In 1848, Mr. and Mrs. Trask, an English couple, traveled throughout Wales and collected botanical samples to capture the varied landscape. This diary along with current UR student travel abroad memoriabilia can be seen in the Seward room and the Reference area through December 27, 2013. (Exhibit curated by Claire Crowther, UR 2013)World travel has been a point of interest for centuries. The different customs, languages, landscapes, and people that exist in faraway places have been a fascination for many. During these voyages, travelers have documented their encounters with these fascinations in a number of different ways. Some took photographs, wrote letters, recorded their thoughts in journals, sent postcards, and even drew or painted scenes and landscapes. This documentation, used for both personal reflection and to share stories with others, helps to explain the experience of the traveler. The items on display in Travel Stories: 19th century - the present tell the stories of travelers all over the world, in a range of time periods, and through a variety of media.

Before the nineteenth century, whether for basic survival, political, or economic reasons, travel was usually done out of necessity. It was not until the end of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s that travel became a leisure activity. This mindset has also allowed for a more creative documentation of travel. Traveling for pleasure encouraged the type of reflection done in journaling, photography, and art. In this day and age, study abroad programs, fellowships, and programs that sponsor English teaching abroad offer college students wonderful opportunities to travel. These programs are tailored to both work and study and emphasize the need to learn by reflecting on our experiences.

The methods used to share travel stories have evolved since the nineteenth century and are documented through the items on display. Photos have become digitized, journaling has changed to blogging, and letters have shifted to email. As technology continues to advance, we will see another shift in the documentation of travel. As the use of the internet changes, it will become even more important to instantly upload all of our photos to Facebook and to post our Tumblr blogs and share them with the world; the internet has become the place where we chronicle our personal histories. Time periods, media, and opportunities have changed, but still, the desire to see the world has not. We continue to search for exciting adventures and to learn about other cultures through touring the world and sharing our experiences with others.