While living in the Middle Ages wasn't easy, there were more holidays than you might expect.

The word ‘ (a)   ’ is derived from ‘holy day’, or a saint’s day in the Christian calendar, and holy days were an important part of medieval life. They could mean time off work and they certainly meant an excuse for a party.

It was only in the 18th century that a very small number of wealthy people, who had enough leisure time and money, started thinking that they could travel for (a)   and culture.

In late 18th-century Britain, for example, the young aristocracy were encouraged to travel abroad. Young men went on the Grand Tour after graduating from Oxford or Cambridge to complete their (a)   . People went on the "Grand Tour" to visit cities of art, especially in Italy. It was during this period that the word "tourist" was first used to describe a person "who tours".

The Bank Holidays Act of 1871 provided nationwide days off so people started to have more (a)   time. This led to the invention of the holiday in the modern sense, also encouraged by the development of railways and steamships.

Another important reform was the Holidays with Pay Act of 1938. It established that all workers should have one week’s paid holiday per year and it caused an explosion in (a)   tourism.

In the 1960s (a)   ownership gave people a wider choice of destination, so new forms of holidays developed.

The 1980s saw the consolidation of (a)   mass tourism because air travel became more accessible and so people could go abroad easily.

Today, technology has revolutionised tourism. Travellers can (a)   their own flights and hotels online.