Travel, tourism and holiday magazines
In 1841, Thomas Cook ran his first temperance train journey from Leicester to Loughborough, often regarded as the advent of modern mass market tourism. Alongside these excursions, Cook ran a bookselling and printing business, and founded a magazine, The Excursionist to promote his tours. Ever since, the tourism and magazine industries have been intertwined, and ever-more-niche magazines have developed. This page shows examples of these titles, listed by launch date. Thomas Cook's Excursionist magazine in 1862 |
The Excursionist (1851)Thomas Cook customer magazine. Tabloid format. Title changed to Traveller’s Gazette in 1903 |
 The Wide World magazine in September 1898 (issue 6) |
The Wide World (1898)George Newnes. Monthly. 1898-1965. When it closed, Wide World was incorporated into Geographical magazine. The title described itself as 'The true adventure magazine for men' |
 The Tourist launch issue in January 1899 |
The Tourist (1899)Companion magazine to the Weekly Telegraph |
 The Traveller (1900 launch) |
The Traveller (1900)George Newnes. Weekly. Tabloid format. Catchline: 'For whom the world is a playground' |
 Railway and Travel Monthly from April 1916 |
Railway and Travel Monthly (1899)Companion magazine to the Weekly Telegraph |
 Holiday Resorts magazine launch issue in May 1919 |
Holiday Resorts (1919)‘For tourists, nature lovers, health seekers and pleasant reading.’ Monthly |
 Go magazine in April 1951 |
Go (1951)The travel and leisure magazine. Published in association with The Sunday Times. Quarterly |
 Travel Trade Gazette magazine, October 1991 |
Travel Trade Gazette (1953)Tabloid newspaper format. 'The world's first weekly travel trade newspaper' |
 Take Note magazine March 1953 |
Take NoteScottish Tourist Board |
 Holidaymaking magazine 1956 |
HolidaymakingThomas Cook and Dean & Dawson |
 Know Britain magazine 1956 |
Know Britain |
 British Airways High Life magazine from June 1991 |
High LifeBritish Airways customer magazine |
 Intercity magazine, July/August 1990 issue |
Intercity (1985)Contract magazine by Redwood Publishing for British Rail. 10 issues a year |
 Holiday '89 magazine |
BBC Holiday '89Redwood Publishing and BBC Magazines. Content based on TV and radio programmes |
 BBC Holidays magazine first issue |
BBC Holidays (1992)Redwood Publishing and BBC Magazines. Content based on TV and radio programmes |
 Wanderlust magazine, January 2021 |
Wanderlust (1993-)Wanderlust Publications. 10 issues a year. 'Taking the road less travelled' |
 Condé Nast's Traveller was launched in 1997 in the UK |
Traveller (1997-)A consumer magazine that set out to shrug off the poor reputation of much travel journalism. Condé Nast Traveler was founded in 1986 at US publisher Condé Nast by former Sunday Times and Times editor Harry Evans. He set Traveler out to be dedicated to ‘truth in travel’. Traveller was launched in the UK in 1997 by editor Sarah Miller. The strategy was a success with the title establishing travel as a sector in newsagents (BBC Worldwide had failed with BBC Holidays). Traveller pays for all its own flights and accommodation and has never 'knowingly' published something that is the result of a group press trip. Miller told a Guardian interviewer: '[A press trip] is uniform and controlled by the PR company,' she says. 'Travel isn't a controlled experience. It is what happens to you.’ |
 Thomas Cook's Excursionist magazine in 2018 |
The Excursionist (2000s)Thomas Cook customer magazine |
 Lonely Planet Traveller magazine cover in December 2015 |
Lonely Planet Traveller (2008-19)BBC Worldwide/Immediate Media Company. Launched by the BBC after it had taken over the Lonely Planet travel book publisher, initially as Lonely Planet Magazine and then Lonely Planet Traveller. |
 2019 Lakes & Cumbria Today magazine |
Lakes & Cumbria Today |
 2019 World of Cruising magazine |
World of Cruising |
 2019 Silver Traveller magazine |
Silver Traveller |
 National Geographic Traveller, July/August 2020 |
National Geographic TravellerNational Geographic. six times a year |
 National Geographic Traveller Food in 2021 |
National Geographic Traveller FoodNational Geographic. |
