The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660s until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s. It served as an educational rite of passage.
In the second half of the 18th century some South American, North American and other overseas youth joined in. The tradition was extended to include more of the middle class after the rail and steamship travel made the journey less of a burden, and Thomas Cook made the "Cook's Tour" a byword.