’s Commentary on Travel - “Travel has no longer any charm for me. I have seen all the foreign countries I want to except heaven & hell and I have only a vague curiosity about one of those.” Letter to W. D. Howells, 1891

Mark Twain's novels and lectures are viewed as the embodiment of 19th century Americana. A one act play about his life featuring Hal Holbrook as Twain sold out across the country one hundred years after he died in the 1980s and even Disney World attractions use his image to present American stories. Twain began his life working in different cities around the country but eventually headed west and took jobs ranging from a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi to a reporter in the Wild West mining town of Virginia City, Nevada during the silver rush. 

Few people realize that Twain spent over a dozen years overseas. He travelled frequently and was regarded internationally as a travel writer and good will ambassador for the United States. Whether dining with European royalty, exploring the middle east or presenting 

travelogues about his books such as “The Innocents Abroad” or “Following the Equator", he embodied the rising confidence of the American middle class during the periods of westward expansion and the Gilded Age. 

Awaken Your Traveling Spirit  

America is different now. Our nation includes people from all over the world. In addition. people interested in travel have more options available than was the case in the two preceding centuries. It no longer takes great wealth or weeks of traveling to reach destinations around the country or internationally. The mission of The Traveling American is to provide people with encouragement to travel by presenting interesting stories, detailed destination information and planning skills so they can realize their travel dreams. These three historical figures were not perfect people but their passion and curiosity for travel embodies a traveling spirit that each of us can bring to planning a trip on this continent or across the seas.