Bringing history to life when you travel overseas, with our
guide to historic journeys around the globe. We'll help you experience the best the world has to
offer.
1. Hannibal's journey over the Alps
Hannibal was one of the most famous military tacticians. He
actually embarked on his most famous expedition by adapting
plans for invading Rome. To follow his route, travel along
the south-eastern coast of Spain, over the Pyrenees, through
the South of France and into Northern Italy... Luckily,
you'll be able to do it without having to command an
army of 40,000 men and 37 elephants!
2. 'Trail of Tears'
In the 1830s, Native American tribes were removed from their
home territories - one of the darker chapters of
American history. In fact, there is no single journey,
because different tribes were forced to follow different
routes. However, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
gives visitors the most vivid impression of what happened.
3. Trans-Siberian Railway
Russia spent a phenomenal 1.4 billion roubles between 1891
and 1913, building this famous network of railways
connecting Moscow to Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan.
It's 9,288 kilometres (5,772 miles) long, spans eight
time zones and takes several days to complete the journey,
but it isn't even the longest continuous service in
the world - or even in Russia!
4. Stanley's search for Livingstone
Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley travelled
to Zanzibar in 1871, along with a team of 200 porters, to
find the famous missionary David Livingstone. The 700-mile
journey through tropical forests involved one nightmarish
set-back after the next, only to conclude (near Lake
Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania) with the immortal
remark,
“Dr. Livingstone, I presume”
.
5. The Silk Road
If you thought China's growth as a trading giant was a
recent phenomenon, the history of the Silk Road might
surprise you. A series of ancient trade routes connecting
Xi'an to Europe, it served as link for merchants,
traders, monks and pilgrims for thousands of years, and was
a major factor in the development of Egyptian, Persian,
Indian and Roman civilizations. You may not want to follow
all 4,000 kilometres, but the stretch in northern China
alone offers a wonderful sense of history.
All of these historic travellers would have probably been
grateful for some travel insurance on their journey -
so make sure you're covered for all kinds of
adventures when you go!
Global travel insurance >>
